Dreaming of Tanis

I had a weird dream the other night. I was in some sort of dimly lit operating room with a doctor, in a white coat, (of course). I assume he was a vet. He had Tanis (the Great) there, lying motionless in his arms. The vet said to me that Tanis wasn’t actually dead and that he could revive him! I must have given the go ahead because he then opened Tanis’ mouth and unwound this green string that was looped around his teeth. It was like that string you pull to open a pack of gum. The vet then twisted Tanis’ head sharply and he jerked awake. Next thing I knew I was holding him in my arms. I can still remember the feel of his fur against my skin, and the (considerable) weight of his body in my arms. I could not believe it.

Then I woke up. I could not believe it.

I still miss the big guy, so it’s no surprise to be dreaming about him, but I wonder what the symbolism of the thread is? Hopefully it’s just a sign that I’ve been chewing a lot of gum lately, and not that some tricky hoodoo voodoo shenanigans lie just around the corner…