I had just gotten out of some kind of church service in Hong Kong with my mom and sister, and I walked alone to the subway. As I stepped on board, everything went blue and I was transported back in time about 30 years. Two of my uncles and and an aunt were standing there talking to me like everything was normal. They looked so young and healthy, with bright eyes and smiles. The uncle who'd passed away in real life was in his prime. I talked to them in Cantonese, something I rarely do in my dreams, but it felt so natural. I almost cried at how handsome and full of life they were.

We got off at a stop, and it was current again. Now I was with two other of my uncles, and we headed over to one of them's favorite bar. I was surprised and curious since they're a bit conservative, but didn't get a chance to see much as it was closed. We walked down a long narrow hallway inside a minimall, and a teen popped his head out from a door to flag us down. Seems like my uncle knew him and he quickly let us know that this was a great noodle place. They shut down the shop, and only certain customers could get in past closing time.

For once, I actually got to eat my meal, which was vegetables and ground beef with thin egg noodles. It tasted all right, until I lifted up a part that seemed to be stuck together with green goo. I stopped eating then. One of my uncles took out a small sheet of paper that looked like part of a chinese chess board. The other uncle got excited and they both pulled out some small markers that looked like miniature playing cards. After setting down some face cards, they ran out and had to substitute with coins. They played really fast, moving up and down and stacking their pieces in confusing ways. One of the waiters came over, and the staff started asking each other if they'd ever seen such a game before. Turns out the board really was a torn-off piece from a chinese chess set.

I think this was my first ever dream that was entirely in Cantonese.

posted by Larry at 6:31 PM