The Underground House

Last night I had a recurring dream, or rather imagery, that I’ve had for years, at least since I was in my twenties.

In it, I’m in a neighbourhood in some part of Scarborough (where I grew up). This neighbourhood wasn’t once that actually existed but one based on all the streets and houses that I was familiar with growing up.

I’m riding my bike (I think it’s an old one I used to own, but it didn’t seem familiar) down a street that had one of those well grass islands in the middle of it. It’s the kind of situation where the street is too wide that planners felt compelled to have a tiny parklet (just with grass and surrounded by a curb) in the centre of it. Usually, this is the kind of thing you see in large circular dead end streets, but this one was more oval shaped, kind of like an eye.

In the middle of this island of grass, which was probably 20 feet long and 10 feet wide, there was a for sale sign by a real estate agent and close to the tip of the island was a a circular brick structure with a door in it. The door lead underground to a house which someone had built under the island and, possibly, under the street. Never in any of my dreams that I can recall have I ever been in this underground house.

As I was riding my bike past and then slowly around this island, a couple emerged from the door. They had a small child, I think a girl, who was being carried by her mother. They looked kind of depressed as probably any couple who lived underground could look and also, predictably, pale. I suppose they also looked down cast as it’s not the kind of abode that’s easy to sell and perhaps some financial misfortunes lead them to this cheap (presumably) subterranean living arrangement.

Then, shortly after, a group of half a dozen kids on BMX style bikes (they looked like trouble) rode past me, the island, and the sad family.

And that was it.

The dream is never quite the same each time and this one was new as I don’t recall the family or the kids in my previous dreams, but the island and the house are pretty much the same.

It’s a little weird, to be sure, and I do think the concept for the house is kind of cool, so the dream is kind of enjoyable in that regard and I do like the strangeness of it all. What I can’t figure out, though, is where it comes from or why it repeats every few years.