This morning, I awoke from something which I wasn’t able to easily discern to have been either a vivid dream or a recent memory.
I was part of a special-ops squad of casually-dressed military people. My team was getting ready to go out on an operation. Each of us was getting attention from medical personel, who seemed more like sports injury therapists in their demeanor and in the hubbub of activity that was quite unlike an ordinary physician’s office, and more like what I see occuring in the sports therapy room near the locker rooms in NYU’s gym.
While we were being properly bandaged, medicated, or whatever else was required to prepare us for battle, a television at the far side of the room began broadcasting the face of a bald red-headed man with unkempt hair, and a beard talking to the camera. We all watched it with rapt attention, knowing that he was a member of our team who was now being held captive. Perhaps it was he who we were about to attempt to rescue. There were, in fact, two team members who were being held, and it’s possible that both of them made appearances at different times on the television.
The doctor and I began discussing my issue. I had a small maggot-looking worm in my ear that required removal. The doctor proceeded to remove the worm from my ear without difficulty. The doctor cleaned the worm with some lotion, until it glistened off-white in the fluorescent-light lit room.
But I needed the worm back, because having it in my ear gave me enhanced perception. Without the worm, I would possibly be incapable of performing the important task at hand. I began surreptitiously spreading some other lotion evenly onto a paper towel which I then folded up and carried out with me as the team and I left the room and began our mission. I was going to put the worm back in my ear.