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Sleep Cinema

Anne: Arachnophobia

I'm at a gymnastics gym that seems to be Asian-run. There are oriental children doing their routines all in different colored leotards. The gym reminds me of my old gymnastics gym from when I was a kid: in a warehouse style building with a large foam pit and bright blue mats. The coach gathers everyone around including Michelle, a high school friend (CB), and me. She gives us the history of the gym and how it was an old bathhouse back in the day. I ask her if there are any remnants of the bath house. She agrees to give us a tour.


We walk immediately into what appears to be an old house. The first floor looks abandoned and withering away. She leads us through large, dark, wooden doors and into her kitchen which has a large, stone bathtub that looks ancient and chipped. It is set up like a museum exhibit. We all "Ooo" and "Ahhh." CB, Michelle, and I break away from the group to explore on our own.

We walk down a long hallway that splits into two places: one leads to a rickety wooden staircase leading to the basement and the other up a staircase lined with a red runner rug. We all agree that the creepy staircase probably leads to cooler stuff for us to see. I go first and see spiderwebs and large spiders everywhere. CB and Michelle freak out! I tell them I'll take care of the spiders (pretty bold of me considering I'm not fond of spiders either). I start stomping on them as I go and feel spiderwebs tangle around my legs. I shriek and my former therapist, ST, comes running towards us from the basement. He is followed by an adolescent chubby boy, apparently one of his clients (a creepy basement doesn't seem ideal for a session but I won't judge).

ST hurries us back up the stairs and out a door to show us a pool. He owns the house apparently and has been working on fixing it up. He tells us we can swim if we want, but he has to get back to work. We're all excited! CB and Michelle take off their clothes and reveal that they had bathing suits underneath. I'm annoyed because they didn't give me the memo and I really want to swim.


Apparently, I look noticeably upset. ST says I can swim in my clothes and he'll have the gymnastics coach lay some new clothes out for me to change into when I'm done. I'm not open to the idea because swimming in clothes sounds really uncomfortable. I decide to just sit and pout at a table while they swim. I take my shoes off to maybe put them in the water and notice spider webs trapped in my shoes. I am freaking out! I ask ST to check my shoes for spiders. He shakes them out and calms me down assuring me that there are no spiders in my shoes.



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