Hadrian's Wall Read Free Page A

time would disappear without
explanation, but generally returned when I experienced intense
stress as vivid as if I were watching a 3D movie. In Hadrian’s
Wall, all the dreams I had were much more elaborate and replete
with enigmatic figures, making it much more difficult to separate
delirium from reality, even when I was awake. However, the recent
dreams didn’t vary much from those of my childhood. It was weird
because in most of them I saw myself in the same place—on a stone
staircase surrounded with flowers and lush plants.
    The dream always started at the point where
I was descending the stone staircase that led to a spacious terrace
overlooking the woods. Off in the distance I spied a grayish-brown
band bordering the horizon. It appeared to be some kind of wall,
with watchtowers symmetrically placed at regular intervals.
Interposed between me and the terrace was a full-size statue of a
woman. In her hand, she holds a small object on which a strange
symbol is subscribed. Is it some kind of warning?
    Next to a stone altar there stands a very
tall man, lean and strong, waiting for me, extending his hand to
me. He wears a white tunic and a red cloak casually thrown over his
shoulder in the traditional Roman style. How I knew it was Roman
style, I have no idea. I could see his tanned skin, like that of
someone who passed his days outdoors or at the seashore. I could
not see his face because it was obscured by the shadows of trees
canopied above the altar. Why did he seem so familiar to me?
Inexplicably, I missed him.
    I had this dream repeatedly. Upon waking,
sadness would sweep over me. I began to count the hours until night
came so that I might find the unknown man of my dreams. When the
dreams stopped, I became depressed. With some trepidation, I
decided tell to Dr. Talbot about my feelings. He said that my state
of mind reflected an emotional reaction to the danger having
passed. According to him, my mind had deleted the consciousness of
the original traumatic event; however, he contends that it remains
filed away in my memory, waiting to be brought to the forefront
through symbolic distortions. This is all Greek to me. I nodded,
pretending to understand.
    Meanwhile, my nights were getting worse.
Maybe Dr. Talbot would understand that it was a sign that my memory
had a lot to reveal according to his physician’s logic. The strange
figures that populate my dreams aroused horror in me, except for
him—the stranger whose face I could not see. At least he gave me a
good feeling, a sensation of security, even affection; but the
other creatures I dreamed about...
    God forgive me!
    * * *
    A strange girl once came into the scene that
my mind had created. She was beautiful, small and delicate;
however, her beauty seemed not to be of this world. Her blazing
eyes were black as tar. Her long auburn hair fluttered around a
child’s face, forming a frame that emphasized her translucent skin.
She was so like the statue of another dream, only she was
alive!
    There was something dangerous about her—like
the way her lips opened to show her very white teeth. I sensed that
the fantastic creature would make me very ill before she bent over
and gracefully jumped over me. I always ran, stumbling...though
deep down I knew there was no chance to escape. As usual, I awoke
bathed in sweat and breathing hard, but I barely had time to
recover. A movement in the shadows scared me so much that I lost
what little breath I still had in my lungs.
    The girl came from nowhere! She stood as
still at my bedside as the statue of my dream, but there was no
physical resemblance between them. Although she was as beautiful as
the other, she could not be considered delicate, much less small.
Her hair was black and she had oriental-looking eyes.
    She was wearing a white jacket, making me
think she was another resident; but the look of her made me feel
quite apprehensive. She gave me a weird stare that reminded me of
the television documentaries about the