I HAD A DREAM LAST NIGHT

I wrote this when I was out to sea a few years back...

I woke up from a dream tonight where I was scrubbed up in full medical garb, standing over a patient in a dentist's chair.  I seldom ever remember my dreams, but this one stood out.  The patient was in terrible pain, and it was my job to extract a molar for him.  I suppose in reality, the procedure he would really need would be a root canal, but I say that now with the full benefit of my cognitive ability.  At any rate, in my dream I was going to help this guy by extracting his tooth.  It wasn't coming out like I thought it should, so I knew I was going to have to break it into a few smaller pieces and then pull those pieces out.  I got my chisel and tapped it gently with a dental mallet.  Incidentally, I can't recall ever anesthetizing the patient, but he was definitely in discomfort - as was I.  For some reason I found myself under incredible stress.  In fact, there was something happening with me where I could no longer continue the procedure.  I set my tools down, took off my latex gloves, and said to the patient, "Excuse me for a second."  I reached into my own mouth and started to remove my own molar, which didn't seem at all strange to me in my slumber.  In fact, it didn't even hurt, it just seemed like there was a problem with this tooth and it needed to come out.  What I did find strange was that as I was effortlessly pulling my second molar out, my first molar was also in need of extraction as it too was wriggling out of its socket.  This one hurt slightly, but only in an aggravating way, the way a hangnail might feel as you tear it out.  But I found myself presently with my right hand still in my mouth, fingers pinched around both teeth - and only slightly disturbed - and in one swift motion, took both molars out of my own mouth and came out with them in my bare palm.  I stared at them curiously, looked up at my petrified patient, shrugged, set my own molars on the tray next to the spittoon, put my gloves back on and went back to work on my patient.  Tap.  Tap.  Tap.  Tap.