THE NEWCOMER (October 31, 2015)

I dreamt that I was in charge of a huge and lush park inhabited by a large number of wild animals. There were many poisonous snakes among them, but I had received shots against their poison. The park was insulated from its environment both to protect the wildlife within it, as well as people and animals outside it. I learned at some point that a cobra was introduced to the park. I was annoyed that I was not told in advance about the newcomer. I remember talking to someone on the phone about the cobra. “I was bitten by one before,” I was saying, “but I do not know whether I am still immune to its bite.” In other words, I might need to get a shot against its poison. When I woke up, I was quite stunned by my dream. What was I doing in that park? And when did a cobra, of all poisonous snakes, ever bite me? The whole dream, or whatever I remembered from it, struck me as no less than weird. Once again, I had a feeling that this was someone else’s dream. It had nothing whatsoever to do with my own life.