waking up, tied to an operating table, a blinding light shimmering above me. soon, the daze from the bright operating light fades, and i realize there is a clamp firmly holding my mouth wide open. before i can panic, the sudden shrieking sound a drill pulls my attention to the side. i can see the outline of a man, dressed in a surgeon's uniform standing beside me, holding a dental drill in his hand. he leans towards me and with his free hand, slowly pulls down the mask covering his mouth. his face! oh god, his face is painted like clowns! he smiles at me, exposing crusty, yellow and black teeth. he whispers to me, "everything is going to be all right". he places a cold, clammy hand on my forehead, holding me down with unbelievable strength, and positions the drill two feet directly above my mouth with the other. he moves the drill closer to my mouth, at an excruciatingly slow speed. hours pass but still, the drill remains inches from my mouth. just as i'm about to break, about to beg him to just get it over with, he lets go of the drill and i see it falling towards my mouth. just as i loose sight of the tip of the drill, i wake up screaming, hands covering my mouth. i taste metal, and bile. i think i'm going to be sick. after throwing up in the bathroom i check the clock, 3:30am. too early to stay awake, but too frightened to go back asleep. "this is going to be a long day" i say to myself as i turn on the tv, hoping that i will soon forget about the dream. I never forgot...