dream sequence - part 20

I was lucid enough to know that I was still working for my current employer in New England, but I had no idea why I was in Chicago, much less why I was showing up at my Uncle’s office building at 3 in the morning. A line had already formed outside for the grand opening of a Café on the ground floor of the building. The chef’s name and cartoon-like image had been freshly painted on the glass for all to see.

Once I realized what was happening, I pushed past the crowd and into the main lobby of the building. The guard was surprised to see me — that’s if he could see me at all. His eyes had no pupils or irises — I could see only the white of his eyes. Very creepy. He called my uncle at home to get permission for me to enter the building, checked my identification (apparently), and let me through.

I stood in my Uncle’s high-rise office and basked in the view of downtown Chicago at night. Then I found a place to plug in my laptop and got down to work.

Fast-forward to lunch time. Apparently I’ve bonded with my co-workers, who don’t seem at all surprised to see me there. The badge I brought from my current employer seems to be recognized by the security staff and the card readers alike. Stranger still, I have yet to see my Uncle. Walking through the office with some of my new comrades, I notice that the Chef/Owner of the new Café is standing at the entrance of the dining area holding a stack of menus — and that the Café is empty...