Weird Dreams Installment II

This is a dream I had while in grad school. This is one of the ones where I'm merely an observer.

It's World War II Britain, and the dream begins at a large estate in the country. Five children (four boys and one girl) are living there alone with their nanny. Their parents are gone, and they have been gone for so long that they are now presuming them to be dead. The estate is so far out that no one ever visits--the children and their nanny are the only ones around.

One day a man, woman, and their two sons show up claiming to be the children's uncle and aunt. Since the children's parents are dead, this man and woman are now their guardians (sorry, but I didn't dream any names). I know that these people are really just after the children's money and estate, and the nanny suspects them as well.

Within a few days, the nanny disappears. The man tells the children that she left them, but now the children are becoming suspicious. One by one, the boys disappear. The little girl doesn't know what has happened until someone in town wonders how they are doing and why they haven't heard from them. The "uncle and aunt" take the little girl and their own sons and hide in the attic. Some men, including the typical British inspector in an overcoat and derby with a big moustache (actually a recurring character in my dreams), come investigating. In the main room downstairs, they find the dead bodies of the nanny and the four boys laid in a circle. They don't know there is another child. Since they don't find anyone else in the house, they assume that the nanny killed the children before committing suicide.

The house is locked up and left to sit until the war is over or the owners are found. The uncle and aunt tell the little girl that if she is very good, she can become their little girl and live there with them; but if she is bad, they will kill her too. She tries very hard to be good, but it seems like she keeps messing up.

The aunt begins to feel sorry for the little girl, and begins sneaking her money so that she can run away. The uncle finds out and kills the aunt. Now it is just the little girl and the man and two boys. One night, before going to bed, the man tells the little girl she has one more chance. She is just getting into bed when the two boys come into her room and begin pulling on part of the ceiling that is hanging down. With a crash, the whole ceiling falls in and water floods the room (I'm not sure why there was water in the ceiling). The boys go running back to their room, leaving the little girl to take the blame. She is scared to death as she sees the man's bedroom door opening, and I'm about to cry, I feel so bad for her.

Then I wake up.

I think this is partially inspired by The Others, although I hadn't seen that in years. Some of my dreams tend to get kind of freaky--this is only a slightly freaky one.

Still more to come...
Liz