Dear Billy,
Dreamt I was part of a family. I was a blonde girl (in waking life, I’m not blonde) with a blonde brother. A big group of people we didn't know came to our house, brought a new table, a servant, food, so our sick mother wouldn't have to cook. Lobsters, fancy things. But something wasn't right. We didn't know these people. I kept yelling, asking them, “Why are you doing this? Who are you really?” One of them was playing Father; my brother and I were convinced he was an alien. This not-father took us aside and said, “Yeah, I'm an alien; you're right. This is how I can prove it. Take a knife and run it through your nose and lips, and I'll keep it from hurting you.” I begged my brother not to do it — was clearly a trap — but they tricked me into sketching a knife on the wall with my finger. I didn't complete the outline of a knife, but even so, it started turning into a real knife. I begged my brother again not to do it. The alien father was at this point trying to convince him that it was normal for people to cough up knives.
Later, in another dream, I am in a school full of terrifying children. I am older. I see a boy walk out of one of the classrooms. His nose has been cut off and his lips severely cut down. He looks at me and smiles, then takes his place at one of the desks full of children, all from different stories, all dressed for Halloween but variously evil or damaged, and some with glowing light and flowing hair. One girl I can't get out of my mind: she had long black hair, rust-colored clothes, fully black eyes, and arms full of pears in various states of softening and bruise. She came walking toward me.
— Not an Alien, Can’t Prove It
Billy replies: One should never listen to aliens in dreams, as they nearly always mean that a journey you’ve been anticipating will turn out to be lackluster and uneventful. Family brings news of a birth or a death, but since much of this family you know to be ersatz, this implies that perhaps the births or deaths to come will be similarly false. Begging suggests that mental strain you are under will end soon, a welcome relief. Lobsters remind you not to put yourself in a position to suffer terror at the hands of a dangerous individual. This person will lead you to believe they wish to view something of yours that you value, something you are trying to sell—be very cautious not to give away what you can’t afford to lose. Knives bring the loss of someone close to you; in your dream, you are using all your artistic powers to prevent this loss. In your second dream, the school setting tells me that you hold yourself to a higher standard than most, and will eventually gain distinction by being true to yourself. Unfortunately, this school is a site of terror, and the children’s cut-up faces tell me that you have a hard winter ahead of you before you gain the distinction your ideals warrant. Thankfully, it’s Halloween, and those evil costumes actually point to the fact that you are favored for spiritual blessings, though they arrive partly damaged and in disguise. Pears tell me that you will soon be emotionally satisfied by achieving your ambition—the fact they are bruised and held by a fascinating girl leads me to believe that though you may be gently wounded by the time you see success, it will come to you wrapped in a form that is exquisite, terrifying, and the color of old blood.