Dream: The Elephant Shop

Dream 20030903, 6:45 AM:

I think this was inspired by an NPR article yesterday about the French artist who draws Babar the elephant.

I am working at a shop; it’s a fairly small place to start, although it becomes bigger as the dream progresses. It begins by being a clothing store, like something I’d see at the mall, with tables in the center with clothes stacked on them, and racks along the walls. I’m being introduced around, shown how everything works, and as we get to the back of the store, it changes. Now, there is some kind of chaff like rice hulls on the floor, and there are cages along the outside wall, with little elephants in them. Most of the elephants are about horse-sized; they don’t seem to be babies, just small. They are not cartoonish at all, though; they are hairy and warm and smell like elephants. I am delighted with them, and walk along petting one after another. One of them is albino, and one is jet black; we call him The Natural, which seems odd. One of them reaches out and uses his trunk like a vacuum hose to suck a piece of candy bar out of my shirt pocket; I joke about him “Hoovering” it.

The store gets kind of rearranged, and now it’s more like a circus ring, with a large open display space in the center. The managers are promoting people, and they give me some new title, because although I haven’t been here long, I’ve gotten along very well with the elephants.

Then, I’m in a different circus area, that seems to be along the back of the cages where the elephants are. The elephants reach their trunks through the back wall, through holes in the backdrop, but I can’t see anything but the trunks. I pet them as I walk down the row, because I know they must feel lonely and scared not being able to see anyone. Then, the backdrop begins to move toward me, and I’m knocked to the floor. I shout something to my Mom, who is apparently in charge of moving the wall, about how if I get stepped on by an elephant, I could die, HELLO… it seems more like I’m being ironic, and I don’t feel panicky or endangered. It’s like I know the elephants won’t hurt me.