The New Girlfriend

That night I have a dream. I’m sitting on a stone bench under a tree next to a stream. It looks like one of those European forests you see on TV. Everything is green and lush. The trees certainly aren’t like anything you see in the Australian bush. I am feeling relaxed but I know I’m waiting for someone. I notice that there is no sound.

A small wooden boat comes into view. It’s drifting towards me but I can’t see how it’s being propelled. There is no-one in it. When it arrives at the bank, I feel compelled to climb in, and the boat takes me downstream through the forest. Gradually, the boat picks up speed and I hear a roaring noise that gets louder as we approach. I look ahead. The boat swings around a bend and the air is full of spray, where the stream disappears over a cliff. The roaring sound makes sense: it’s a waterfall. I feel myself in a panic. I have no control of the boat and it’s heading for the edge.

As the boat sails over the edge, I look down and see the stream splashing into a lake at least a hundred metres below me. This is going to be interesting.

Suddenly, Jane is in the boat with me. She lifts my hands from the sides of the boat, which I have gripped in terror.

‘Trust the process, Dave. You have to let go of the old to find the new.’

I turn to look at her just as the boat hits the water. It hurts.

I wake up with a start and find myself on the floor. I hear Jane laughing but she’s not in the room. Then it’s silent.