Dream LXXVIII

I was travelling to a large Southern mansion, nestled on a hill next to a gentle, shallow stream. I had been sent there to take photographs of some of the animals around there. When I arrived I was told I needed to take color photographs, I said I could certainly do that, but I would have to charge the camera's batteries, because without them, the camera could only take black and white images. I went down to the edge of the stream and stacked the two flat batteries near the water's edge, though not too near as to get wet. I was a little worried that the charging process might make me late for the assignment.

When I came back to the house, I saw an odd battery with two prongs on the ground. I got very worried then, because I feared the folks in the house bought the battery for my use, and it was not one that would even fit in my camera. One of the other photographers laughed and picked the battery up, saying it was his and he must have dropped it. It was a battery that would only work in a black and white camera.

We were taking pictures of pets around the mansion, and I mentioned that I had some cats as well. The other photographer said I should take some pictures of them, too, because "they might be used."

After I'd photographed most of the pets, I went upstairs to find my cats and photograph them. The second floor was an enormous open space, like a gymnasium, with various carpeted squares covering the floor. The squares were about eight feet on a side, with small aisles between them for walking.

Each of the carpet squares had groups of people, couples, or a family on them. There was furniture and an overall attempt to make the decor of each carpet distinct, though there were a lot of them that had "Simpsons" themes. There was a generally unacknowledged sense of competition among the groups.

I found my cats, and when they arose to greet me, I saw several tiny mice and chipmunk bodies in the carpet where they were lying. I worried that my cats had killed these other small animals, and thus, my cats sitting amongst all this death wouldn't make a very charming photograph. B just then, each of the mice, chipmunks and other creatures rose and waved their arms. It had apparently been some big friendly resting area, and my cats had taken care of the new arrivals.

I told my cats I was glad they hadn't eaten the animals. They gave me a peculiar look, as if to say, "What were you thinking? You thought we might EAT other creatures?"