He dreamed, apparently.

Jordan remembers falling into the bed. He remembers falling beyond that, directly into a dreamscape. He remembers being propelled straight into a dream of a forest, but instead of grass and dirt it was ornamental rugs, and instead of leaves on the trees, there were dream catchers. He remembers feeling familiar in this forest of dream catchers. He remembers wanting to stay there for a while, or maybe longer than that.

But now, he wasn’t there. He was here. Where was here? His hotel room? He didn’t want that. The beach sounded nice. He was at the beach. No, it was his apartment. No, it was the forest again. This was nice... No, it was a white room, with a soft carpet floor, and no windows or doors. That was odd. Jordan was aware he was dreaming, and he was enjoying visiting the forest. He didn’t want to be here, so why was he? Wasn’t this his dream? He didn’t make this happen.

“Hello Jordan.” He didn’t necessarily want this either, but now he was glad the dream had a will separate from his. The beautiful dream catcher woman was standing in the room with him, and she was completely naked. So was Jordan, but he couldn’t tell if he was already naked or if he had willed the dream to make it that way once he saw the woman.

“I’m dreaming, and you’re here.” He was surprised at how much control he had in this dream, it felt extremely real.

“Yes. I have given you a gift, as I give to all those who need it. You are a person who has forgotten what it means to have great ambitions. You live life afraid of the unknown, afraid of risk, afraid of what lies beyond. I have given you the gift of dreams so that you may learn again what it means to imagine what can be.”

“I don’t—” Jordan began to speak, but he found himself sitting on the floor, quiet. Or maybe he was always sitting.

“I am in your dream, but I am controlling it. After tonight, this is a power you will know, too. Use this gift to live a life that you never thought possible. Use this gift to explore the impossible. Dreams have no limits. They are not bound to the rules of the universe.”

Jordan could do nothing but listen. He wanted to speak and ask questions of course, but the dream would not allow it.

“Enjoy this gift, and enjoy this life. We will not meet again.”

Jordan woke up in his hotel bed. It was nearly lunch time. He remembered his dream with such clarity that it hurt his head to think about. He had a new wisdom imparted to him in a way only possible through a dream. He knew what he was capable of. He knew that his life would never be the same.

He also knew the dream catcher building across the street was gone, and that it was never there in the first place. All of his questions were drowned by his imagination. He was so excited to dream again that he considered drugging himself back to sleep.

Then, his phone rang.