A Collective Dreaming

Something comes upon me… A Dreaming? The Atlanta skyline rolls by and I wonder why they even bothered to rebuild it. I slip in and out of Dreamtime, things get slightly confused. I used to say that I had this dream, then I was awake. That’s a lie. I never wake up. This dream is my reality.

I wake up somewhere south of Atlanta, in an unfamiliar bed. Did I sleep? I don’t remember. The dreams are so real I can’t tell the difference anymore. I’m in a den of debauchery. I can say this because I know my hosts would not mind that at all.

I stumble out of bed and down the stairs to find that the house has been alive and moving for some time. A cigarette, and then I start to move too. Where was I last night? Things get so blurry out here on the road. Oh, yes… That’s right…

It was ’80s night at The Masquerade. We knew some people, so getting in was no problem. Now, if you’ve never been to The Masquerade it could be quite a shock. This place is full of the strangest mix of people: ravers, partykids, doms, and subs. And then there’s me. Dressed in my full Tiger Woods regalia. I’m a golfer at a party for leather heads and glowstick tricks.

That’s not to say I didn’t have fun. That’s not to say I was ridiculed or singled out in anyway. These people are very accepting. Now, it should be mentioned that I am absolutely worthless at a large club like this without a little alcohol in me. Being broke, the night started off slowly. I talked some to the people I knew, Black Mac and his clan. Met a few new people, then my friend Scarab found a free drink ticket and asked for the strongest drink he could get for it and brought it back to me.

Now I was a little more in my element. It just took a tiny bit of vodka to act as a social lubricant. I find out soon enough, that despite the differences all around, everyone here is like a family. They all know each other. It’s a very tight knit underground community, and it might be Atlanta’s only saving grace. These people understand the idea of community. Of camaraderie.  And sometimes, they become a family.

The Masquerade is a great example of a place where people of all kinds can come together and share the same dream for a few hours each night. And in the end, that’s all any of us want.