Had a series of dreams last night that I'm thinking of making into a three-act story; not sure if it'll be a book, or a collection, or anything like that. I do know it's just about the most depressing thing my brain has ever come up with, and for that reason I'd really like to expand it and share it with the world.

The story revolves around a native man, in his late teens when the story begins. In my dream, I kept referring to him as Navajo, but honestly he's probably more Pueblo. He lives in a well-isolated adobe home by himself; the neighboring attached residences begin occupied, but as time goes on, he's the last person remaining. His parents both have died, but his mother's death hangs on him very heavily, a fact that becomes highly apparent during the second act.

The first act of the story, the young man is energetic and exuberant; he is able to communicate with local animals, and regularly helps them move past various squabbles. At one point, he helps a small dog and a swarm of bees resolve their differences, and the bees end up making the dog their king (alongside their actual queen). He is also an author, though living largely isolated from the rest of the world, his works are rarely ever read by others (and thus far, all Westerners who read his work are not terribly impressed by it). Towards the end of this first arc, the USA is only just starting to reach his neck of the woods, several members of the military, most specifically a man named Ron, meeting with him and ultimately deciding to set the land aside for potential use in the future.

In the second act, the man has since become the only individual living in this particular pueblo; everyone else has left, fleeing the encroachment of American influence. Being alone with himself, his writings, and his few animal friends, he becomes highly introspective, a fact that brings his dead mother back into the spotlight. He retreats into his home, intentionally isolating himself further from his friends and the rest of the world. A pair of American hikers/climbers happens upon the pueblo, and they manage to succeed in bringing him back out of his shell long enough to discuss his feelings. The wife in the pair explains to him the concept of "waiting for death", noting that his desire to meet his mother again did not need to conflict with his desire to continue to live on. They talk for quite some time on this fact, relieving the young man in the end. As they leave to continue their exploration, the young man begins making ritual items associated with death, happily preparing himself for when it will come while continuing to live his life.

In the third and final act, the protagonist is no longer a young man, though he is not terribly old either; he's probably about 35 or so, but certainly many, many years have passed with him in isolation. He is startled by the sound of an explosion, something he's never heard before; he rushes outside, where he sees the military man, Ron, he'd met all those years ago, along with several troops and even the President. They catch up rather pleasantly, during which they notice the damage the explosion did to the man's house; it already being in disrepair, several bricks were knocked loose and the building no longer appears to be habitable. The young man exclaims that he can fix it; he just needs beeswax, and just so happens to know the king of the local hive. He approaches the hive with Ron, explaining his need and how he wishes to meet with the king; however, the hive attacks the pair instead, driving them away. The man realizes his friend, the little dog, must have died, and he had no idea. This revelation pains him deeply; he begins to realize, to notice, that his other animal friends are all gone as well, that he is even more alone than he realized.

Ron and the President then escort the man to their nearby bombing range, the source of the explosion that damaged his home; the place has changed very dramatically since the man had been out that way, with most large plant life completely decimated, and many new plants he can't recognize growing all over the ground. In particular is a small valley, what used to be a lake but is now almost completely dry save for a highly-reeded pond at its deepest point. It is here that the man witnesses something very peculiar; Ron's hand is latched onto by a strange amorphous creature, something no one else seems to notice. The man calls this creature the "Ron Ron", as it begins to creep over his acquaintance's flesh, almost seeming to replace him.

As the company leaves for the time being, leaving the young man in isolation once more, Ron --- now completely overrun by the Ron Ron --- extends his hand to give the man a handshake; the man wants to refuse at first, but knowing it would be rude to his friend, he does accept the shake. The contact, as he feared, allowed a part of the strange creature to cling to his own flesh.

The man becomes afraid for his life, realizing he's nowhere near as ready for death as he had hoped he would be. The creature, however, seems fully intelligent and begins conversing with the man, discussing his fears and helping him get over them, even as it consumes him. It reveals to him that it is a new form of life, a new kind of parasite that came about as a result of the military experimentation on the surrounding land. With the last of his strength, the man leaves his pueblo, venturing out into the surrounding desert, where he eventually collapses and dies. Completely alone, the last human to leave the small pueblo, and the last of his friends from the first act to finally pass on.