On another thread there's been discussion about what levels fiction writers might pick up their stories.  So the other night I went to bed sort of grumbling to myself that I'd never had any dreams that would suitable for the basis of writing a story.
   That night I had a vivid dream that was so actionless that it was almost like a diorama. I remember  the 6--8 characters as being in Edwardian clothes, altho my guidance kept telling me later that it was contemporary.
A woman was lying on a fainting couch and looked distressed. Looking more closely I could see she had alot of blood on her. One man and a woman looked concerned and paced around, seeming to wait for someone, like the doctor had been called. Others were standing about, wondering when this would all be over.  :P
I entered from front (and above?!) and asked why no one was helping her. I had a rubber strap that recently came off my vacuum cleaner in C1, and I tried to use that as a tournequit (sp?) but it kept sliding thru her as though she wasn't real.
When I woke up I thought I'd failed at a retrieval, that she had already died and was just propped up there.  I was really aggravated at myself because I haven't done a retrieval for awhile. And when I'd think about the dream I'd get aggravated at the Guidance that insisted it was contemporary times when anyone could see by the costumes it was passed times.  
But now I believe I know what it was---
The scene was a set-up provided for me to write my story. The wounds of the woman represented my own wounds, and I was to work thru those by writing out the plot and how it was all resolved.
So now I apologize to my Higher Self for not thanking it for providing such a nice gift. I haven't started writing yet but can't wait to find out who those other people who weren't helping turn out to be!
bets  :)

Hi Bets,
I'm not sure if you have this idea about the old styled cloths and your guidance insisting on the contemporarity of the scene: The old cloths say it was in the past, and guidance says: "Yes yes, but it's still present in your mind and influencing you right now".

I was remembered of a painting from a famous surrealist, where a woman lies on a canapee, there is a blanket on her neck and blood to be seen beneath it, there are persons there, I think looking into the room through a window, and it looks like a riddle, static.
Found it: Rene Magritte, "The Menaced Assassin" (try google's picture search)

You wrote:
>>>That night I had a vivid dream that was so actionless that it was almost like a diorama.<<< LOL!

Spooky

P.S.
>>>Well, well..." Ha ha, you really did it.

Thank you, spooky,
for the clarification on the past and present aspect. I knew when I reread the spelling of 'passed' that something did not quite fit, and you've fixed that.
 :o  Yes! Magritte's scene is eerily like a diorama and quite similiar, but my 'cast' wore costumes more like a similar grouping by Edvard Munch. I didn't realize this theme was so widespread.
bets
Ha Ha--Yep!