A Phoenixess Seemingly Lurking

My power went out late last night. I woke up immediately, and felt a contact lens folding in my eye; I had forgotten to take them out.

Fumbling in the dark, I removed my contact lenses and waited for the power to come back on. The power knocked out my fan, and I rely on the white noise to drown out the silence in my room. As I waited, in the dark, with my eyes closed, I began to dream about a someone who's been on my mind recently. Like a song that gets stuck in your head, this girl has been stuck in mine:

I was walking down a busy street, a lot like Yonge street. It was probably Autumn and the sun was only just starting to go down. I was by myself and I can't really remember where I was going. Almost suddenly it was night-time, and I ran into some of Her friends smoking in front of a bar. In front of some stairs actually, which lead to an underground entrance. I was shocked because Her friends were surprisingly friendly to me, and invited me to join them downstairs.

I politely declined. I said that I had another place to be right across the street, but I am not sure if this was true. As I began to leave, I heard Her voice from the bottom of the stairs, presumably coming from behind the door, which was closed. Still her voice was loud and clear. She said,

"Have the Phoenixess come down -- if he can manage the stairs in his heels."

I don't remember what I said in response, but certainly it was an expression of confusion.

"See you later." She said in response.

The girls, Her friends, finished their cigarettes and started to head down the stairs. I walked away to some place across the street. I found a bookstore and went in, but I couldn't read any of the pages. To me they looked blank, but the other people in the store seemed to manage fine.

I walked back to the top of the stairs of the underground bar somewhat reluctantly. Though I felt it was a bad idea to be there, I stayed there as if waiting for something. I looked down the stairs for what seemed like a long time.

Then I heard Her voice, again, through the door. She asked some questions I can't remember, directed to no one in particular. Then She said plainly, "Are you awake?"

Feeling that She must be speaking to me, I answered, but She seemed surprised to hear my voice.

"What are you doing here, Phoenixess? What are you waiting for?" I was embarrassed that I had revealed my location at the top of the stairs, seemingly lurking. But what was She doing behind the door? How could She both see me, and not know that I was here? What was SHE waiting for? It seemed that She was lurking too.

In my dream, I was getting frustrated.

But I said nothing. I stood there, at the top of the stairs, determined to leave but completely unable to do so. And I as I felt my mind, moving my foot a step down the stairs--

I heard the smoke alarm chirp, my fan begin to hum, and in the distance, outside my window, the wail of a burglar alarm. I stirred briefly and then resumed a dreamless sleep.