I counter that sometimes it’s OK to make the reader work to parse the meaning of a fictive dream.

I had absolutely no idea what a symmetrina was before starting Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes. Always great to learn something new! So, what is it? Well, according to this website, a symmetrina consists of an odd-numbered series of stories. Each story must be able to stand alone. All of the stories are written to a common theme, which must be named in the overall title. Ideally, though, the title names the theme in an oblique or sly way. So, bear all that in mind when you read Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes.

To give you an idea of how this played out in the story, the sections are: All Saint’s Eve in Tokyo, A Lesson outside Seville, Renovations in Chautauqua, Enraged Red Octopi on Mars, Adventures in Time and Space, A Perfect Game in the Keeler Dome and Goodbye to All That. I'm really intrigued by this format for stories and it made for an interesting read.

The story is available here. More about the collection, which was written for David G. Hartwell, on his seventieth birthday, here.