On a recent trip into town with my husband and son, we got to talking about strange dreams—those vivid, unsettling ones that stick with you. I shared the most terrifying dream I still have from time to time, even now at the young of 66 years.
It takes me back to seventh grade, where I can’t find my locker, and when I finally do, I can’t remember the combination. Once I figure it out, I can’t recall my classes, so I wander the halls searching for the office. When I finally know my schedule, I’m faced with navigating winding stairs and rooms on different floors, with only 30 seconds between classes. Back then, this was overwhelming. From kindergarten through sixth grade, I’d always had the same classroom all day, my own desk, my supplies close by, and my name on everything. That room was my safe haven. Seventh grade was a complete shift—no comfort zone, just a tiny tin locker in a row of identical ones, a number instead of a name, and the pressure of remembering a tricky combination to get the books I needed to pass my classes. If you didn’t get it just right, the locker stayed locked forever. Many friends carried their books all day to avoid the stress entirely. Many didn't even open their locker all school year.
When I finished telling my dream, my son said that he had dreamed a similar dream. In his dream he never even found his locker. And he missed all his classes. My husband said he dreamed of constantly running up and down flights of stairs to find his classes.
I guess I am not the only one that was traumatized by seventh grade year. I imagine there are more out there that have had the same or similar dreams. Did you have a dream like that. Let me know in the comments.
SK Virtue
September 14,2026
