the reappearance of an old friend

i had a fucked up dream last night.

i was visiting a reservation and was looking around one of the museums. there weren't that many visitors there, mostly people who had come to hang out and talk about the day. an item of note is that my ex, mike, was there, perusing the artifacts. not sure what that is about.

anyways, this man, short, about mid-40s with a very tanned face, comes up to me and holds a brochure up to my face. he asks if i want to go on a guided tour of a village. i politely decline as even in my dreams, i am a broke ass. he holds the glossy brochure up to my face again and says that it will be very enlightening, and he will give the tour for free since i am very earnestly interested. so, i agree. he touches my left arm, and we are transported into the middle of the desert. i can actually feel the heat and feel an arid breeze in my hair. he says that this is the village where he used to live. there are beautiful adobe houses, but there aren't any noises other than the wind. there is no one here. he says, "your friends are the reason they aren't here." even though, i argue with him that my friends would never hurt anyone or push anyone out, i cannot argue that his village is still empty. he is still surprisingly and creepily cheerful. he says that we should go in the houses as he has set up exhibits on how his people used to go about their daily lives. he points to the pottery work, various handicrafts on the walls. he says he even made adobe statues of his family, and that they are in all parts of the village.

but they aren't statues. they are slain people, slumped against the walls...wearing masks. not just any masks. they are wearing the skulls of longhorns. i can look beyond the skull and see closed eyelids. i can see blood stains on their sleeves. i tell him that these are not statues, that these are his friends, but he cannot tell the difference. at this point, i tell him that i have seen enough, and i want to leave. he grabs my arm and looks me in the eyes and says, "this will happen to your people too."

that's when i woke up.