I'd Almost Forgotten

Sitting in a lounger, fully clothed, beer in hand, watching a beach ball make lazy circles in the pool. Leaving for the airport soon. Why is vacation time so much quicker than normal time?

Then the dream comes back to me...

I'm in a house, I'm not quite sure whose, and suddenly the light goes out in the stairwell - one lone bulb suspended high above the steep, twisting stairs - and it's understood that my duty is to change the light so I climb up into a nook close to the outlet, a cranny high up in a corner, there is a small window looking out into a grey evening, and I am reaching out, stretching my arms, groping for the bulb that remains just out of reach, when suddenly an old lady starts to descend the stairs (I am immediately aware that she is one of two ancient crones who reside on the top floor) she slowly creaks and grunts her way down a few steps when I shout out, 'HEY' the woman shrieks, scared out of her wits, and loses her footing, pitches down a flight of stairs slamming her fragile skull into the wall, crumbles and then continues to topple down the remaining stiars, apparently, lifeless and all I can do is stare at the body as it rolls out of sight and wonder why I shouted - maybe it was out of a concern for the woman fumbling in the dark, maybe I just was alerting her to my presence and current chore, or perhaps my childish pleasure in frightening others got the better of me- either way I'm to blame

Then I wake up with a small start, and the dream starts to fade, forgotten, pushed aside, until later in the morning as I stare at the reflections in the tree's underbelly, dreading the flight back to everyday.