Chlorine Halos

Dreams

My muted senses crept back, one at a time. As the haze lifted, the first sense to return was taste. Unfortunately, that taste was dirt. My erratic breathing pattern forced back my sense of smell which didn't make the dirt taste any better. Twitches began to crawl down my spine and sent tremors to the ends of my arms and legs. I could feel enough to know I was face down, but moving from that position would be a slow, painful process, as all my muscles ached. I turned my head to the side and kept blinking with the hope my vision would adjust the blurry darkness. Swirling sounds overlapped, but as I focused on the task of rolling over, two voices became clear.

"They asked if he has any identification on his person," said the rich, deep voice of a man.

"All I found was this, which looks like half of a torn birthday card... Made out to Avian," answered the high registered voice of a woman. She repeated my name a few times and each time, her tone changed. After a pause, she asked, "Do you think this is Avian Douglas?" I finally managed to roll over. Next task: Sitting up.

"Who is Avian Douglas?" the man asked. I let out a groan as I pushed myself up.

"He's awake!" the woman yelled. She approached me from behind and knelt down next to me. "You're okay, you're okay. Just try and relax." The woman was very petite. The dark, cloudy skies made finer details difficult to see.

"Help is on the way," the man said, as he walked into my limited eyesight. He was large and burly. I scanned my immediate surroundings and found myself on a hillside. I began to examine my clothes. I was wearing my father's red flannel shirt, but strangely, it was my size. Blue jeans covered my much longer legs and black high-top sneakers I had never seen before were on my feet.

An explosion boomed down the hill causing all three of us to jerk our heads around. The man immediately charged up the hill. Before I could ask about the man's sanity, the woman turned to me and said, "Stay here. I'll be right back." 

She followed the man to the source of the explosion. As they disappeared into the darkness, I sluggishly came to a standing position. Overhead, the clouds began to move at a faster pace. The sound of screams bolted down the hillside.

"Go get help!" cried the woman. I squinted into the distance to see if anyone would come barreling down. A flash of lightning filled the sky, followed by the crash of a thunderclap. I started limping down the hill toward a river at the bottom. My momentum increased faster than I expected. Caving underneath the speed, I tripped and rolled on my side to the bottom, where I plunged into the river. 

The current's strength instantly dissolved the little energy I had. The moment of panic was drowned by an ineffable feeling of calm. I floated down the river and into a dream. The sound of my mother's voice enveloped me. She whispered words I could barely hear, but her distinct cadence was enough to comfort me. A light filled the visual space. I searched for the source of this light until a shining bulb dangled in front of me. As chlorine halos formed around the light, my mother's whispers became discernible words:

"...let that give you the strength to fight..." A numbing sensation took over my body. I felt nothing. Then, I felt everything.

My head bumped against a paddle boat, bringing me to consciousness. I was still in the river, but reached a point where the current diminished. I made my way around the boat and to the dock where it was anchored. I completed the chore of climbing onto the wooden surface and looked for any landmarks which would hint at my inadvertent destination. I rested my cheek against my knee as I sat on this dock, lost in the dark.

"Hey, are you okay?" a girl behind me asked. I turned around, only to have her flashlight blind my eyes. I threw my hand in front of my face and exhaled sharply. She lowered her light, but kept her distance.