I had a funny dream a few nights ago. I dreamed that I was some kind of android living with a family (that was my real family in real life). We lived in some sort of city, and collected antiques. One day we came across a very old wooden chair that was supposed to be cursed. Fascinated, we paid for it and brought it home, then took the deed for the chair and went to town to get it official. Along the way we met a group of gangsters who were rummaging through a dumpster. We made small talk, but the deed slipped from my hand and fluttered to the ground. The gangsters went quiet when they saw it, and before I could snatch it up, the youngest gangster, a preteen girl with short hair, began to question me about it. I shook her off and continued on my way.

Later, I was at work, and the girl showed up again and tried to talk to me. She was incredibly sneaky, manipulative, and clever, and I had to keep my brain thinking fast to avoid letting anything slip about the chair that she apparently wanted so badly. She followed me behind the counter, which non-employees aren't allowed to do, and continued to badger me, acting as though we were old friends and chatting merrily. Eventually I told her she had to leave and wasn't allowed back here. She cheerfully replied and took her leave. When I went home that night, I furiously asked my family to deactivate the emotion chip in my brain, as that was making me nervous and more susceptible to verbal manipulation. The chip was removed.

That night, as I lie in bed, I knew the girl would try to come to my home for the chair, so forced myself not to fall asleep. Sure enough, the girl showed up and crawled through my window. She circled the bed once before saying, "I know you're awake." I got up and frowned, and asked what she was doing there. She replied that I knew why she was there. In real life, I sleep with a gun under my pillow, and so in the dream it was there as well. I grabbed it and aimed it at her. She grinned and laughed at me as though I were no threat. I jumped up, grabbed her, and threw her on the bed. But before I could say anything, the girl laughed and said, "Do it! I dare you!"

So I shot her.

Several times, in the chest and shoulder. She looked stunned for a second, but then laughed some more. There was only one bullet hole and she was not bleeding, even though the gun was loaded. Furious, I threw her again down on the bed and grabbed a handful of things off my desk, lobbing them at her in spite. Among them was a pair of scissors. I grabbed them and stabbed her furiously in the back several times. She gasped, but only continued to laugh. Then, having had enough, I held her down and cut off the end of her ear. It was slow work. She was still trying to laugh, but by the time I cut off her ear, she began to show signs of screaming under her laughter. The screaming frightened me for some reason.

And then I woke up.

I wonder if that's a normal dream.

More later.