Waves

Prelude

Fast asleep. Spent several minutes flicking through the pages of a timeless novel until flipping the switch off, throwing the sheets over and turning the volume a notch higher on the radio. It was pleasant, the rain was quietly thumping against the roof, droplets of water streaming down the window. Surprisingly, the relaxation station had slewed off a variety of tunes ranging from whale calls to raining. Mother and father had managed to silence the baby for the night before calling it a day. The dream was calming, faint, but, oddly realistic. As the night reached it's end, the dream was fading, but, I made the most of it.

    It was without warning. Unexpected as it was an exciting experience. Suspenseful, to say the least. Water began trickling across my skin. I could identify the sound of splashing, as if a child was thrashing wildly in a pool. Suddenly, it was hard to breathe, my lungs felt heavier by the second. Complete darkness enveloped my view as wet splotches of liquid seemed to be attacking a variety of spots. I struggled against its grasp but to no success. It felt as if my arms were trapped, stretched to it's limits.

    Without warning, I was struck by a wave. Entrenched in water, I knew I was drowning. The force of the wave was extremely daunting and although I was unable to see, could sense how frightening of an image the wave enforced. I couldn't hear myself scream as they were muffled, I was unable to plea for help.

The sand. I rested there for minutes, patiently waiting for my breathing to stabilize. This was all a traumatizing experience. I could sense how much my skin trembled, how my feet felt numb, how my hands were rigid, how my view improved slowly. How my mind raced to compute what had occurred. The sun was blinding, the sky featured a grayish tint as the birds passing by were jet black. Inhaling, exhaling, I lowered my hand against the roughly-textured sand only to sigh in distress. If the sand felt so realistic, the air had a noticeable sweet aftertaste once inhaled and my clothes were drenched in water, was this truly a "dream"? The lake was only a few feet away, I noticed to my horror.

With a renewed burst of energy, I panicked, rising to my feet before desperately attempting to get as much distance between me and the lake. Finally, I take in my surroundings. Shielding my eyes, I peer up at the sky and note that it is positioned directly above me. Breathing steadily, I survey the surrounding forest. It's greenery the main attraction as an endless list of living creatures run wild. There doesn't appear to be predators roaming about as the sounds of nature seems harmonious even, peaceful. It was a beautiful sight, the luscious greens of bushes, shrubs and trees spanning as far as I could possibly see. Birds were chirping, even the lake was no longer thunderous, instead soothing. Able to stand, I inch towards a tree in awe, the trunk was as thick in width as the crown was high in height. Briefly touching the trunk, I conclude this world or dream feels indeed magical.