The drawing represents a dream I had. I believe it was a premonition, and I have tried to depict the imagery that links the real event with the dream. I dreamt that my car was stolen by three men and two women, the latter of whom looked at me from the back of my own car where they were sitting. For some reason, they changed the plate of my car before departing towards some woods. I could read the numbers on the new plate, which were "16 16 80 23." In the dream I knew where these people lived, so I went to their house. In the middle of their study room there was a huge circular drawing of the new plate, which featured the same numbers, "H5" on the side, and the portrait of a woman in profile.

The day after the dream I tried to figure out the meaning of the numbers on the plate, and I realized that they stood for a latitude ("16 16") and a longitude ("80 23") in degrees and minutes. I used to practice astrology, and thus I am familiar with coordinates of this sort. However, I still did not know the cardinal directions (north or south, and east or west). At that point I looked at the "H5," and I realized that it indicated the distance in hours from the GMT (+/-5h). As the drawing of the girl looked Asian in style, I checked the coordinates of Asian countries. The longitude had to be east (16N16, and the latitude north (80E23). This points to the Indian region of Andhra Pradesh. Some hours later, I heard on the news that many people in this region died when their bus hit a landmine in a wood many miles from Hyderabad, the capital of Andhra Pradesh. The landmine was left by a terrorist group which demands the independence of the region for more than two decades. The day after, five rebels belonging to this organization where killed by the police in another wood in the same area. Among them, there were 2 women.

Although I will never be sure that the dream referred to such a tragedy, I cannot find another explanation for it that relates more to my life. Its symbolism was certainly important, very vivid, and the faces of the two women were particularly perturbing. Even though they were somewhat frightening, there was pain in their eyes. I am intrigued with the myth of Daphne, and I made several paintings depicting it. With this drawing I tried to expand on it, and it may be that the dream, or the real event, relate to my experience in this sense.