REM // Van McCann

3. Brief Moment

We sat there in disbelief, no one saying a word. We dreamt about this moment for so long but didn't think it would actually happen. We didn't know what to do next or what this meant for the future. We could tell our sponsor the good news but we wanted this moment to ourselves, even if only for a brief moment.

"What happened?" Larry asked, curious. He has no insight on what happened. All we can do is recall the dream but he's not able to visualize it. Bondy looked at me, asking for permission to tell the story and I nodded my head.

"I dunno about Van but I woke up on the street. I instantly recognized the place as Japan so I quickly found the subway to Shibuya to find Hachikō statue. I'm familiar with Japan having been there before. When I didn't see Van, I figured he was running late so I went to buy some ice cream. When I came back, I saw Van sitting on the bench," he recalled.

"My story is basically the same except I got chased by Left Shark," I added.

"Speaking of Left Shark, I know why he showed up now. I was watching Katy Perry's halftime show last night."

I've been fortunate enough to experience Bondy's dreams and Larry's. Bondy's dreams are downright bizarre but they're completely harmless. Larry's on the other hand are a bit worrisome. He worries a lot and doesn't think much of himself and it shows. If I ever let them in my dreams, I wonder how mine would look.

Larry walked back to the computer to finish his notes and Bondy got up, coiling the probes around his hand and kneeling down to place them in the kit. Figuring I was feeling stable enough, I stood up and did the same. We packed the kit neatly away but Larry wasn't done yet so we decided to sit on the couch and wait for him to finish. We weren't in a rush as it was still early afternoon.

"Has it gotten any better?" Bondy questioned. I looked up, wondering what he meant by that.

"What do ya mean?" I asked, leaning back and crossing my leg. Bondy went quiet all of a sudden wondering how to carefully word his question.

"I noticed being sent back isn't your favorite thing." I chuckled and uncrossed my leg.

"No one likes being shot. I dunno how you do it."

"I just tell myself this is a dream and pull the trigger. Easier said than done, though. The most dangerous thing you can do is hesitate. Hesitating allows fear to take over." He drank his bottled water and continued. "If there's anything we can do to make it easier for you, let us know." I shook my head, appreciating his willingness to help.

"I'm fine but thank you. I hope it gets easier the more I do it." Larry got up which caused us to stop talking.

"I'm done," Larry announced, walking towards us. "Let's go celebrate!"

It was too early to get drunk but we went to the pub anyway. We have a favorite pub right across the street that we frequent during late nights at work. The food they serve isn't the healthiest but it's comfort food and they've got cheap beer. On Friday nights and weekends, they've got live music which makes it a popular hangout spot. We left our bags at work not wanting to carry too much and made our way to the pub.

The pub was quiet as it was only mid-afternoon. Sam the bartender waved at us and went back to work making sure he was stocked for tonight. We took a seat at the bar and Molly greeted us.

"Wasn't expecting to see you guys so soon," she said, handing us our menus. Having been here so many times, we didn't really need a menu but she gave us one anyway.

"We're celebrating a big accomplishment today," Bondy explained. "I'll get chips. I'm not that hungry."

Bondy handed her his menu and she took it, eyeing Larry and I. Her gaze made me nervous so I looked down at my menu shyly. Ever since Bondy and Larry told me they think she fancies me, I haven't been able to look at her the same way. I never noticed it because it was subtle but they always took note that my portions were slightly larger than theirs. The thought is nice but I wish she'd stop.