Was It Just A Dream

Chapter 4

It all really began behind that door.

The first thing I saw was the sun. It burst into the white room, it's natural rays like gold compared to the dull, artificial light shining down from the ceiling. I squinted, waiting for my eyes to adjust.

Then I saw the ocean. It was a deep, dark blue, with rolling waves that crashed upon fine, white sand. It was stunning, a paradise from only my wildest dreams. It was captivating, and I felt breathless. The first word that popped into my mind went seeing the site was "heaven".

"Well, guys. It seems to be that our day will be continuing on with it's strange and abstract theme." Lincoln looked back at us, holding the door open and motioning for us to walk through. "After you."

I hesitated, not wanting to be the first one out. It didn't matter though, cause Jimmy was already long out the door. He ran straight down to the water, laughing, stopping only to pull off his shoes. He looked like a child, his skinny legs carrying him down the beach quicker than I thought possible.

I found myself sprinting down the beach ]after him. I thanked God that I had chosen to wear flip flops that day, and they flew off my feet as I ran. The sand was soft and comforting between my toes, cushioning my steps as I ran to the water. I finally reached the shoreline, letting a small wave flood over my feet. 

"Get in here, Mira! The water's fine!" Jimmy waved, and I ran into the water, clothes and all, feeling liberated. Jimmy and I laughed and splashed around for some time, happy to finally be free of that dreadful white room. It was like a dream, the salty ocean water washing us of the dread and dreariness of the white prison. We were free and more alive than ever, two children playing in the sun.

Finally, maybe a half an hour later, we were tired at last. We walked back up the beach towards the white room. From the outside, it just looked like a white cube sitting on the sand. It was a strange site, one you might see in a sci-fi movie about aliens that happened to land on the most glorious beach imaginable. I looked up the shore, past the room, and saw tall bushes behind the dunes, leading to who knows where. Looking down the beach in each direction, we couldn't see a thing except pale sand meeting the water. 

 We hadn't even noticed how Lincoln and Cali hadn't followed us. We were too caught up in our glorious freedom that their absence hadn't crossed our minds. Jimmy didn't seem to care, but I was curious. Why would they pass up the beautiful ocean water? 

We found Lincoln stretched out on the sand in front of the doorway, napping. Cali, surprisingly, was sitting just inside of the room, a hard look on her face.

"What's up?" I asked Cali, wringing water out of my red hair as I walked up to the doorway. Jimmy started piling sand on top of Lincoln, who was still fast asleep. I couldn't help but think he looked just a tad cute as he slept, and I couldn't help but notice how long his eyelashes were. And the more cynical part of me couldn't help but look at his well-defined jawline. 

"I'm not leaving this room," Cali said unemotionally. "This has got to be some stupid dream. Or maybe I am just insane. Have you two even bothered to think about how impossible this is? Or where we actually are?"

Jimmy continued to finish up piling sand over Lincoln, who now only had his head uncovered, clearly ignoring Cali. I sighed and sat down on the sand. The sun was starting to go down, and I was too tired to think about this. 

"I don't know where we are. Maybe it is a dream. So what? So far, nothing bad has really happened to us. Sure, we were stuck in a strange room for a few hours. No big deal. We just have to stay positive about things, and we'll be fine." I tried to smile at her, but she just frowned at me. "Boy, Cali. You really do remind my of my sister, Lillian. Except she's way more problematic than you and she's annoying on top of that."

                                                                                              ~

"No. No. You did not say that about me. You did NOT compare me to Creepy Cali." Lillian's eyes were full of fire. I was surprised she had stayed quiet so long, and she had finally seemed to be taking my story seriously.

"Wow. I bothered to think about you when I was having the craziest experience of my life, and you can't appreciate that? Sheesh, Lillian. You need to straighten your head. And don't call Cali that." I retorted. 

"Well, get on with it." Lillian gestured at me.

"Get on with what?"

"The story?! I want to know what happened to you guys next."

"Oh. Not right now, young one. I need some tea. But I'll tell you more if you get me some." I winked, a sly smile on my face.

"First off! I'm OLDER than you. Secondly, I'm NOT your slave." Lillian said loudly, all while walking out of my room. A few minutes later, I heard the kettle on the stove and the sound of boiling water. Lillian was making tea. 

I smiled.