The Joker's On Me

MORNING OF OCTOBER 27, 2008

First I remember I was hiking through a beautiful, lush countryside with a couple of friends (upon waking I can't recall clearly who they were). We were enjoying the hike, but were hungry, and had begun discussing what we'd like to eat when we were through. Someone said something about hot dogs, and though I fairly seldom eat them, that sounded really good at this particular time.

We came upon a large body of water, presumably a lake. There was a small wooden boat tied to the shore with a single oar lying in it. Now there was inexplicably only one friend with me and the two of us somehow knew we had to go across the water to get to where the food would be available on the other side.

Neither of us were very experienced boaters, so we were a bit awkward and nervous with the ordeal. But we finally managed to set sail in the rickety vessel, and our awkward paddling is the last thing I remember at this point.

My next clear memory (I don't know if it came later in this dream or was a separate feature) involves me being in a toy store. I found a fluffy, gray kitten playing on the floor at the base of one of the shelves. I began playing with the kitten, and, as it seems to go with small animals, it quickly won my heart.

Things changed with no notice whatsoever, and now the kitten was a little girl, only a toddler, who was following me around the store. It's as if I'd found her with no parents or guardians (similar to how I really had found the kitten all alone just before). I was now wandering through the toy store with her, trying to help her locate her family. She was very calm about the whole thing, and was really quite giddy and playful.

My search for her family led me through a door in the store which entered into a huge area that was basically a home repair store like a Home Depot or a Lowe's. I had left the girl behind in the toy store, but continued to search for her parents in the new store.

I noticed right away that it seemed to be vacant. I couldn't see or hear any customers, but the place definitely looked to be open for business. Then I heard some shuffling noises and I turned the corner down one aisle to see the Joker--the Heath Ledger Joker from The Dark Knight--pushing a shopping cart down one of the aisles.

His cart was partially filled with a variety of implements, none of which are clear to my memory. He was muttering to himself as he shuffled along. He saw me when I saw him, but did nothing to acknowledge it. I ducked back around the corner, beginning to feel a panic rising in me.

As quickly and quietly as possible I backtracked my way down the aisles, determined to get out of this store and back to the toy store before I had any other interaction with the Joker. Hopefully when I was back with a crowd of people we could call for help.

When I rounded a corner coming on to another aisle, the Joker was waiting, just standing there facing me, his hands casually behind his back and his shopping cart a few feet behind him. He began to speak, but I woke up.