her.
“All right, I’ll come in with you!” I called out as I banged on the door.
“No!” she shouted. “I’d be too embarrassed.”
There was nothing for it. I took off my clothes and sat on the edge of the bed, naked, waiting for her to reappear. I was getting more and more irritated. This dream seemed awfully close to reality. I even started to think it might be reality. So, as a test, I dug my fingernail into my right cheek. If this was a dream, it wouldn’t hurt.
It hurt.
It hurt so much that it woke me up. In my sleep, I’d dug my nail hard into my cheek.
“DAMN!!!”
My wife was still sleeping peacefully, contentedly next to me. In my rage, I jumped up and punched her on the arm.
“Ow! OW!! What are you doing?!” She sprang up, startled. “Just when I was getting to the good bit!”
“Huh! You think I’m going to let you have all the fun? I’m going to go back to sleep and have the time of my life!”
“You think you’re the only one? Watch me!”
We turned our backs on each other with huffs of indignation, and concentrated on getting back to sleep. Luckily, I dozed off in an instant. And I started to dream. I dreamt I was sleeping in our bed at home.
“Yesss!! A dream!”
I slipped out of the sheets. My wife was sleeping naked on the bed.
“Right! Let’s get back to that hotel!”
I hunted around the bed looking for my clothes. But my shirt and trousers were nowhere to be seen. Of course they weren’t. I’d taken them off in the hotel.
I quickly looked around for another pair of trousers. But I couldn’t even wait that long. And anyway, it was only a dream.
“All right! I’ll go as I am!”
I raced out of the house stark naked, with nothing on my feet.
I ran along the dark side road and came out onto the main street. As before, it was as bright as day and full of people. Passers-by opened their eyes wide when they saw me running through the street in my birthday suit. A few women screamed.
“Oy, you! Stop!!”
Near the crossroads, a policeman came running after me. “Stop that man! He’s gone insane!”
There’s always someone who gets in the way, even in a dream. A passer-by stuck out a leg and tripped me, sending me sprawling on the pavement. The policeman jumped on my back as I struggled hard to resist. “This is my dream!” I cried. “Why don’t you just disappear!”
The policeman was desperately trying to handcuff me. “He’s lost his mind! Help me apprehend him!” he shouted to the watching bystanders.
Four or five men stepped forwards and tried to hold me down. I was punched hard two or three times, but I hardly felt a thing. It was a dream, after all. Still, I couldn’t waste any more time messing about like this. If I didn’t get away soon, the girl might grow tired of waiting and leave the hotel. So, reluctantly, I decided to wake up again. Even as the policeman and bystanders were holding me down, I shouted at the top of my voice.
The sound of my voice woke me up.
“What now, for God’s sake?! What are you shouting for? You’ve gone and woken me up again! And just when I was getting to the good bit!” My wife, also woken by the sound of my voice, flew at me in a fury.
“You think you’re the only one who wants a good dream?!” I said. I got up, took a fresh shirt and trousers from the wardrobe, laid them down beside the bed and got back in. “This time I’ll get it right. I’ll show you!”
“Well, you’re not the only one!”
Once again, we turned our backs in indignation and concentrated on getting back to sleep. Again, I dropped off immediately. And I started dreaming again.
“Yessss!!! A dream!”
I got up immediately and hurriedly pulled on the shirt and trousers I’d laid beside the bed. I’d left my sandals in the hotel, too, so I slipped some shoes onto my bare feet. Then I dashed out of the house. If I failed to make it with that pretty girl this time, it would be the end of the world. I ran through the main street with my hair all over the place. I did knock down the odd passer-by, but this time I managed to keep running without being challenged. I turned off the main street onto the dark uphill road