Days turned into weeks, Spring turned into summer, and the dreams—we’ll call them dreams even though the dreamers are awake and according to them the experience is more real than anything—continued taking place in Weatherview. Another change was transforming the city as well. Fewer accidents, illnesses, and incidents of crime were reported, and everyone felt better, less sadness and anger, more hope and peace. Some had taken the mayor’s advice about being cautious and humbling themselves.
Ethan, Linda, and Casey were doing well. Ethan kept trying to spoil the boy with gifts and adventurous outings, taking him to arcades and playgrounds, camping and going on nature hikes, in addition to teaching him how to play baseball in the back yard. Linda was overjoyed, yet her curiosity about what brought on the change in Ethan kept bugging her. Who he was as a husband changed as much as who he was as a father. She tried to chalk it up to the dreams but couldn’t, the cause was more than that, something she couldn’t place. He took her out to dinner more, was more affectionate, a better listener. Once in a while he’d get a distant look in his eye and leave to go walking for hours in the evenings, but Linda didn’t worry, life seemed much better overall.
Stephen and Olivia were thriving, so excited were they by the dreams and joyfulness that had come upon the town. They had started attending church every Sunday, and Stephen had organized a group meeting that convened at a local coffee house every week. They discussed community issues, but mostly it was about people getting to know each other and sharing their thoughts about the goings on of the city. Stephen had to be tough sometimes to steer the meetings away from political arguments. “We’re all just trying to have a nice time,” he would shout, and they would make fun of him. “We’re only here for a nice time, Steve,” they’d say, “We just want to have a nice time.” “If not there’s the door,” he’d reply. Olivia was happier than she’d been for a while, possibly forever. Difficult to compare to other points n her life. She and Stephen were almost always together when not at work, and they hadn’t started bothering each other, at least not too much. They still play-fought about things like where to eat, what show to see, Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, or the meaning of life. Stephen was content as well. All in all their lives were great.
Everyone seemed to be in high spirits, including Leonard, Nia, and their three children. They hadn’t sold any of the gold yet, they were keeping it as savings while spending the money Leonard made selling concessions at the stadium. Like Ethan he was going all out treating his wife like a queen and giving his children the gifts they wanted most. A happy wife and children, and no money problems, were what Leonard wanted most, so everyone was winning. He thanked God everyday and throughout the day for the blessings He was pouring out on the town. “If this is too good to be true, God, please correct whatever is wrong. But thank you so much for good things, for family, freedom, and happiness. Thank you so much.” Everything did feel too good to be true once in a while, and when it did the people would remember the mayor’s plea for them to be humble. They would humble themselves and keep on working and trying to be meek, but lowliness was a challenge. Mayor Harken, among others, suspected that the eagerness of the people to have more and to be happier was fueling the dreams and their frequency. “If everyone resisted the dreams more, they would stop happening as much,” he told people. “Maybe God wants us to choose humility over contentment. Jesus isn’t going to come back to a dreamworld.” There were times when Leonard felt guilty about having agreed to take the upper class’s money, but half a million dollars was a drop in the bucket for some of them, and he had three children and a wonderful wife to look after. He had stopped accepting cash when the city’s elite would offer it to him, at least.
Many residents took the dreams as a sign to be not only more generous but also more loving, open, and welcoming to people they wouldn’t have even spoken to before. One such man, Raymond McRae, offered the walkout basement of his house to “anyone who is an immigrant.” They were allowed to live there rent-free until they could find another place. Raymond often cooked them breakfast and invited them up to watch sports or talk. He felt guilty about only giving them the basement, like symbolically he was above them. He also liquidated some of his investments and donated to several charities aiding foreign relief efforts.
The people of Weatherview were busy. Working, dreaming, giving, and having fun, but something had begun to feel off. As summer progressed more and more people agreed that Mayor Harken had pinpointed what the city had to do. Humble themselves in “sackcloth and ashes,” as the Bible says. The blessing of the dreams could become a curse if they weren’t careful. Eventually a majority of the city decided to renounce the dreams, clear their schedules, and pray.
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