A dream I had.

Originally Posted: 08/08/2026

Because I take medication for my mental health, sometimes I can get very vivid dreams as a side effect. I've had quite a few of these dreams, but I've never written them down before. Here’s a summary of one I had last night. 

I had gotten a new job making beads and other plastic items. The place I did my apprenticeship at was the house of the boss of the company. He showed me how to do my job, but immediately after that his whole demeanour changed. He began outwardly abusing other workers in front of me, and when I glared at him, he began to belittle me, saying “Aw, why’s the redhead so mad?” He stroked my cheek with the back of his hand. I wanted to throw up. 

I was scared about what would happen if I said anything back, so I stayed quiet. When I was moved to another room in the house to work alone, I desperately told the girl who lead me to the new space about what happened. She was only about my age, her dark hair pulled back into a tight ponytail, wearing a uniform I can’t quite remember. Through a friendly, customer service smile, she whispered; 

“I know. Just stay quiet.” 

I obeyed her and stayed silent until the end of my shift. I remember when I got home I tried to tell my family about what happened, but none of them seemed to listen to me.

The next day, I spent time with my best friend. We were messing around outside on a beautiful summer day, the water next to us glistening with beautiful aquas and blues. She asked me how work was going, and I dismissed the subject. I did not want to talk about the man who employed me. I remember what he looked like; square, wrinkled and grey, with a look in his eye I couldn't quite place.

We were walking around a strip mall near the ocean, and soon a commotion started. A ship came in from the ocean with some official-looking people standing on top of it, dressed in the same pale colours as their ship. I never got to see them clearly, and I didn't quite care. I only buried my face in my friend's chest, staying close to her in hopes that my fears about my new job would disappear.

The next shift I had at this job was very different. I had graduated the apprenticeship and was now working in the main shop/factory of the company. They sold almost everything. My eldest brother dropped me off, and we wandered the place before I started my shift. I saw DVDs that I wanted, but before I could look at them further, my boss called me to my place. I don’t quite remember what my work entailed, but I remembered that I operated one of many machines around the factory; looming structures of bronze and rusted pipes. Most of the other workers were around my age, which confirmed some of my suspicions about the ethics of my boss. Not to mention the working conditions, with vats of hot plastic being right next to the areas in which we worked. Some of us had to work with large pots of this plastic, with no protection for their skin and hands that worked with the boiling concoction.

My friend came into work one day, asking for a job. I desperately told her to leave, to not be taken by the boss I knew was dangerous. He found her talking to me. I don’t remember much about what happened after that.

The memory of the dream gets fuzzy, but I remember seeing the ship again. The people on there had come into the shop I worked at, their clothing blue and white, almost glowing against the black and bronze of the factory. I think I fell to the knees of one of the officials, begging for help.

I woke up not long after that, I don’t remember how it ended.