The Flooded Road

I was walking down a dirt road to a church. In the church there was a service. After the service we went outside of the church and I was talking to the pastor about something. Showing him in some area where his beliefs were misguided, while he was trying to do the same thing to me. My sister was there, I do not remember my interaction with her but I know I did. We were on the side of the church in the grass, there was a large tree near the back, there were a few people milling around. I left the others and was going to make my way back to the church via the road, which had now been flooded

The mud was smooth, firm, and hilly and the water felt very good on my feet. There were people working on the road to even it out. The water was deep in some places and shallow in others. I made it around to the other side of the church where the feast was being prepared. I went inside to the foyer. The men there were talking about how there wasn't enough to eat. Just then I looked outside and saw half a dozen bird-men just standing in the water in the flooded road

The men of the church got it in their mind that they would catch and eat one of these bird-men. The one in front of me had dark feathers, a slightly curved strong beak and dark tattered clothing and was facing away from me. One of the church men walked up behind him and grabbed him with one arm around his neck and the other around his beak. The bird-man did not put up any resistance. When they dragged him into the church foyer they turned him around and were talking about how to cook him. I could see the understanding and sadness in the bird-mans eyes. I told the men they couldn't eat him because he was a sentient being, he was intelligent and therefore should be respected and not eaten. No one wanted to listen to me, I was very distraught. The bird-man did not offer any resistance, just the sad understanding of his fate in his blue eyes, with a single tear.

I left the building very upset. I went out to the road and saw the men working on smoothing it out under the water,  Butterfly-man was one of those men. I started to walk along the road again feeling the mud under my feet and the cool water around my ankles. A few feet up from where I was I saw something yellow under the water, it was my puppy. She was spread eagle on her back under the water. I cried out and ran over to her snatching her from the water. I started immediately to rub her back holding her upside down. I rubbed vigorously and she started to open her eyes. I knew then that I could save her and I was so overcome with emotion, sadness, joy, love, fear. Then I woke up.