Cassondra Windwalker's flash fiction "Half an Orange" does not involve dream interpretation.
Still I find myself thinking about it. A week or so ago I dreamed about a dying budgie (there were more weird details than that but I know there's nothing more tedious than someone recounting their dreams). Just for shits and giggles I looked online to see what dream interpreters would say about it. The thing is, I don't really put a lot a stock into dream interpretation. I do believe that, at least on occasion, dreams may be our subconscious trying to tell us something, but a stranger has no idea of your own personal symbols. I grew up with budgies so I have very distinct connotations of these particular birds that would be altogether missed by an online dream encyclopedia. Of course, sometimes due to common cultural stories we share some symbols, but even then we likely make it our own.
Here's where Cassondra Windwalker's "Half an Orange" comes in. It involves a stuffed rabbit and there are direct references to the Velveteen Rabbit. While that story typically conjures up ideas about childhood, attachment, authenticity, and so forth, the rabbit in this story also becomes a symbol for unresolved guilt and poverty.
Great story.
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