Full Body Chills - Lucid Dreamer

Episode Date: October 5, 2020

This is a story about a reoccurring dream that became far too real.Lucid Dreamerwritten by: David FlowersYou can read the original story at FullBodyChillsPodcast.com Looking for more chills? Follow Full Body Chills on Instagram @fullbodychillspod. Full Body Chills is an audiochuck production. Instagram: @audiochuckTwitter: @audiochuckFacebook: /audiochuckllcTikTok: @audiochuck

Hi listeners, I'm Ashley Flowers and I have a story I want to tell you. A story about a reoccurring dream that became far too real. So gather around and listen close. Hi. If you're listening to this, it means I'm dead. Sorry, I know. I just hate when people sugarcoat it. I mean, I get it, someone's final words, it's depressing and they suck. I mean, I guess they don't really suck, they're sad, but this isn't sad. Anyways, I'm just going to rip it off like a band-aid and say it.

I died, or technically, I guess I'm going to die. Obviously, I haven't died yet. Not really looking forward to that part. I just want everyone to know that I'm sorry. This isn't anyone's fault but my own. I know that I'm out of options now. So it's best if you hear what I have to say. I'm going to sound crazy, but if you're hearing this,

I think I died in a dream. I think. And listen, I know how it sounds, but things have been happening. And I know that the next time I fall asleep, it will probably get worse. And I don't think I'll be able to wake up. And I even have proof. You should have seen a burnt VHS tape beneath this recorder. And you can't, well, I mean, you can't watch it anymore because, well, I burnt it. Like, I did that, but it was real. It is real. I mean, it's right there. So you know I didn't make this up. Anyway, I know that when I go to sleep, I'm going to be trapped.

I'm not sure if that's totally how it works. I mean, I haven't quite figured out that part yet. But because of that, I haven't slept in a few days. And obviously, I'm not going to be able to go on like this forever, you know. So I just want to tell you about it so no one's left wondering. It all basically comes down to a dream and it's this reoccurring dream that I've had ever since I was little and I mean I still have it at least like once a month but it's becoming more frequent now. It's not a nightmare or anything or I mean at

least it wasn't when I you know know what? Let me just describe it first. It always starts with me walking into this diner. It's got that old, late 50s charm to it, kind of wide with checkered floors and cherry red seats, except they weren't red because in the dream, everything is black and white. But in my mind, I knew they should be red. Anyway, I'm inside and there behind the counter is the attendant. He's this big guy wearing all white and a little soda jerk hat.

He's got his back to me while he's cleaning something on the counter. There's a little desk bell that I ring, except it makes no noise. I mean, actually, there's no noise at all in the dream. When I was little and would wake up from the dream, I used to imagine that it made the most beautiful sound in the world, almost like a perfect chord. Almost as soon as I hit the bell, I start to lose track of time in the dream, and suddenly my order is right there on a plate. The guy behind the counter doesn't turn around, even as I take the plate to my usual seat in my usual booth. I don't know if you've ever had a recurring dream before, but for me, it's almost like I'm watching a home movie for the hundredth time. I'm seeing all these things happen, and it's like I kind of know what will come next, but I'm not like in control exactly. It's more like I'm going through the motions.

I know exactly where to sit because I've sat there a hundred times before. When I sit down, I find that I already have a fork and knife in hand. The food looks delicious, almost too delicious, in a way that you really can only dream about. It's fuzzy as dreams are, but I think what's on my plate is something between eggs, pancakes, maybe a burger. I eat it, though I don't exactly remember eating it, but I know that's what happens. When I'm done, I look up to see a black cat clock with its tail swinging from side to side. The time is 221. A lot of people say you can't tell time in dreams, but that's not true. It's just uncommon for some people. I mean, I see it every time I'm in my

dreams, so it can be impossible, right? Anyway, I get this feeling like I need to be somewhere, not here. So I get up and walk. I walk through the long diner for what feels like a minute, but what couldn't be more than a few seconds. The counter attendant is still wiping down the back counter when I open the front door and leave. Then I wake up. I'll admit, it's a weird dream. I mean, most people have reoccurring dreams about losing control of their car, not studying for a test. But not me, though.

I mean, I've had those dreams a couple of times, too. But this dream, it's weird. My dream never bothered me. I actually got pretty used to it. Well, there was one thing that bugged me. I could never do anything. Going through my dream is like, how do I say this? It's like riding the world's slowest, dullest roller coaster ever,

and then having to ride it again three more times. Each time, I'm strapped in for the same boring old ride. I think that was partly the reason I wanted so badly to have a lucid dream. If you don't know, a lucid dream is when you're dreaming, but you're aware that you're dreaming. It's like being awake while you're asleep, if that makes sense. Some people can even control their lucid dream, making almost anything possible. So, I mean, like, just imagine me, instead of this boring old roller coaster, having the entire amusement park. So, yeah, if you can't tell, lucid dreaming kind of interests me. Well, it did. Not so much anymore. I guess it won't matter what I'm interested in now.

Sorry, that's kind of morbid. Anyway, everyone's got their little hobby, and well, this was mine. I read all the online forums. I tried all the techniques. I did meditation, binaural music, YouTube hypnotism videos, weed. I mean, whatever it was, I probably gave it a shot. One time, my friend even convinced me to try acid. That did not go so well. It just never came naturally to me. I mean, I tried night after night, month after month, but nothing worked.

In the end, it was that VHS tape that did it. It was in one of my midday deep dive Google searches that I heard about Greenleaf 3. I can't remember exactly where I saw that name. It was across a dozen forums spread around 100 other websites, and honestly, that's not important. Greenleaf 3, or just Greenleaf, has something of a cult following, I guess is what you would call it. It's kind of like an internet conspiracy theory, except it's real. On the internet, people talk about Greenleaf like it's some sort of collector's item, and I often confused it with a whole list of strange titles. Green Swordfish, Orange Dragonfly, Purple Mozart. From what I could figure, I guess they're all part of the same collection. Early on, I had trouble figuring out

what Greenleaf was. The only time people really mentioned it was when they had a copy that they wanted to trade. I did find one forum though which seemed to be a place for people to share their experiences with it. It was there that I learned Greenleaf was a video. No one said what it was a video of, but I got the impression that watching it would like lull you into a lucid dream state. As you can imagine, I was pretty eager to try it out. I asked around the forums if there was some place that I could download it or stream it and the first response? LOL. I must have come off as a newbie but thankfully the next response was a little more helpful. To sum it up, this user explained that no real copy of Greenleaf existed digitally and that I should be careful of scammers

trying to sell counterfeits. They said that I could only get it on VHS and that every three months or so, a copy usually went up for sale. I was a bit skeptical, I guess is the word at first. I mean, I couldn't understand why I necessarily had to watch it on VHS. I thought maybe it was like vinyl, like some big music fans will insist that nothing beats the sound of an old record player. And I mean, I kind of get that, but I'm also not looking to become a connoisseur of mystery sleep tapes. I was just looking to try it out.

So I scoured the internet for Greenleaf, but quickly realized I was going down a rabbit hole. A quarter of the videos I found were corrupted and would never even load. As far as the rest of them, well, I know now that every one of them was fake. I gave about five of them a try, but they were nothing close to that mind-opening experience described on the forums. The more I read the forums, the more I became convinced that if I was going to experience a lucid dream, I was going to have to get my hands on a real copy of Greenleaf. So I bought a VHS player and waited for a copy to pop up for sale.

I checked all the usual sites almost daily, ready to jump on the first chance I got. Only five weeks later, a guy with the username Joseph89 made a post saying that he was selling his copy. I messaged him immediately and we talked about a price. I mean, Greenleaf wasn't cheap by any standard. I mean, I think we agreed on like $370, something like that. And I mean, it's a collector's item, so of course it's going for a high price. As Joseph and I got to talking, we exchanged numbers and eventually discovered that we're almost like just four hours apart. He was concerned that if he sent the tape through the mail,

it might get lost or something might happen to it. So we arranged to meet up at a halfway point. And like, sure, I was nervous, but he was actually the one who suggested we meet in public. And he asked that I pay in cash and we just agreed on a time. When I finally met up with Joseph 89, I was honestly expecting some shady, ragged guy in a hoodie and sunglasses, like something sketchy, you know? But, I mean, honestly, he was the exact opposite. He wore a bright blue button-up shirt with nice jeans to match.

And I remember he had this scar on the side of his head, but his blonde hair was cut in such a way that I could tell he was trying to cover it. And I'm kind of surprised how, like, professional he acted. He had this cool-looking leather backpack, and he reached inside and took out the VHS tape. It was in this bland white slipcase that had a green band running around the spine. On the front, pressed in black ink, was the image of a leaf. Above it, the words Green Leaf 3 were handwritten in marker. I think you can probably still see a little bit of that green band around the slipcase if you tried to look, but the rest is probably too badly burnt to tell. Anyway, Joseph pulled the tape out from this slipcase, and the tape itself was pretty average, but he pointed to a little symbol in

one of the corners. It was like this O-shaped holographic sticker. He made it sound like it was confirmation that the tape was real. It hadn't even crossed my mind until that point that I had no real way to know, but this guy seemed genuine, so... I was about ready to hand him my money when he asked if I had schizophrenia. And it was odd, but I told him no, because I don't. And then he asked, what about dementia? Again, I said no, but he kept going and asked if I suffered from night terrors. I was kind of confused, but more annoyed that this guy kept

pressing me for all this personal stuff, so I told him no and that I didn't feel comfortable giving him my entire medical history. He apologized and just said that he was being safe. I gave him the money and he handed me Greenleaf 3. The first thing I did, of course, the second I got home, was watch the tape. I threw the door open and pulled out the VHS player and got set up in a comfortable spot. I mean, the point of this was to fall asleep after all. So I inserted my copy of Greenleaf into the device and hit play. There was nothing for a half minute or so.

I slightly panicked and wondered if Joseph89 scammed me when just then the screen lit up. Suddenly, printed in bold white lettering was a single word, or actually an acronym. O-V-A-C. The acronym was quickly replaced by the title of the film, Greenleaf. And what followed then was only what I could describe as viewing instructions. I mean, there was a list of bullet points, seemingly like a tutorial for how to watch the video. Before I burned the tape for good, I went back and wrote down exactly what it said. And it went something like this. For viewing of this tape, the following guidelines should be adhered. For optimal effect, the viewing should

be placed between two to four meters from video display and sound should be audible from viewer perspective but not exceeding standard levels. For optimal effect, the viewer should be placed in a comfortable resting position removed from any external distractions. For optimal effect, the viewing should be continued throughout the entire 1 hour, 3 minutes, 53 seconds of the film's duration without interruption. If the viewer suffers from any chronic mental conditions, stop this tape immediately. If the viewer suffers from any abnormal or disruptive sleep illnesses,

stop this tape immediately. If the viewer has displayed any abnormal or disruptive sleep illnesses, stop this tape immediately. If the viewer has displayed any symptoms or side effects within the last 24 hours associated with the viewing of another OVAC tape, stop this tape immediately. For further instructions and guidelines, please speak to your acting supervisor. So as you can tell, the instructions were weird. None of the fake videos I saw online had anything close to this. I'm not even sure what all of it means, but it felt like I was reading the rubric for a college chemistry lab or something. But to be honest, I wasn't all that worried. I mean, why should I be? No one freaks out when you see an epilepsy warning. I mean, obviously people with epilepsy might, but anyways, my point is we read

warning labels all day, every day, but you never think that they'll ever apply to you, right? Well, the tape continued right into the video. And out of all the things I expected to see, I actually wasn't that far off. For something so clouded in weirdness, I was surprised to see something pretty, pretty normal. I mean, compared to some of the other meditation videos you'll find online, this was pretty par for the course. It was a wide landscape view of a single paved road splitting through a tree-covered mountainside. There was no one around and the weather was pretty clear despite the gray stormy colors. The natural sounds of the forest had been replaced by long, evolving hypnotic tones. I'm not sure how much of the video I watched, maybe 10 minutes, five. All I know is I was barely into the video when I started to feel heavy. My body kind of sank

into the couch as I quickly fell asleep. And it worked. I could tell immediately. It was different. It was like any other dream, except I knew. I was dreaming, and I knew it. More than that, I could control it. And I won't bore you with all my fantasies, because, I mean, for one, it would take years to go into that much detail, and for another, it would be honestly a little embarrassing. Like, listen, what happens in your head stays in your head, you know?

But that feeling, like how can you even begin to describe something like that? A skydiver might have some clue how it feels to fly, but in a dream? Not even close. I mean, how can someone relate to that feeling? It's less like falling, but more like moving the whole universe around you. And it was amazing, almost like inventing something new or being the first to discover a continent. When I woke up, the TV was black and Greenleaf was over. Of course I would watch it again. And over the next few days, I think I watched Greenleaf at least 15 times. And that feeling, like my mind was on fire with imagination, it never got old.

I probably would have watched that tape a thousand more times had I not had that dream. It was my dream, the one that I keep having by the old 50s diner. I hadn't had it for a while and compared to my recent streak of wild dreams, honestly, I'd kind of forgotten that it was the reason I started this whole quest for lucid dreaming in the first place. So as I loaded up Greenleaf and drifted to sleep the same way I did so many times before, I was kind of surprised to see the black and white restaurant. Though this time, I could tell it was different.

It didn't look different, it just felt different. It didn't feel like I was strapped in. Just like any other dream with Greenleaf, I was in control. At least it felt like I was. Regardless, I was filled with curiosity and ready to take this boring rollercoaster off the rails. I looked over this little dull gray world and with a second of thought I threw some color into the scene. It felt odd. Less like I was painting a picture, as I was used to by now, and more like pulling the corner of a veil.

A splash of color sputtered to life, turning the cushioned seats a deep, bruised maroon. Not exactly the vibrant cherry red I had imagined, or even been trying for. The sound of clattering behind the counter pulled my attention to the man whose back I'd seen so many times before. For the first time, I heard something in the dream. Just like before, he was faced away from me, and there, the simple counterbell shone in anticipation. I beamed at the idea of hearing that bell chime for the first

time. I rushed to the counter and sat in a seat I'd never been in before just to prove to myself that I could. I hopped up on the barstool and spun around once before ringing the bell without a moment of doubt. But what I heard. As soon as I hit the bell I fell to the floor trying with all that I could to make the sound stop. It was like someone was drilling through a sheet of metal right into my ears. That kind of pain wasn't something I was used to especially not in my dreams. After struggling to even raise my head, I forced the sound to silence. When I got up, my food was waiting for me. I hesitated, but I wasn't really afraid yet. I had that feeling like, like I was invincible, you know? So I took the plate and I went to my usual spot this time. I sank into that

sickly red seat and focused my mind to taste the food. This food that always looked so delicious, but I never once actually tasted. I took a bite and I reeled. It was like wet worms and moldy wood rolled into one writhing bite. I was gagging. The rotten paste practically squirmed down my throat as it leaked this wet pus that stuck to the roof of my mouth and wouldn't go away. And the worst part was I was still eating. I tried to reach for some water, but each time my glass was replaced with a handful of cancerous mush. I was now impulsively shoveling more and more of this vomit into my mouth using only my bare hands. I had to compose myself and actively try to resist this compulsion. By the time I did, the food was half gone.

And then suddenly, audible tick ticking of the cat-shaped clock made me aware that it was now 221. I spent no time getting up and heading straight for the door. I just wanted to get out of this dream. But I should have taken the first hint. I should have taken the first dozen hints. I stopped myself. I was mad and curious and I still felt like I was invincible, like I was in control. Fighting against the urge to leave right then and there, I walked up to the counter. The man kept his back to me, still wiping down the counter in the same circular motions.

I turned my head to the clock, the minute hand barely approaching 2.22. I watched and waited. I don't know why, but I wanted to see. I wanted to see that man's face, and for whatever reason, I felt I needed to stay until the end, until the minute was over. I wasn't going to let this dream scare me. I was in control. As the time got closer and the ticking sway of the black cat's tail grew louder, Anxiously, I waited through each stressful second until finally it stopped. The swinging tail was still as the minute hand stood at 2.22. The thunderous ticking had gone away and everything was silent. That's when I realized I couldn't hear any dishes.

I turned to the man whose hunched shoulders faced me. For the first time, I saw one of his hands clenching the edge of the back counter. Like an idiot, I stood up tall and called out to him. And he turned around. My confidence shattered as soon as I saw his face. It was nothing but a smooth white blob. Desperately and almost instinctively, I tried to correct it. I closed my eyes, trying to dream up some sort of face for this faceless creature, but

each time I opened my eyes, I'd see that I failed. A single or half dozen distorted eyes would spawn for a second before instantly disappearing. Gaping holes, poorly resembling mouths, bubbled and shimmered across the surface of its skin, but never truly stuck. I stumbled backwards as the faceless nightmare moved toward the front counter and leaned its shapeless face closer to mine. I turned to run but found my legs as heavy as iron. So I dragged them as fast as I could, dragged them to the exit across the checkered floor, which now was constantly expanding, six feet, then twenty, then a hundred feet away. When I actually reached the double doors, I dove through them,

ending the horrific dream. Except it didn't end. I opened my eyes to see a whole world, entirely black and white, with a hundred of these faceless things all staring at me. That's when I woke up screaming. I was too terrified to ever use Greenleaf again, but that didn't stop the nightmares. I had hoped that maybe the dream would just reset itself, but I soon learned whatever I did got their attention. And they wouldn't let go. From that night on, that dream was the only dream I could ever have. But since I stayed far away from the tape, I was locked in for the ride. When I had the dream for a second time, they were watching me. I was mindlessly carrying out my routine, but out of the corner of my eyes, I saw them, all of them. At every window, they were looking in, looking at me. And maybe looking isn't the

right word since they didn't have eyes to look, but they could, they could see me, or maybe, maybe it's that they could sense me. Even the counter attendant was turned around, staring at me with that blank smooth skin as he wiped the counter methodically. Every time I went to sleep, it got worse. At first, they just stared at me through the windows, but then, then they started coming inside. The first couple of nights there were maybe I don't know half dozen of them and they all just sat there in booths or stools observing but each night the diner filled up with more of those things and they got closer. They were surrounding me now and there was this new feeling that grew within me saying

that I wasn't supposed to be there. If I wasn't hopelessly caught in the dream, I think I would have screamed as one of them leaned in and brought its smooth face next to mine. Still oblivious, I reached for my silverware. But just then, the thing caught my wrist. I felt stuck, unable to react as it pressed its claw-like nails into my skin, tighter and tighter. And it hurt, like it really hurt, and I've never felt pain in a dream before. Then it lifted my arm up just at eye level, like it was showing me that it had me. Then it let go, but I could tell. Obviously it had no words or expressions to say it, but it chose to let me go. It was nearly 2.22 and instinctively my body got up to leave. The entire diner was full of those faceless figures and as I lingered towards the door, all of their blank faces were following me, stalking me. Two of them blocked the exit, trapping me inside. I stood there, frozen and comatose,

unable to finish the dream. They only tilted their heads curiously before opening the doors and allowing me to leave. I woke up after that. My heart was pounding like I had just gone for a mile sprint. I tried to talk myself down like I've done before, and I tried to convince myself that my mind was only inventing this nightmare. But this time, I noticed it. The deep bruising around my wrist, and the indents like fingernails pressed into my skin. And maybe you'd like to rationalize it. Say I just grabbed myself while I was asleep and that's how I could feel in my dream. And I, I can't be sure. I only know what I felt. I felt that cold hand and I felt very real fear.

I don't know if the tape did something to my mind, or changed me, changed my dream into that nightmare. Or was it always a nightmare? Maybe those faceless things had been there all this time, dormant. Maybe, in a way, they were dreaming too, and the tape just woke them up. I don't feel like I escaped. I feel like those things were testing the dream, testing their limits and boundaries, just like I had done when I was a lucid dreamer. No matter how hard I try, I can't shake this fear that the next time I fall asleep, they won't let me go.

So, I haven't slept since then. It's been about two days, and I figured I would get all of this out on tape before I go crazy or something. I thought I could go a little longer, but I guess I'm not as rough and tough as I thought. I don't know how to stop the dreams. I went back to the forums asking for help and I guess to warn others. It's been about 56 hours and no one's responded. It looks like they'll have to add a new warning label to the tape, huh? Stop this video if you've ever had a recurring dream before. Well, there it is.

That's what happened and why my voice is on this recorder. As for Greenleaf, I burnt it. Maybe I was destroying evidence or something, and sure, now some people won't believe me, but I knew if someone was demanding proof, they would want to watch the tape, and I don't want others to get hurt. Who knows? Maybe I'm overreacting. I could go to sleep and wake up tomorrow just fine. Talk about losing sleep over nothing. I wish I could believe that. I'm just... I'm just tired. I'm going to sleep now. I'm just tired. I'm going to sleep now.

I'm sorry. This series was produced by Ashley Flowers and David Flowers. This episode was written by David Flowers and read by me, Ashley Flowers. This story was modified slightly for audio retelling, but you can find the original in full on our website. Full Body Chills is an AudioChuck production. So what do you think, Chuck? Do you approve?