Dream Diary September 2014

  I emerge from the glacial water, in shock and surrounded by darkness. Breathing in the cold frigid air, I try to blink the water out of my eyes and make sense of my surroundings. It's raining, and with each passing second, the drops get heavier and harsher. I realise I'm not fully clothed - my top is missing. All I have is a small tank top. 

Are my shoes missing too?

  I stare at my body in the water, my jeans clinging to my legs as my feet desperately try to keep my head above the surface. My eyes finally adjust to the darkness, and in the distance, a faint glow illuminates the night sky. The waves are strong and powerful now - shielding my view, only allowing brief glimpses of the horizon. I desperately search for anything, anyone, to help me. I soon discover I'm not alone, there are maybe five or six other people in the water. The chaos threatens to engulf me, preventing me from forming any coherent thoughts. 

What am I doing here?

  My heart feels like it's trying to escape through my rib cage, as my throat and lungs burn from the salt water. I glimpse a large metal object a few meters away, the water dragging it down into the depths. I manage to make out the helicopter’s rotor blades before the ocean swallows it entirely. I spin around in the water, attempting to swim away from the sinking helicopter and the chaos surrounding me. A young man appears beside me - he can't be that much older than myself. He grabs hold of my hips before I can speak a single word, and throws me up and out of the water with impossible strength. As I plunge back into the ocean a few meters away, I turn my head back toward the young man. He simply looks at me and nods before swimming in the other direction. I spin away from him and start swimming.

After a few strokes, something envelops my arm. I start to panic until I realise it's an item of clothing - a top. I awkwardly put it on and continue swimming. After a short while, I see a ship in the distance and a glimmer of hope sparks inside of me. I use every ounce of strength I can muster, and push myself through the merciless water.

My entire chest burns as I desperately try to catch my breath. The ocean’s relentless waves crash against me.

I finally make it to the ship. It's an industrial container ship. Old, rusty, its paint beginning to peel. My arms and legs feel like noodles, shaking and weak. I manage to drag myself onto the deck of the ship, each movement even more difficult than the last. It feels like an eternity. There is a man on the deck, hesitant and keeping his distance, observing me.

I know him.

Eventually, I stand up and make my way toward the edge of the deck.

‘What are you doing here?’, the man asks quietly. There is sadness there.
I simply reply, ‘It doesn’t matter.’
I cross my arms, shoulders hunched, and continue walking toward the railings at the edge of the deck. I wait. The man joins me, a few feet behind me, silent and waiting. The stormy rain suddenly stops.

I look at the horizon and see a city on fire.