A stock cast of players populated the dream, all family, and this time, as usual, he was caught struggling to reach the roof of a large building to rescue Joan. He was alert to small alterations in the setting. His brother, Lionel, made a rare appearance this time; he stood to one side, tall, silver-haired, and patrician — a contrast to Peter. Sarah was there and Michael waited next to her dressed like a groom at a wedding. Curtains of water formed the walls; that was different. Peter, alone, climbed twisting Escher staircases up to the roof. When he reached the top platform, no one was waiting; Joan wasn’t there. A black pistol, probably a .38, lay on the tarred roof. Peter rarely described his dreams to anyone, and for good reason. A listener would say that this one was a typical anxiety dream. Peter considered the water image. Alice Nahri was connected to water, having drowned one victim, perhaps two. But she didn’t appear on the rooftop in Peter’s nightmare. Peter knew that a dream is about the dreamer.
