In my first dream ‘space’ is ‘species.’ I’m walking my dog, Luba, in outer space. We are wearing space suits and helmets and are connected with a tiny, tiny leash that seems to be nothing comparing to cosmic space. Surprisingly, seeing that I know we are safe, we will always be forever.
In my second dream ‘space’ is ‘species’ again, but this time it’s a sea turtle. It has a hurt leg but still its instinct pushes it to swim somewhere far. I want to attach a chip on its shell so I can follow it and help if needed, if the animal is too weak to swim on its own.
Between these dreams I realize these dreams are about relationships, about being close despite possibility of being very far away from each other.
I write short story about it and hang it on the wall in the local swimming pool. People read it and some find it very touching.
Luba wakes up when I turn on the light to write down my dreams. She stands up, stretches, taking two steps into my direction and finally decides to fall asleep in her corner.
But the octopus dream is for real. The space it takes place in is dark blue water. There is just glass which separates me from the octopus. I can’t stop looking at it, it’s stunning, it’s blue and green and its tentacles move all the time. I feel we have a very special bond.
I smile to the octopus although I am a little sad at the same time. It doesn’t respond, it’s just smart and beautiful.
Next scene is the back of a very elegant restaurant: There are huge white plates with an octopus’s tentacles sliced into small pieces. The way they serve it is very minimalistic, there are just few pieces on the plate and they are covered with dark sauce. Waiters can hold three plates of the them at the same time.
Ula Jankowska, in some cities known as ‘Miss Bookseller,’ is interested in books and people. Never leaves home without at least three books in her bag. Used to work as a bookseller for around 14 years now, in Warsaw, Wroclaw and Krakow. Now she is starting her own bookshop project in Prague. If you ask her to name three favourite writers, she will still name more and between these names will show up Italo Calvino, Jorge Louis Borges, Bohumil Hrabal, Ota Pavel, Tove Jansson.