Across the street

It was late evening, and my parents and I finally arrived home from a long vacation. I was maybe seven years old at the time and spent most of the ride home asleep in the back of the car. Even then, I was a very heavy sleeper, and the car stopping and my parents getting out of the car did not wake me.

But I was, in fact alert, and saw the whole thing.

Across the street, the neighbor's house had a sloping driveway that went up the small hill to their house. It wasn't very big, but big enough where if one stood on the top of the driveway, one got a very nice view of our house.

And that is, somehow, where I was standing that night. I saw my parents gather my young form up from the car and carry my sleeping form up to and into the house, and them coming back moments later for the remaining luggage and other things left in the car. I was dreaming that I was standing there, watching it all unfold as it happened.

Was it a dream? Was I really there somehow? To this day, I still do not know. The logical, rational part of my mind says of course, it was a dream, I was visualizing in my mind what was subconsciously happening. But it was so vivid in my mind. It had so many details. My dreams are generally a wash of random images and random events. This was just like I was standing up on that driveway, watching everything unfold.

Years later, I still remember that moment. That creepy, unreal, otherworldly, almost paranormal moment. And somewhere in my brain, I cannot let go of the fact that it might have been real.