Look before you leap and pray before you sleep.

I am not the kind of person who believes in dreams. I do dream. But I don't spend time trying to figure out if it meant something. Like if a message was being conveyed to me from a world way beyond our own or if because I dreamed I was flying there was a big chance I'd win myself a private jet or because I witnessed a death in my dream, someone was going to get married in real life (a superstition my Grandma believes in).

But at the same time, I like remembering my dreams. I like waking up and going through every little bit of information I can remember. There are times when I remember nothing, even though I'm sure I did have a dream. And other times when I can recall every tiny detail.

As a kid I've had my fair share of nightmares! My mom used to blame them on all the horror flicks I used to watch. I confess I slept with a night light (and still do). But out of all the nightmares, one stood out. It was a repetitive one. Same nightmare at least once a week.

I was walking hand in hand with my mom along a street. An unusually quiet street with cars parked along the side. We had plans to meet someone and were walking towards an old house. At the door we were greeted by a man. A very familiar man. He led us into the house and offered us refreshments. After a little chit chat, he decided to show off his hobby. Out of nowhere, the walls turned and all I could see were shelves. Lots and lots of shelves. And on those shelves were identical glass jars. There could have been at least hundred jars. He asked us to take a closer look, upon which we discovered that each jar contained a baby snake. It was probably right about then when I started second guessing this man. He then took one jar off its shelf and opened it. The snake crawled onto his arm and he was asking my mom to take a closer look at it. At that moment I had a really bad feeling that this man planned to kill my mom and maybe even me! I had to get my mom and myself out of there. I looked around for something I could use or someone who could help me. And just then I saw my sister through the window! She had followed us and she was hiding behind a parked car, occasionally looking up at us. I knew I had to get out to tell her. All I had to do was make a run for the door but that meant I had to leave my mom alone here with this man! That's when I heard her voice....

My mom's voice reminding me I would be late for school if I didn't wake up. I was just five years old and kindergarten was a big deal! But to this day, I still remember the visuals of that dream.

Oh and about the man, I did say he looked familiar, didn't I? Well believe it or not, he was Amrish Puri.