Gray Dust Buried the Bus Stop by the Grocery Store

Gray Dust Buried the Bus Stop by the Grocery Store

I dreamed I was trying to get to work but the bus stop by the grocery store was half buried in gray dust. My phone kept saying the route was delayed due to air quality, same as the office emails. I went inside anyway because I needed milk and I was already late. The aisles were the same layout as always except the lights were off and a few cans were still on the shelves, dented. I ran into my old neighbor from the apartment downstairs, the one who always complained about recycling. He looked tired and asked if I’d seen the keys to the building, like it was still standing. We walked toward the checkout and the store mixed with my high school hallway, lockers covered in that same dust. I couldn’t find the exit I always used. Felt embarrassed I was in my work shirt with a tear I didn’t remember getting. Mild dread, like I’d forgotten something important at home, then I woke up.