Do you ever think that perhaps our dreams take place in some legitimate reality separate from our waking lives? Certainly not all of them, mind you, as some dreams pretty clearly issue from the subconscious thoughts of the user, but then there are others (at least with me) that seem too real and "normal" to stem from the dreamer's unconscious mind -- for example, dreams in which the dreamer explores distant locales or experiences things for which he/she has no extensive frame of reference, or dreams in which the dreamer meets with people he/she has never met in real life and who do not have appropriate waking counterparts. I'm fairly sure that Omni has written about this at some point or another. (And if you happen to read this, Omni, do link us to those specific posts. Thanks!)

I think about this often, but I was thinking about it again because I just woke up from another dream featuring three characters that -- I think -- have appeared several times in my recent dreams. I write "I think" because they may just as well have only appeared in this one dream (though I semi-distinctly remember dreaming about them on one other occasion), but upon meeting them I recalled multiple instances during which I had encountered them before. I have memories of events in my dreams that elude me in real life.

In these particular dreams, I encounter three characters. All of the dreams begin with me visiting Mark (also known as Marco/Marke/Mael) in his home. I do not know Mark in real life, nor can I think of anyone for whom Mark might be an analogue, but he appears to be a good friend in my dreams -- or at least a good enough friend for me to visit him on a regular basis. However, I hardly ever speak to Mark, as most of my dialogue is carried out with his personal "physician", who is always present and answers my questions to Mark in greater detail. For example, if I ask how Mark is feeling, he might respond, "Much better," whereupon the woman tending to him will launch into a detailed explanation of his physical progress over the past week.

Mark appears to be roughly 16 years old, though I would guess that he is actually around 22 based upon my demeanor towards him in the dreams. He has short, dark hair and delicate glasses, and is perpetually clad in a white, long-sleeved pajama shirt and khaki pants, when his legs are not hidden by his bedcovers. He is slender and appears to be tall -- judging from the length of his arms -- though I have never seen him standing, as he is always seated on his bed. Mark's features mark him as having Latin ancestry (though I suppose he could also be Italian), though I cannot place his country of origin. He is fragile and often sweating.

His "physician" -- who I do not think is actually a doctor -- is a thirty-something woman who is always dressed in a white polo shirt and form-fitting pants of various colors (but all of them dark and/or dull). Large, golden hoop earrings dangle from her lobes, and her long black hair issues from beneath a red (sometimes purple) scarf that she has tied about the top of her head. In conjunction with these details, her olive skin and long nose give her the look of a gypsy. She is always at Mark's side, though she appears to be willing to treat any of Mark's friends -- or at least myself -- who suffer from any medical ailments, free of charge. Her sole method of treatment involves the application of a white topical ointment, which appears to be able to do everything from removing blisters to healing open wounds to reducing swelling to alleviating muscle pain to curing hemorrhoids. I often find her applying it to Mark, and there is always the implication that she has to remove his shirt to apply it, though she does not always do so in my presence. I am certain that I have addressed her by name, though I cannot recall her or Mark ever giving it to me, nor can I recall precisely what it is at the moment. However, the names Maria and Bianca come to mind and I do not immediately dismiss them, so perhaps it is one of those two, or both -- Maria Bianca, Bianca Maria. For the purposes of this post, I will refer to her as Bianca.

Now, I have never met anyone like either of these people, though clearly, as I can describe them, I have seen people who share their some of their features and manner of dress. What is most odd about their relationship, however, is that Mark and Bianca speak to each other almost exclusively in Spanish -- a language that I do not speak. Granted, much of their Spanish is simple enough for me to understand -- which makes sense if one considers that all of these events are purportedly taking place in my head -- but there are also times that I cannot comprehend their dialogue at all. Are they simply speaking gibberish during these periods, or do they really exist in some alternate dimension and have linguistic knowledge that I do not possess? Very curious.

The third character in these dreams is Teresa, whom I have never actually seen or encountered although she apparently lives with Mark. My best guess is that she is either his lover or his sister. She, too, speaks exclusively in Spanish, shouting various comments to Mark and Bianca from a nearby room in the house. I admit that I have never been able to understand a word that she has said, though occasionally I understand Bianca's responses to Mark regarding her words. Bianca clearly does not like her, speaking to and about her in harsh tones and always calling her "Filipina" -- spitting the word -- as opposed to addressing her by name. (This lends credence to the lover theory, as Bianca is clearly attracted to Mark, though Mark does not appear to share her feelings.) Mark appears to have a more sympathetic and kindly attitude towards Teresa, though, as he frequently speaks softly in her defense (though I confess that I do not know exactly what he is saying).

Bianca's main point of contention with Teresa -- or at least the only one that I can understand -- is that Teresa calls him "Marke/Marco", whereas she insists that his name is "Mael". (She does not, however, appear to have a problem with me calling him Mark.) She does not voice these comments loud enough for Teresa to hear, however, and Mark always responds by sighing and saying that Teresa did not know him during those times, and therefore does not know his actual name. All of these conversations are conducted in Spanish, and it is apparent that I am not supposed to know the details (though Bianca and Mark do not dismiss me -- presumably because they figure that I have no idea what is being said, but also possibly because Mark does not appear to regard this matter -- or anything else -- with any marked seriousness). Typically the dreams progress with me knocking and entering Mark's bedchamber, where I will share brief remarks with him before being interrupted by Bianca, who goes on to explain the state of his health and then inquire about my own (frequently with reference to how I have been feeling since I started using her topical ointment). I awake shortly after Teresa begins screaming at them from her position elsewhere in the house.

And that about does it for this post... any comments, thoughts, et cetera, are welcome. Should I have any future encounters with Mark, Bianca, and Teresa, I will share them here. Goodnight!