Dream: Bowling for Peace

My cousins have a new house. I want there old one, it is like a mansion, but Tommy tells me it is only standing because of the newspaper in the basement. I still consider living there. I am at a family part for my cousin Mike’s birthday at my mom’s new house. I search the house and find my mom on the lower level, by her new in-ground indoor swimming pool. I leave the family party without saying goodbye. I enter a huge bowling alley that is literally an alley outside on the street. This is some high tech shit. The game of bowling has changed a little for the purpose of survival. I am deadlocked in a tie score with Jeff Daniels. This match has been going on for so long the crowd is more tense than I am; I just want this to be over, but not bad enough to throw the game. Now, when there is a tie in bowling, the two opposing players must stand with their feet directly next to each other, hold each others' hand and lean out to form a V-shape. The pins are set up in a seven-ten split and the bowler who misses when the other knocks his pin down wins. My bowling ball is in my left hand on this turn. I know we have been switching sides because I know I shouldn't be bowling left handed. I make a huge mistake. I bowl early. I was lost in thought and completely forgot I had to wait for the official's signal to throw the ball. I miss the pin but it wouldn't matter anyway, it is more personally disappointing than a relevant issue. My opponent, who is no longer Jeff Daniels and now a scruffier slicker man, now gets a free throw at his pin. I cannot believe what his is about to do, but I already know it is his only course. With hundreds of people now watching on the street, he throws right into the gutter. He says to me: "Let's play this one out," but as my ball comes back, I do not react. I am not going to bowl. My ball is rolling straight for a small child, so I go and pick up the ball and become distracted by the kid's enchanting single mother. She hands me a newspaper clipping that is torn and faded like it is a hundred years old but the date is today. THE DEMOCRATS HAVE TAKEN OVER GERMANY. The picture shows sad army tanks being chased out of the ruined city. Behind them are people waving goodbye and a flatscreen TV two times the size of the tanks broadcasting the news of the war being over. I look around and see hundreds of people and think that I should turn the bowling alley into a voters' information center. Wooden walls go up all around me. In front of me there is a huge pantry with three large shelves, separated in the middle, creating two lanes with three levels each; The game of bowling has changed again. Now I am throwing a glass bowl at foodstuffs that are lined up in the pantry. On my first throw I decide to shoot for the middle shelf. I follow through, but don’t let go of the bowl. I end up flat on my face. As I protest that the throw should not to count, my friends become forgiving and let me try again. This time, I nail it. There is a loud pop as a huge jar of pesto bursts into a million pieces and almost disappears into space. My friend Jarrett runs up to me and is disappointed. I hadn’t noticed yet but I cracked his Pyrex bowling bowl on the throw. I tell him I will buy him a new one but he is still upset with me. I ignorantly throw the bowl again, out of turn, and at no shelf in particular. The bowl sails over the cans and packages lined up on the shelf and smashes itself into the back wall. I turn away and I wake up.