tyrannosaurus rex

I was running as if I'd never smoked a cigarette or hollowed-out cigar full of marijuana in my life. Running with stride, picking up massive speed every time each foot slammed against the earth. I looked down only for a fraction of a second to see the ball of my foot touch down and take off, wondering where in that hell of a closet did I find these awful running shoes? But then back to focus; his stalk was at least 10x greater than mine, so when i go through with this I can only pray to inherit one of those inexplicable adrenaline rushes that will save both of our lives. The kind that make weak soccer moms lift up their mini-vans in order to save their squirming kid underneath.

I was almost there, I could see them now, and I spotted the one I would target. Closer, and closer, my mind was long rid of the consequences and aimed directly at my victim. And then I was there and could not even think of stopping. I grabbed it's hindlimb for a brief second, knocking the 5 ton creature off of its balance in order to give me enough time to run back in the opposite direction.

"tag! you're it!" that's exactly what it felt like.

The long stretch of open green lead to nothing other than a small playground in the distance. My adrenaline had kicked in, pumping through my veins and making the flat ground feel like one of those bouncy-floors at the Discovery Zone. Each step launched me into the air, if only for a foot, to leap further and faster to some form of safety; my playground.

I was there, but the creature wasn't far behind me and I didn't have much time to think of my next move. I raced up the steps, my heart beating wildly as if it would explode inside of my chest, looking frantically for the highest part of the jungle gym. The top of that slide, that would be perfect. And so i laid my body over the top of the bright yellow slide holding my panting tongue, squeezing my shaking eyes shut, and using meditative practices learned in high school psychology class to try to slow down my heart rate. At this point it was beating so viciously that you could hear it boom boom/boom boom/boom boom, pounding through my chest and onto the hollow plastic beneath me.

And then I heard him, attempting to be just as slick and sly and quiet and sneaky as me. I heard him crushing the wood chips below with those monstrous feet, gasping heavily through his clenched jaw of razor sharp fangs, spewing saliva from the spaces between with each breath. My heart was much quieter now, but he could smell me. I scrunched up like an inch worm, hunching my back and writhing closer to the top of the slide... but he was a predator and he heard every move i made and with that he slammed his right claw up through the slide, piercing the plastic as if it were nothing stronger than a sheet of paper. MILLIMETERS from my stomach, i glared in horror at the eye of the beast through the hole, continuously realizing that I had no plan whatsoever. He knew where I was now so silence was no longer an issue. I scrambled, yelping and flailing limbs with each ceaseless stab through the plastic that held every intention of ending my life. I scrambled to my feet, acting solely on my own defensive instinct, realizing the slide would no longer do as a safe haven, if it even ever did. I looked up and there was higher point I could climb to, something I had not noticed earlier. But just as I clasped my sweaty palms around the two green metal bars in attempt to hoist myself up to safety, the tyrannosaurus rex stormed up the slide like the bully in the fourth grade. The traction of the slide and the bottoms of his feet were matched perfectly, not allowing for even a second of a head start on my behalf.

And I had nothing. I had no time to look for another place to run, I had no time to step backwards, I had no time to figure out a way to defend myself so I screamed "STOP!" and just as the dinosaur was about to charge at my throat and rip me to shreds, he followed my demands and stopped. His head tilted to the side, resembling a curious old golden retriever, waiting for my next request. "I don't want to do this anymore! I can't!" I screamed, assuming this dinosaur knew exactly what I was saying. Apparently he did, because he stuck out his tiny, silly looking arm as if to call it a truce and walk away. So I shook his hand, the both of us huffing and puffing from all the excitement, and there was a sense of calmness. I knew the chase was over. Then he galloped down the stairs of the playground and before i could squint hard enough to see him run off into the sunset, he was gone.

Some nights I dream about people, and loving them, and some nights I dream about relationships, and them falling apart. Some nights I dream about my childhood and friends i haven't talked to in 10 years. Other nights, I dream about games of tag with prehistoric creatures. Last night was one of those nights.