D. K.

English ENG2D

Myth :

Solutions in Dreams

Presented to Mrs H. Acadmie de la capitale February 13, 2014

Solutions in Dreams
Ideas
Summer Myth Person in everyday life, falls down pothole into a different world. Beats many levels and monsters. When comes back up, uses strategies from battles underground above ground Battles underground: Monsters, battles of wits Battles aboveground: Boss, annoying people Initial Situation While walking to work, the main character is thinking about the problems in his life. lment dclencheur

He is paying so little attention that he falls into a pothole. Pripties He lands in a world full of monsters, battling a few of them with wits. Dnouement When he reaches a final prize, he is in a hospital bed, but leaves soon after, returning to his life and solving the problems. Situation finale Conclusion??????

Obstacles
No noise-Loneliness Sphinx-Problem at work Demon-Boss ????-Wife

Solutions in Dreams
What am I doing with my life? passed through Alfreds mind, as he walked through his front door. He was having a very bad day. No, even before that, a bad week, and bad month, a bad year. He kept going over the words his wife had screeched at him when he had left his house, I dont deserve you!, while walking through the jungle of buildings that made up New York. He was so preoccupied that he failed to notice a pothole that opened like a bottomless abyss in front of him in until it was too late, and everything went black. * * * When Alfred came to, he found himself in a huge forest of imposing trees that towered above him. They were a dull grey colour, reminding him of tall solemn watchmen. But the trees werent the main thing that attracted his attention. Rather, it was the absence of noise that was the most frightening to him. It made him feel lonely, as if no one cared about him or even liked him. He decided to try and appreciate his surroundings. Therefore, he started walking and looking around at the plants and trees, trying to find their best characteristics. He thus noticed other smaller insects, and the world around him seemed brighter. This is how, without knowing it

he passed the first task. After about half an hour of walking and observing his surroundings, Alfred was surprised to see a monolithic structure growing in the distance. He also grew aware that the trees were getting darker, culminating around the building in the distance. He warily approached, checking for signs of life. The building was oblivious to his presence. Keeping to his resolution, he tried finding good qualities in the mono-structure in front of him. But try as he might, he could find none. It was of a dull grey colour, dark and imposing, even more so than the trees around it. It was all straight angles and sharp features, without any ornament other than a stark metal door. With a feeling of dread, he decided he had to go in. Half wishing the door was locked, he turned the knob and pushed. It wasnt. The door slid open and he walked through the threshold. He was greeted by a vast room filled with shadowy figures and clicketing machines. A huge sphinx dominated the middle of the room. It had the face of a man but the body of a lion, with huge claws. With one glimpse of those claws, Alfred knew that they could rip him to shreds. He gulped and looked at their smiling owner. The sphinx had much of the same beefy features as Alfreds boss, the same double and chin and sadistic smile. When it opened its mouth, the sound coming out was quite different, so smooth it was almost tangible, being almost as soft as silk. It said Greetings Alfred. Ready for your second challenge? No need to answer that, it doesnt make a difference if you arent. As a matter of fact, the one in question was sure he wasnt, but the malevolent creature continued. You must answer my riddle correctly, and then, and only then, you may pass. But if you do not, which is the most likely, you shall suffer for evermore! It is as follows: This thing all things devours: Birds, beasts, trees, flowers; Gnaws iron, bites steel; Grinds hard stones to meal; Slays king, ruins town, And beats high mountain down1. After hearing the riddle, Alfred knew he could solve it. After a few minutes of thinking, he reached deep inside of himself, and there it was! Time he cried. The sphinx suddenly softened, and Alfred knew he had succeeded! Alfred, seeing no reason to stay after his success, left the now happier building. He returned into the woods, and soon got pleasantly lost, although he had a tug in the back of his mind, pulling him in a certain direction. He felt a sense of elation coursing through his body, and his walk was a pleasant one. It was his happiest time in a good while. Soon enough, he saw the second building he had seen in this strange forest. Without breaking stride, he walked up to it. This building was a house, a small little cottage in the middle of the forest. This place also gave him a growing feeling of dread, and soon the elation from having helped the sphinx was gone. As he approached the small house, small noises could be heard, increasing Alfreds sense of unease. He decided not to prolong this moment, and in one motion he opened the door and went inside. There, he saw a most curious spectacle. He saw a short wrinkled creature, with long dark hair. She was dressed in all red, and she had and expensive looking necklace. But her appearance was not the strangest thing about her. She was busily moving from side to side,
1

Tolkien, J.R.R. The Hobbit. Great Britain: HarperCollinsPublishers, 1978. Book

juggling pots and pans. As Alfred stepped forward, the floor creaked, and all of the kitchenware fell to floor with a clatter. She quickly turned in fury and started emitting loud squeaks, and then ran up and scratched him on the cheek. Seeing she was about to start yelling again, Alfred decided to stop her. Im sorry! he said, will you please forgive me? The woman sat down on the floor, a look of surprise and gratitude on her face. Yes she said. Alfred was happy, but then everything suddenly went black. * * * -not sure what happened were the first words Alfred heard waking up. His head was throbbing and the scratch from the woman hurt, but other than that, he was fine. Taking stock of his surroundings, he noticed that he was in a hospital bed. A doctor and a nurse were standing over him. A few seconds later, they noticed that he was awake. Ah good! said the nurse, and about time! Youve been out for a couple of hours already. Their patient took this with surprise, he had been in the forest for at least a day. Nevertheless, he pretended not to show his surprise, he instead politely asked what had happened. It was explained to him that he had fallen down a pothole and had arrived to the hospital soon after. Much against the doctors wishes, Alfred decided to leave straight away because he felt in perfect condition. As he walked through Manhattan, Alfred realised how similar the buildings around him were to the trees in his dream. He used the same strategy with them as he had used with the trees, looking the buildings good characteristics, and he was that much happier. After having walked for a while, Alfred realised that his feet had led him to his office. He decided that he could get some work done that day so he entered it. Inside, he was confronted by his boss, who lost no time in yelling at him for a quarter of an hour. When it seemed like his rant was starting to abate, Alfred quickly intervened and said Dont worry, Ill spend a lot of time on my work. He noticed his boss posture change, and knew he had fixed that problem. Alfred worked until late, and only returned home when he realised that it was getting dark. My wife wont be happy he thought, and he was filled with dread. He quickly packed up and left, just catching the last bus of the day. He soon arrived home, and stepped through the threshold of his house. His wife was waiting for him with her hands on her hips and an expression that he knew meant trouble. Now or never he thought. Before she could open her mouth, Im sorry! he said, will you please forgive me? Ill pay more attention to you, and we can both be happier! Lets have supper and you can tell me about your day. His wife seemed startled with his words, but sat down to eat and started telling him about her day. As she talked about an incident in the grocery store, Alfred knew that his life was finally on the right track.