This dream was unusual(?) in that it had two definite "scenes" with a common story:
In my dream, I am in a small room with someone remindful of Teacher Brian Fahey, a woman who is a Holocaust survivor, and several unrecognizables. We are planning a trap.
The woman, who is small and frail, feels that there is a student in a class being taught nearby who took part in perpetrating the Holocaust -- and needs to be called out. She is ready to take part in springing the trap and, somewhere between Brian and myself, we're supposed to set up the trap.
The trap consists of starting a conversation about WWII and then bringing the subject around to the Holocaust, concentration camps and related issues. If we create and execute the trap correctly, the student will identify himself as having been a participant. (It's not clear to me what happens after that. Will the culprit be arrested?)
So the details of the trap are not clear to me, but I have faith in the woman and Brian that they understand what's going on and that they will lay and then spring the trap. So it's not clear at this point in the dream exactly what it is they expect me to do -- to play my part.
The scene now shifts to the classroom where the action is supposed to take place. The students -- there are somewhere between 15 and 30 of them -- are in their seats. Somehow, I know the target of the trap. He's larger than the other students -- and looks like he's physically powerful. His clothes are a bit rough and he could use a haircut. (His hair is black and wavy-to-curly.) He's wearing a flannel shirt (I think) with the sleeves rolled up. He's also wearing a look of casual disdain.
I am standing in front of the class and the woman is seated up front with her chair looking out at the students. She looks implacable.
Brian is nowhere to be seen.
Everyone is expecting me to conduct the class -- maybe just until Brian shows up, I don't know. I was fully expecting Brian to take the lead in setting up this trap and I'm struggling to figure out how to begin. Whatever I say or do may initiate the plan or screw it up entirely. I understand we only have one chance to make this work.
I pause for a few moments, hoping Brian is planning on making a dramatic entrance -- and taking over the presentation and the trap. No such luck...
The students -- including our target -- are staring at me rather impassively, as if to say, "We're okay with not doing anything if you're simply planning on not doing anything." Time is moving along and the success of our planned trap seems to be in jeopardy. (Did I miss something in our earlier discussions? Will Brian make any kind of appearance at all? Will the Holocaust survivor say or do anything? Is she just waiting for me to start the plan?)
I start to ask the class something like, "What are your recollections of WWII?" but stop when I remember that students this age weren't even alive back then. So I change the sentence to something like, "What do you remember being told about WWII?" No response from the students.
I look at our target. He doesn't give any impression of being aware of our plan. So if we/I can figure out how to start, we still might have a successful outcome to our planned trap.
I look off to the sides to see if there's any sign of Brian.
There isn't.
