MEETING NIKE

Id finished a good training session and was feeling that comforting soreness and satisfaction that usually follows a good class. I worked with my students on slipping and countering for the striking followed by snap-sweeps, inside leg-trips and drop shoulder-throws from an over-under clinch. We finished with one of Bas Ruttens reversals from side control. I was beat and my guys were tired and inspired. I couldnt help asking myself why I was teaching them to fight knowing that none of them really like to fight. Its the training and camaraderie that they love, plus we all need a way to stay healthy and this is as good as any. I dozed off pondering this train of thought It was soon time for work and I awoke feeling a little groggy barely making it through showering and getting dressed. I was feeling a bit strange both physically and mentally but put this down to being a bit dehydrated, so I rehydrated as best I could. I remember how dark it was when I got on my motorbike. The moon had just risen and it was just a small crescent. I was wondering what was going on up there as I looked at the dark-side. I couldnt get the idea of the dark side of the moon out of my head. A strange thought occurred to me that we see exactly as much of the dark-side as we do the light and I started tripping on how solar eclipses amaze everyone but we see a lunar eclipse once every 28 days. I put these thoughts aside once I arrived at work and immediately asked Paan, the bartender and my sister-in-law, for a honey-lemon tea rather than my usual espresso, thinking it might help me rehydrate. Martin, the executive chef, was reading a book about a Swedish Guy who became entangled in a criminal lifestyle by being brought into an English hooligan group. He asked if I wanted to read it after him. Normally I would enjoy a book like this, but surprised myself by telling him Im through with entertaining myself with other peoples misfortunes and from now on prefer to read things that are uplifting or educational. He took it the wrong way, understandably, as normally we exchange books like this. I realized that I was sweating profusely and told everyone that I was feeling so sick that I needed to go home. I had been at work just ten minutes. Once I got home, I was barely out of my clothes and pondering my reaction to Martins book when I feel into a comatose sleep. It seemed like only a second but five hours had passed when Paw woke me up to go to bed. I had a very high fever and was drenched in sweat. She went to work turning on the air-conditioner and filling me up with medication to bring the fever down. When I came out of deep sleep Ayla and Paw were in a deep sleep next to me and I figured it to be well after midnight. The fever must have passed because I was feeling relaxed and crystal clear in my head. I considered turning on the bedside lamp to read but thought I d just lie and enjoy the calm relaxation that I was surprised to be experiencing. Lightning flashed really brightly outside the window and I began counting waiting for the thunder so I could get an idea of how far the storm was. The idea of a heavy rain was welcoming as I knew it would cool the sticky night. Paw must have turned off the air-conditioner some time ago. I took a little peek outside and thought it quite odd that there wasnt a cloud in the sky and then realized that there was no thunder either. I lied back and decided Id just let my mind drift off to sleep.

I awoke in the middle of the most lucid lucid-dream ever. I was on the top floor of an old brick ware-house with my friend Morgan, of all people. We were overlooking a sports arena on the other side opposite the railway tracks. The warehouse was next to these railway tracks and had been abandoned long ago. It was at this very moment that I realized I was dreaming because it suddenly dawned on me that there were no railway tracks, nor sports arena on Koh Tao. Morgan turned to me and said Hey Erik, I have a cool idea. Lets take over this building and refurbish it. What do you think? I think were in a dream, dude. So what? We could still do it! Where are you goingyou coming back? he says.

I awoke in such convulsions that I could feel that I pulled a muscle in my neck. The bed was literally drenched in sweat. I immediately thought of Morgans last words and closed my eyes determined to answer him. The next thing I know I m standing next to Morgan again and he had hired more than twenty workers to do the construction on the warehouse. What do you think? he asked. How did you do all this? Did you buy it? Where did all the workers come from? Oh, my mom helped me sort it out. Come on, I want to show you something He led me around and people were painting and sanding the hardwood floors. Beautiful artistically painted murals adorned the top of the walls. He was explaining how we could put two restaurants on the bottom floor and shops on the second floor. Brick-layers were making the walls on the second floor and I couldnt believe how much work had been done in a day. We went to the top floor where apartments were being built. The whole roof looked suspended because Morgan had made the outside wall of this top floor thick glass from floor to ceiling. This is where our apartments would be. I was thinking what a cool place it will be to live in once its finished. I told Morgan that I was going to walk around a bit and check things out. I passed all the workers busy at their tasks and ran into another guy who was tripping on the artwork and design. He asked who designed it and I found myself saying that I had done it, realizing that I was lying. But the second I said it I had design papers in my right hand with my name on them and all I could think was Cool, lets go around and see how well Ive done. Show me around dude he says. We ended up on the second floor in an unusual architectural feature where a balcony met the corner of a very cool wall that was angled out over the sidewalk. Hey man, you know what you should do here? You should buy some holds and turn this whole wall into a rock-climbing gym, itd be perfect and with that he began climbing the features of the wall. I remember how impressed I was with his technique in plain trainers as he climbed. I found myself climbing after him and once we got to the top of the third floor we sat on the unfinished bricks of the wall looking out at the sports stadium. Morgan came around and shouted Watch that wall guys, the concrete hasnt dried yet. and as soon as he said that the top three courses of bricks broke out from under us and we jumped to the floor just in time. We all stood there laughing and the Burmese brick-layer was trying not to look too upset with us. The guy went off with Morgan to I dont know where. I realized I had better do something constructive and decided to call Anders and tell him about our new venture. Next, I was kicking some feral dogs out of the bottom floor into the street. The last dog was a really aggressive black dog looking something like a German Sheppard. I was intrigued by this big ugly dog and decided to open the door just a crack to get a better look at him. He immediately tried to get back in. As I was closing the door I looked up and noticed that the door was unusually high and heavy made of carved hard wood. I remember thinking what nice features this old building had and I was really going to enjoy this project. In the middle of my musing I heard Ayla behind me What are you doing daddy? Yeah, whats this all about baby? Anders told me to come down and see whats up. Its a new project I replied. I was just trying to get the old dogs out of here. Then I notice that there was one small dog on an old mat or mattress covered by a blanket in the middle of the room. You forgot one over there Daddy! said Ayla. Hey little one, look at you I said going over to it getting ready to snatch it and throw it out. Then I noticed that it was the strangest little dog Id ever seen. All I could see was its face. The rest was covered with a blanket. I went over to it and pushed the blanket back off its head and realized I was looking at a cute little humanoid with an oval face and huge penetrating sparkling eyes. Thats cool daddy, what is it? Can we keep it? Lets wait a bit on this one honey I replied. I felt the strange urge to reach over and pet its little face from the bottom to the top of its head. There was a little bone-ridge that went over the top of the head from where one ear would have been to the other, except there were no ears. It was at this moment I realized I was dreaming because the thought

struck me that I had never dreamt in such vivid color before. To make sure, I remembered the wall murals painted high on the walls of the second floor. Yep, color, I thought. But it was touching the thing s face that really did it for me. I couldnt remember ever feeling sensation like this in a dream before either. It felt like a babys butt only softer, if thats possible, as if less tangible and more of an energy. It felt like the softest velvet. As I caressed its pinkish-grey skin, I dont really know how to describe the beautiful color of its skin, and I noticed sparks of energy just under its skin following my hand. I instantly knew it was a youngster. The sparks were an amazing electric blue with brilliant white at the point of contact with my hand. I remember feeling odd at the fact that I was not afraid. Hey little one, youre just a baby arent you? I asked as I stroked its face. It seemed pleased at this. What are you here for? I asked it. It replied it was here for me. Now I was intrigued. Do you have a name? What should I call you? I asked it? It replied that it doesnt really have a name but I could call it Nike. I laughed at this and thought to myself is that the best you can do in a cool dream like this, think of the name of a shoe? It struck me as very odd the way my subconscious was formulating this dream. What did it say? asked Ayla. Paw was slightly uncomfortable and I realized that they couldnt hear the things replies; only I could. What is it doing here? asked Paw. Its here for me I replied. I could sense Paw was confused. I was intrigued. OK Nike, what am I supposed to do? How does this work? Im here for what you want What am I supposed to do? Tell me what you want. You mean like make a wish. I have a lot of those. OK lets try something small firsthow about some money to finish this building project? I said, sort of tongue-in-cheek. Just look in the near future and youll find your money where you expect it to be. it replied earnestly. It better not be like 40,000 baht or something small I remember thinking, but as soon as I thought it Nike started laughing at me. It occurred to me to wish for all the things Id ever wanted but, once I considered that this might be real, I erased the thought and thought of Ayla and Paw surprising myself with my own values. It doesnt work that way it said but it works it finished. You just have to want it. Thats all. Its like this for everybody, they just dont know. You mean all I have to do is want something? I don t understand. Ill be here for you when you want me to be. Im here because you wanted. Youre just a little one. What can you do? Where are you from anyway? At this question little Nike put out its hand and a light show that I can only describe as a light hologram of the solar system seemed to float over its hand. I recognized it right away, but I saw a planet that shouldnt be there. It was bigger than the earth and red and orange but more alive than Mars. It was its atmosphere that gave it its color. I pointed at it This is your planet, isnt it? It seemed to let out a little laugh but I realized the only expression was in its eyes. What are you pointing at? asked Ayla. Its telling me about its home I replied. Hey thats cool she said as I realized that only I could see the hologram. I got the feeling that I should be taking this seriously and told them that I needed to talk to it and could they just be quiet and let me find out what I needed to know. I d tell them all about it later. Whats your planets name? I asked. Maa-du it replied and laughed as I tried to repeat it. Getting the last syllable right was difficult. It seemed familiar to me as if I was remembering something Id forgotten. I remember tripping on my being able to have a dream like this.

Youre here for me? How do I contact you? What am I supposed to do? I asked feeling a sense of urgency. Just want it said. What do you mean just want? Its just like that? Do I pray or ask for you? It didnt reply in words but I was made to understand that somewhere between sleeping and dreaming, I needed to be able to consciously control my thoughts in a semi-dreamlike statelike I was aware of myself doing in this crazy dream. Is this like playing for you? Do you like to play? Again without actually stating it in words I understood that this was for Nike like children playing with a puppy. I told Ayla it was here to play. She asked if it could play with kids. Then I asked it Do you play with people? This time it replied in a small, cute but very clear and serious voice We like to play humans and it put its hand out with the hologram again. I could see a number of people going about their daily lives on something that resembled a chess-board and Nike pushed one over laughing. Thats when I first became concerned. I dont think you should do that I thought and thats when Nikes thoughts seemed like that of someone much older and no longer a child. It made me understand that it didnt hurt the person, but just wanted to show me I turned to Ayla and Paw I think its time to go I said. I was surprised when Nike said Yes, I must go too. You can contact me. Just want and it disappeared laughing in sparkling little flashes that stayed in the air even after it had gone. I took Ayla and Paw and said Come on, we need to go too. _______________________________________________________________________ I awoke in a violent convulsion that shook the whole bed and couldnt believe that it didnt wake up Ayla and Paw who were sleeping right next to me. The pain in the right side of my neck was so severe I could hardly pull myself out of bed. I realized that I was quite sick and decided to eat a banana and drink a glass of electrolytes. I think I took some vitamins as well. It was around 3 am or maybe closer to 4 am. The dream surprised me as being the strangest dream Id ever had in that I remembered it is such detail and because I could see such vivid color and feel the sensation of the little creatures face on my hand. I had never had that happen in a dream before. I woke up from physically violent convulsions maybe 3 or 4 more times throughout the night. I had other dreams but couldnt remember them. When I woke up in the morning I felt completely drained of all energy. Anders came by and over coffee I explained my dream to him and Paw in the best detail I could remember. They took it for an interesting dream and that was all. I still dont know how I feel about it. Ive been delirious with fever before and know the kind of tricks a mind as imaginative as mine can play when its hit by a high fever. I had a very strange thought pop into my head about Abraham sacrificing Jacob to Yahweh, thinking that everyone got the moral of the story completely wrong. That Abraham was really putting Jacob through an initiation ritual and Jacob was meant to believe that his life was truly in danger as part of an esoteric spiritual experience. I know its way off topic but thats what occupied my thoughts for a while that morning. Later in the day, and this may sound a bit odd, I had the realization that everything we do or think or are interested in has a homogenous purpose; meaning that it all will merge into one thing eventually. The big job is to actually become aware of it - to consider ones life. That a life that goes unconsidered is really a big waste if you think about it. I decided to call Gwion and tell him about it. Hes pretty good at dream analysis and Im sure hell be working on this for a while. Im still unsure of how I want to consider this dream. It certainly was unusual enough to make an impression. I suppose Im going to go with the flow and stay open regarding its implications. It could be a personal recognition of reuniting with my own childs subconscious or super-conscious mind. Should I take the dream literally? Im not sure. It will be interesting to see if theres a part two.