ABSTRACT
As the dream begins I am driving in our old car along a crowded city street. The car is going too fast, but my foot on the brake has no effect. “The brake pads are so worn – how could we have let this go on so long?” I think. “This is dangerous.” Increasingly anxious now, I am moving still faster as I see the hilly street before me. There are cars and trucks on either side, and then, on the steepest part of an intersection, a traffic light. Though I am fast, I do not make it through to the other side before the light turns red. The brakes work, but just barely. I can only hold the car in place by pressing down hard, hoping I can avoid sliding down the precipitous incline. My heart pounds. How long can I keep this up? What will happen when the light turns green?
