Shooter

Date: 6/27/2024

I was out having dinner with my family—my husband James, my mom, sister Cynthia, stepdad Robert, and little James who was only 3 months old (he is a new addition to the family and my mom is fostering him for the foreseeable future until the parents are able to get their shit together.) At one point, I got up to use the bathroom and when I was in there I heard some commotion in the restaurant and my mom texted me to tell me to stay where I was because somebody had come in with a gun. It was at that moment that I realized I had an old friend from high school also in the bathroom with me and we were panicking because we didn’t know what to do and all we could hear was screaming and crying. Over all the noise, we heard a gunshot and then total silence. After what felt like forever, my friend who was in the bathroom with me said, “okay I think it’s okay to leave.” I told her no because we had no idea if the shooter was still out there or if anyone was dead and we should stay put until someone comes to help. She said that she didn’t want to wait and wanted to go home. There wasn’t much I could do to make her stay so I followed her cautiously. I let her go first and when she got out to the restaurant area, she called back that everyone had left. I came out behind her and saw a man on the ground with the gun in his mouth and blood on the wall behind him. I stared at the man, empty and in shock, as I followed my seemingly unfazed friend out the front door of the building. Once I got to the parking lot, I saw my mom’s car was on and running. She texted me shortly after and said she was headed home. Then I saw my sister’s motorcycle on and idling beside my mom’s car. My sister was sitting on it looking straight forward into the night. I was about to go up to my sister when I saw my husband, in our car in the passenger seat. So I decided, for whatever reason, not to go to her. When I got into my car, James did not flinch or look over at me. He just stared straight forward like my sister was. So, without saying anything, hands shaking, I started the car and left the parking lot. A few minutes onto the freeway, I started to get vertigo, my vision shifted upside down, and the car swerved. Eventually, was able to get it under control and stop the car near a motel at the side of the road. We paid for a night there and no words were spoken until morning. At morning, I texted my mom and asked if James and I could come by and she said that would be okay, so we got in my car and I drive back to Salem. Once we arrived, I saw little James was playing music on some chimes that Robert had apparently made for him. He was very smart. I was in the kitchen with Robert, and I asked him if he thought it would be okay if I gave little James a stuffed animal of a frog that I had brought with me. He looked at me hesitantly and said that it was probably best that I didn’t and that Cynthia was doing enough. He started going on about how Cynthia had done this and that, so I wasn’t really needed anymore. I asked him if he was telling me that I wasn’t important to the family anymore, and then my mom came in. I immediately started crying and fell to the floor. My mom looked down at me and then looked at Robert and asked him angrily what he had said to me. He said nothing and I interjected and asked him again if he was saying that I was important to the family anymore and if it was something I had done. That’s when I woke up.

AI generated interpretation This dream is quite intense and complex, reflecting a mix of personal relationships, fears, and feelings of inadequacy. Let's break down some key themes and symbols: 1. **Shooter and Gun**: The presence of a shooter and gun in the dream often symbolizes a feeling of being threatened or a fear of danger in your waking life. This could reflect a sense of vulnerability or fear of harm in your current circumstances. 2. **Family Dynamics**: The dream highlights interactions with various family members, including your husband, mother, sister, stepfather, and the foster child. These family dynamics may represent different aspects of yourself or unresolved issues within your familial relationships. 3. **Fear and Anxiety**: The overall tone of the dream is one of fear, panic, and uncertainty. This may indicate underlying anxieties or worries that you are dealing with in your waking life. 4. **Feeling Helpless and Unsupported**: Your hesitation to leave the bathroom and uncertainty about your friend's actions suggest a feeling of helplessness or being unsure of how to navigate challenging situations. The lack of support from your husband and family members, especially the rejection from Robert, may mirror feelings of inadequacy or not being valued in your relationships. 5. **Vertigo and Loss of Control**: The sensation of vertigo and loss of control while driving on the freeway may symbolize feelings of instability or chaos in your life. It could also suggest a fear of losing control in a situation or feeling overwhelmed by your emotions. 6. **Symbol of Frog**: The stuffed animal frog could represent transformation, renewal, or a need for emotional healing. The reluctance of Robert to accept the gift may indicate a sense of rejection or feeling unappreciated. 7. **Crying and Seeking Validation**: Your emotional reaction, crying, and seeking validation from your family members in the dream may indicate a deep desire for love, acceptance, and reassurance in your waking life. Overall, this dream seems to reflect deep-seated fears, feelings of vulnerability, and a desire for support and validation within your family dynamics. It may be helpful to reflect on these themes and consider how they relate to your current emotions and experiences in order to address any underlying issues or concerns.