Postmodern Dreaming

I was sick for the last two days, and Tuesday night, after lying in a daze on the bed for most of the afternoon and evening with equally sick E, I slept for almost 12 hours, not quite straight, as I woke up and looked at the clock occasionally, but, still, as close as I ever get. Then last night, I got into bed at 9:30, read till 10:30, lay awake till S came to bed at 11:30, woke up at 4 and could not get back to sleep. At some point in my awakeness, E came into our bed. Then I left and went to her bed. Then she came back to her bed in tears, having awakened in our bed and been unable to find me. She was awake for a bit, and then I was awake some more, thinking and worrying, and a bit annoyed because now that she was back in her bed with me, and clearly perturbed, I could not give up bed altogether and go to the living room and read (perhaps, I thought, there had just been too much bed in the last 48 hours, even though I clearly needed to sleep).

The last time I remember checking the clock, it was some time after 6, and then I woke up and got up and went into the living room and discovered that our house had been robbed. Actually, first I went into the bathroom and saw that the wall had crumbled. Then I went into the living room, where the disarray suggested burglary and the absence of television and stereo from the living room confirmed it. My laptop was gone too, though my cellphone and wallet were still in my orange bag which was sitting right on my desk chair where I usually leave it. I woke S up and he was as shocked and confused as I was. He went down to check the door, which we leave unlocked all day but usually lock at night, and neither of us could be sure whether we had locked it the night before. He said from now on we need to lock it. I realized we should be calling the police, but the whole thing suddenly seemed a little dubious, so I asked S if I was dreaming, and he said no, and I went to call the police.

Then I woke myself up, because of course I was dreaming. Our TV and stereo aren't even in the living room to begin with. And we don't live in a loft. And our bathroom has tile on the wall, so the plaster and lath couldn't crumble away.