A dream? An out of body experience? Or something else entirely… | by Sue Bergin | Aug, 2025

My day began in a less than auspicious way. I was tired, lethargic, feeling like I’d been struggling with something all night. Bit by bit, random snatches of a dream, if that’s what it was, came back to me. I was in a room, though space seems a more apt term, there being nothing between myself and the walls around me, trying to decipher a code. I held between my hands a thick disc shaped object of some strange, pellucid material that glowed with its own source of incandescent light. There were about a dozen depressions on the side that faced me, each shaped like that of a tilde, but large enough to encompass three unfamiliar symbols. Apparently I had only to discern the last piece of the puzzle, but each time I tried a new combination, the entire object morphed into a liquid form that thrummed angrily in my hands, its face melting into wavering lines that clearly indicated to me that it was wrong. The entire process lasted less than a blink, the object returning to its original form, that last depression still blank, but filled with a dirty grey hue akin to that of rain clouds, signaling the wrongness that needed to be fixed.

Each time I got the code wrong, I closed my eyes, envisioning a large, bright, white wheel that spun and stopped, spun and stopped, making me dizzy, adding to the growing pressure of being unable to find the answer. Each time the wheel stopped a three figured code was revealed, prompting another try on the “keyboard”, inevitably followed by more failure. I don’t recall manipulating the disc in my hands in any way, yet it always tested the code that the wheel in my mind had conjured up.

All of this was weird, beyond doubt, but more bizarre was every time I woke up, I could still “see” and feel it all. I knew it was a dream! Yet it was still happening while I was awake! The interminable spinning and thrumming, along with the escalating urgency, followed me into wakefulness. I tried getting up a few times but found myself back in that strange space as soon as I closed my eyes after climbing back into bed.

I never did recall whether or not I solved the puzzle, but returning to sleep was no longer an option. It was still dark out, so I spent some time catching up with a few writers that I follow here. A heading from someone I had never heard of before grabbed my attention. His experience with how the universe showed him how to trust himself resonated deeply with me, and I just knew that this article was supposed to find its way to me.

Next, on a completely different platform, a line of a poem written about the loss of a loved one, struck me profoundly. “{Name} was a universe barely contained in skin.” My eyes filled with tears and I had to let the author know how deeply her words had settled within my soul. I thought of my late husband, imagining the universe that was him, escaping in death and I breathed him in.

I left for my morning walk just after 9am, eager to recharge as I strolled through nature, my fingers brushing the leaves of trees, allowing their energy to imbue my body. I pondered the dream, the lack of sleep, and the articles that had found their way to me, accompanied by nature’s soundtrack in the form of calling birds and whispering leaves.

I’ve recently yearned to find an area in my home where I can write in peace with no distractions, but have not had much luck. It seems as soon as I sit at my desk in our office/music/spare/storage room, every dog in the neighbourhood starts barking, sirens start up, a train sounds its horn, a car revs loudly or a truck has to brake for the nearby traffic lights. Funny, right now there is an eerie silence! Anyway, we just don’t have the space.

While walking in nature, my brain “writes” stories. I get wonderful ideas and words fill my head with perfect sentences and descriptions, yet by the time I get home, even when I jot down the gist of an idea, they evaporate like dew beneath warm sunshine, forever lost to the ether. Then it hit me like a sledgehammer. The words come in the whisper of the trees, the breath of the wind, the call of the birds, the wonder of nature. Why not bring the nature home to where I write?

The last piece of the code had fallen, no, slammed into place. My body fairly thrummed as nature sent a burst of energy coursing through me along with the realisation that the internet would provide a plethora of audio containing the sounds of the Australian bush that I could use with my earphones. The universe had conspired to send me the answer to my problem in such an awesome way that I had no chance to miss it.

I fairly skipped along for the rest of my walk, the world around me seemingly brighter, more beautiful and alive. I had a lovely chat to the lady that served me at the supermarket I’d called in on the way home. I passed a car with VBE on the number plate, immediately thinking of vibe, and how magical mine was at the moment. It reminded me of the movie, “The Castle”, a favourite of my late husband’s.

As is usual on a Saturday in our household, I cooked bacon and eggs for brunch, relishing the moment when I could look for some audio tracks. After eating and cleaning up I began my online search. The time was 11:11am.

As I type I hear the familiar magpies, cockatoos and even the occasional kookaburra that inhabit my local area. I can change it up whenever I want to peaceful rainforests and tranquil streams. Nature can inspire me no matter where I am. Thinking about it now, it seems strange that I am relying upon technology to bring me nature!

With love and gratitude,

Sue ❤🦋