A Small Studio on Keelung Road 基隆路的小套房

I had a dream where I found myself in a cozy studio apartment along Keelung Road, engaging in conversation with the landlady. In the dream, I was preparing to move to the United States. There happened to be a leaking issue in the apartment and the landlady arranged for workers to handle it.

The space was cluttered with various items, filling up the entire room and making it feel cramped. Moreover, most of the windows were sealed shut, leaving only one open in front of the desk. Pulling up the blinds, I discovered it offered a view of a building's wall, without any street scenery.

The landlady's son liked me. He made a visit from his workplace in Nantou to bid me farewell, knowing I was moving to the US.

Reflecting on the rental situation, he expressed regret that the previous rent of $26,000 would need to be raised to over $30,000 due to inflation. I mentioned that news reported that even spacious two-story houses in Keelung rented for just over $30,000, making the cost of a small studio quite expensive.

The dream then transitioned to a scene where my mother and stepfather arrived at the apartment to assist with packing. I guided them on how to drive here as I walked along the street, passing through a familiar traditional market, which felt familiar to me, but I couldn't recall when I had been there before.

Before they left, they left my car keys in the sink. However, I suddenly remembered I had sold my car, making them their keys. My mom asked me to keep the keys, saying I could use her car upon my return from the US.

Returning to the apartment, I noticed severe water stains on the ceiling. The landlady mentioned that the leaking issue on my floor was comparatively minor, with other floors experiencing more severe problems.

Note: The room and street view felt familiar, seeming like an impression of Taipei's Keelung Road, but I've never actually rented a small studio on Keelung Road.

夢見我在基隆路的小套房，跟房東太太聊天。我要到美國，準備搬家。剛好屋內有漏水問題，房東安排工人處理中。

屋內物品很多，堆滿整個房間。新的格局讓空間覺得變小了。而且對外窗封閉起來，書桌前方有唯一的一扇窗。我把窗簾拉開，這是面對大樓牆面的窗，看不到街景。

房東的兒子喜歡我。他在南投工作，知道我要搬去美國，來和我道別。

他感慨說以前租我 $26,000，現在物價上漲，房租得調到 $30,000 以上才行。我說新聞說基隆透天兩層房也才月租 3 萬多，而且空間也大很多。小套房這價格真是蠻貴的。

場景切換到媽媽和繼父來到套房這裡幫我打包。我走在路上，引導他們如何開車過來。走過一個傳統市場，我覺得好熟悉，但想不起何時來過。

他們離開前留下我的車鑰匙在水槽。當我正在規劃他們的回家路線時，突然想起我的車已經賣了，這是他們的車鑰匙。媽媽要我把鑰匙留著，說等我從美國回來，就可以直接開她的車。

我回到套房，看著天花板上嚴重的水漬。房東太太說我二樓的情況其實是最輕的，其他樓層漏水更嚴重。

註：房間與街景很熟悉，感覺像是台北基隆路的印象，但我實際卻從來沒在基隆路租過小套房。