Dream LXXIX

I was helping a number of small men--about three inches tall--to infiltrate an old subway system. They were already in the infrastructure, I just had to help them out in various small ways. One of the ways was to take several large mozzarella cheese hunks and carve them into bits small enough for the men to eat. I did so, and put the small strips into plastic bags.

I rushed onto the platform to board the next train so I could deliver the bags. I missed one train, and while waiting for the next, looked around at several magazine stands that were arrayed about the platform. I didn't see any magazines that interested me, though.

Finally, I boarded the next train and set off toward the end of the track. When I got there, I disembarked and went up into the infrastructure. Most of it seemed very old and decrepit, though there were areas which had new pieces of lumber hammered across to shore the area up. I worried that the little men had chosen an area which might lead to their discovery.

At around 1:05 AM, I wandered up over the tunnel structure and crossed some boards to find a ledge between two tunnels. I sat down to wait. Not long after, another man who had a look of authority came and sat down next to me. "Are you here for the next shift?" he asked.

"Well, when does the next shift start?" I asked.

He looked at his watch. "Around 1 AM, I think. Did Terry send you over here? Are you new?"

"Well, even if I am, it's past 1 AM," I said. My watch showed 1:10 AM. "So I doubt if anyone named Terry sent me over."

He frowned. "No, it isn't even 11 PM yet," he said, glancing at his watch. He showed it to me, and the dial read 10:50 PM.

I frowned back as I examined my own watch again. "I think," I said slowly, trying not to arouse suspicion, "that I might have taken a wrong turn. All those tunnels, you know."

He laughed. "Yes, I know."

I made my way back across the boards and found a large underground area where several tracks intersected. I thought to myself, This looks closer to the mark. I sat down to wait again.

Just then a young woman in a fur coat came dancing happily into the area. She began chanting, "I'm in the mood, I'm in the mood, I'm rude, I'm in the nude!" She waved her fingers in front of me before settling into a nearby wheelchair. "I finally got all my brother's rings!" she said.

I looked closely. She had rings on every finger, most of them with long projecting pieces of metal attached, making them look kind of dangerous.

As I was looking closely, she smiled at me and pursed her lips. Thinking she wanted me to kiss her, I leaned in to do so, but her lips turned into metal and closed up. She shook her head slowly. "Just the rings," she said.