seeking solace
i have a story idea that i am about to explain poorly to you so buckle up
the main character (mc), after a long day of work, completes their bedtime routine and goes to sleep as one does. in their sleep, they have a dream about some unknown but humanlike figure, who tells them that, in the dream, they can go wherever they would like for the night (magic go brr) and stay there until they wake up. for the first few nights, the mc lists places like an amusement park or a library or a theatre, and these dreams happen consistently every night, spaced out only by the day time and work.
one day, after a particularly hard shift, the mc goes to bed and meets with the unknown figure, per usual, and asks for the figure to take them home. the mc believes that "home" would simply just be their current house, but in a cleaner state - no work was needed to be done, the place perfect, spotless, etc. however, the figure takes them to an open field, or their childhood home where their parents are waiting with dinner, or to one of their old classrooms with their old friends who have long since fallen out of touch with them. the mc, confused at first, asks the figure "this isnt what i meant by home" or says "i dont understand, this isnt my home," depending on the setting, and will ask for the figure to take them specifically to their current house but cleaner, for example, to which the figure replies, "i cannot do that, you are only allowed one choice of destination per night. try again tomorrow."
since they can't go anywhere else, they stay in whatever setting the figure places them in. these dreams at best make mc very happy and definitely feeling safe and at home. at worst, they become nightmares as events in the setting turn sour, leaving mc terrified or crying when they wake up, knowing that if they fall back asleep, they will still be in that situation in that dream, as they cannot change it once it is set for the night.
each "home" changes as mc requests for it every night (like i said, there can be a variety of "homes" anyone can go to). noticing the changes, they ask the unknown figure, "why does my home change every night that i ask to go home?" the figure will have an elaborate response that all biols down to this:
the idea of ones "home" changes depending on their mood, state of mind, and their needs, to name a few variables. there is no one set home for one person. "home" should and will never have limits unless the person searching for it sets them. "home" is everywhere, anywhere one chooses to look into.
of course, mc will ask about why home sometimes turns sour and unsafe (ex extreme family dinner arguments). the figure responds with the idea that within our first homes, we are exposed to surviving and resting. when those dreams of home turn sour, it is a sign that you are in survival mode, and if theyre sweet, you are in resting mode. (so again, the home is a reflection of mcs current state).
after this conversation, the takeaway would be to use these dreams to learn and understand oneself. of course, the initial drive to do so for mc is to have a sense of control ("if i can understand these dreams i will be better able to manipulate them to my advantage" - natural safety instinct). after a while of trying and failing to reach that goal, mc goes to the figure again, asking for guidance on manipulating the dreams.
figure advises them on the illusion of control, the reason for wanting to manipulate the situation to their advantage, how that is a natural survival instinct, and tries to reframe mcs drive as curiousity about the self and how the self changes over time.
tldr: story about the neverending journey of learning about oneself and how it makes up ones life