dewashed.

IX .

Exiled? Running away. On a highway going up the side of a mountain. There is a flood coming. A huge flood. Rain pours, starting to get swept away down the street. Must persevere. To the left is the mountain. To the right, the cliff. The flood tries to push me off, I am swept high into the air. No. I will not go. I fight back in defiance. I grab hold of the top of a tree. Safe at last. Suddenly— lightning strikes the top of the tree and I fall.

Huey opens his eyes to soft rays of sunlight reaching down from the sky being distorted as they fall through the ever moving water drifting and dancing about the waves until they land on his face, merely warm glimmers of the sun above. He takes a deep breath, appreciating the scene above him before suddenly jumping up. Woah... I am definitely underwater right now. Am I—he looks at his arms and hands—Am I dead? I don't feel dead. Is this what people mean when they say drowning is peaceful? He asks himself, looking back up at the surface. I heard it was a nice way to go, but I thought that came with like— acceptance after you've been fighting and choking for a while. That and your brain shutting down. This is kinda just chillin. Also, this water isn't even cold. I know the sun is out now, but it looks like I'm kinda deep. This water is like... room temp tho. Can't even really feel it. Also, how am I sitting on the ground if I'm filled with air? Shouldn't I be floating? Oh shit, I must definitely be drowned because I'm breathing right now.

Huey scans the area and sees the wreckage of the boat strewn about. How long have I been down here? He squeezes his thighs, then his knees and finally his calves. Huh. Death sure feels a lot like being alive. I wonder where Mel is, he thinks and then is surprised when he looks up and sees her sitting just as he is, not 20 feet away, looking back at him. Huey tries to call out to her but his words are garbled as they are engulfed in the water and quickly flee up to the surface in order to escape their liquid prison. Mel slowly shakes her head. Well this will be interesting he thinks as he makes his way over to her.

Huey touches the spot where he saw Mel hit her head. There is nothing there. Did that even happen? Mel looks at him as he touches her head. Oh, Mel. Are you okay? She nods at him and his eyes widen. Wait, can you hear my thoughts? Mel squints at him. He immediately knows in his head she means she is feeling unsure. Almost like in a dream when you know something just because you are supposed to know it. Mel, we seem to have developed some type of rudimentary telepathy he thinks at her. Mel shrugs, seemingly still confused at what he thought exactly. Eh, we'll work on it.

Huey jumps when a fish swims in front of his face. Mel giggles at him, little bubbles rising up towards the atmosphere. The fish swims around his head a bit, looks at him, and he dream knows that the fish wants to be followed. Huey's face beams as he looks excitedly at Melrose. Look! She smirks with a knowing face and he then remembers her comment from the boat. His grin turns into a frown and he narrows his eyes at her. Mel laughs heartily at him. He rolls his eyes and begins to walk along the ocean floor behind the fish as it swims away towards an unknown destination.

While they follow the fish, Mel and Huey work on understanding each other. The more they try, the better they are able to communicate with one another. It seems to be less about thinking words at each other and more just being in touch. Along the way, Mel has been teaching him how to swim. Huey thinks it's a lot easier to learn without the fear of drowning. She thinks he is a natural. While they continue on, admiring the wonders of the ocean, different fish accompany them for a while, share pleasant dream thoughts, and then depart. It seems that the animals cannot reach beyond that simplistic level of communication. I wonder just how deep my communication with Mel can go. Though when I think about it, having someone else in my head makes me a bit anxious. I hope I don't think anything weird for no reason.