Dream time: Christmas Eve, night. It's winter and snowing, but it isn't cold. I'm not even dressed in winter clothes. I treat it a lot like late spring weather.

My boyfriend, James, and I go to a holiday-themed park, which is full of Christmas shops and games and indoor rides. We visit each of the attractions, and I enjoy myself exploring. I have a thirst for knowledge and a youthful curiosity, and that's evident in this dream. James takes me to various shops and I look at all of the weird items for sale that I, personally, didn't think had anything to do with Christmas, but I knew that's what they were for, regardless. The evening felt fun, and I felt warm.

We went into some theater to see a film or something. I couldn't remember exactly what film or even how long we were inside. Eventually it came time to leave when we were done looking around. While the memory is still fresh in my mind, I wanted to note how beautiful and happy this place was. There were holiday lights all around and people walking and laughing, people of all ages, and it made me feel good to see people enjoying themselves the way they were.

When James and I began to leave, we got in his car, or what we thought was his car. We apparently got into someone else's car that was identical to his. In reality this would make no sense, but, it's a dream, so-- Anyway, we began to go home, James seemed tired, probably because he's usually tired in waking life from working all the time. As we drove, I noticed someone sitting in the backseat. Startled, I looked in the back, and saw a young boy sitting back there. In both awe and shock, I shouted to James, "There's a kid in the backseat!" James looked as well. I followed up with, "I think we took someone else's car!"

James, for some reason, seemed determined to keep the car (As well as the kid?!?!) and not return both to the proper owner/parent. This isn't how James behaves in waking life, he's nothing like that. I think what was happening is that he was concerned about going back, something was scaring him. I told him that we have to go back anyway, the car (as well as the kid) didn't belong to us.

He finally agreed, and drove me back to the Christmas town. We parked the car and began to seek the owner and parent. The young boy, by the way, was incredibly calm. He wasn't frantic or panicked, in fact, he seemed as if he wanted us to take him. We didn't have to look for long, because the owner of the vehicle approached us personally.

"There it is!" He announced, I assume referring to the black Vibe.

"We're terribly sorry," I humbly apologized, and he looked surprised at me. "You have the same car as we do."

The man, who appeared to be alone and elderly, didn't seem to care about who was apparently his son, and the fact that we accidentally nabbed him. He did mention that he was his son, though. I don't recall what happened to the boy. I don't even remember him getting out of the car. He seemed afraid. The elderly man then seemed incredibly focused on communicating with me, and seemed to forget all about the car swapping.

An eerie, creepy smile formed on his face, and I can't explain how nervous he made me feel. He hadn't said anything yet, but I knew his intentions weren't innocent.

"I see that you enjoyed yourself here," he told me. "There is a much better place, another place, and it's much more fun. Just come with me. I'll take you there."

He didn't seem at all like he wanted to take me to a happy or fun place. He looked sinister and dishonest. I didn't believe him, and I knew that he wanted to hurt me somehow.

"No thank you," I said, then began to turn to leave.

"You'll regret that decision," he said. "Come with me." His voice turned very demanding, with a growl in it.

I faced him. "No."

He glared, and continued to press the matter, and I declined each time.

"Leave me alone," I finally commanded. "I'm not going anywhere with you." I stamped my foot into the ground.

He looked taken aback, completely shocked. We stared each other down, and it seemed as if the air around us had stilled, and time itself had stopped. The visitors of the small town all seemed to stop what they were doing. I didn't give in, nor did I flee, even as I felt that he was going to begin pursuing me. Suddenly, he withdrew an enormous shotgun and aimed it at me in furious rage.

I stared down the barrel of the gun, but I wasn't at all surprised. I felt like I expected this to happen, and I knew that he wanted me to run or give in to him. "Do as I say!" He shouted.

"No," I repeated, and glowered at him. We stood there staring at each other, and spectators continued to watch. Their shopping seemed to be far less interesting now.

The man with the gun seemed shocked that I continued to deny him. He looked appalled, and I could tell that he wasn't sure what to do. He looked nervous. He repeatedly demanded me to do as he said, and I screamed at him to drop the gun, and leave me alone. I was not going to back down, and I was not about to run from him.

Finally, a shot rang out. I heard screams. It wasn't me who was shot, it was the elderly man with the shotgun. I was the one who was confused next. A huge bullet hole had filled most of his head and he fell, dead, to the ground, bleeding. He dropped his gun and fell into the mounds of snow.

I quickly looked behind me to see where the shot came from. There, in the distance, was a male police officer holding a huge pistol, or more like a hand cannon, it was enormous. The large handgun was smoking, and he was aiming in the direction of my attacker. He then motioned for other officers to get out of their cars to go help people. As I looked at his face, he saluted me with a smile. I smiled crookedly back and nodded to him to thank him.

That was the end of the dream. I woke up then. I think I was still smiling.