Several nights ago, I had a very evocative dream. It was, as most dreams are, strange and a bit reality-bending. It was late in my sleep cycle, and actually felt like it occurring immediately prior to waking up that morning. The very last part (referred to here as the "three options" -- you'll understand later) is what impacted me the most. I knew that I had to write it down as a story, but some thought had to be given to how. Dreams are often meandering, and so some structure had to be added to the story. There was magical stuff in the dream that I decided to jettison. It's mostly been replaced by some more sci-fi elements. Ideally it'll make sense once you've read it. This is kind of a long short story -- at least for a blog -- so be prepared. I've also included a minor Christmas theme, given the time of year. It's all a bit bonkers, as you'll see if you take the time out of your busy day to read it. I wasn't sure what to call this ...