I had a dream where I found myself several generations in the future. I met an extended family – the Millers – and visited them at their huge house where they all lived together. Parents, siblings, cousins, grandparents – but not many children.
They seemed normal enough, but every so often I would notice a distortion on their faces and extremities. Like an illusion breaking down for a moment.
They tell me about a “radiation event” that caused mutations and I realize that they are all able to generate an illusion to present a normal appearance and hide their deformities. And they keep the children hidden until they are old enough to hide themselves.
They tell me that the radiation – if it’s still around – might mutate me in the same way. I explain that it’s more likely to just kill me and that their mutations are caused by their parents’ reproductive cells being damaged. And that the illusion ability must now be a dominant gene since a normal appearance would make it more likely for someone to reproduce.
They are impressed at my reasoning.
One of the women decides to show me what she really looks like – but decides to put on her wedding gown first. I’m guessing she thought the veil would be dramatic.
Just as she’s about to lift the veil without the illusion, a child wanders in from the neighborhood. He’s from the Weir family and the Millers don’t want anything to do with him. They shun that entire family.
I’m a little worried about the kid – he seems “off” – and since none of the Millers will help, I offer to try and help him get home.
I take the kid to a neighbor’s house and they offer to help him from there, but based on his behavior and the comments of the neighbors I realize that the Weir family is being shunned because they are cannibals. And the cannibalism has led to a prion-based disease – like Mad Cow – and that explains the odd behavior.
With the kid on his way home, I head back to the Miller’s house to find they’ve all decided to reveal their true faces to me.
So, all at once, I’m surrounded by monsters. And I take it pretty much in stride.
Since everyone is dealing with and passing down damaged genes, any child I have would be less mutated (since my genes are clean), but would likely still be able to cast illusions.
I realize that an influx of my DNA might be make me the savior of mankind and I’m considering my destiny as I wake up.