Scattered Dreams & Dragonflies

My home: The dream theater

I noticed myself looking at the floor. Layered patterns of white tiles, slanted with wave-like lines, adorned my footing. I recognized its familiar design rather quickly. Then and there, I realized where I was. I pushed through a pair of glass-like doors, and just like that, I was once again in the main chapel of my childhood family church. As I looked around, I quickly noticed some changes. The once religiously used chapel, filled with wine-colored soft chairs leading to a grandiose altar with instruments and a beautiful mural of the earth where a giant cross stood proudly on top of my home country, was now replaced by what I could only describe as a set of rather scenic stages. These stages were modest in size; however, they were very tall. Each one had a specific style, from small buildings adorned with luscious gardens to a desert crawling with insects under the burning sun. Every single one had its own theme, and with it, an ecosystem of its own. You could feel the environment change as you approached the modest stages. Even if only a few feet in size, the feeling of jumping into another dimension or estranged environment was apparent.

The stage closest to me was the garden. As I walked towards it, I looked upwards, staring at the top of the building within it. I noticed the delicate beige of the rocks, the subtle chiseled design of each unique brick. The green gardens around added a modest touch to the elegance of the stage. Such a wonderful work of art that, even if fabricated, felt so real to the touch. From the green and blue lighting from above, shadowing the tower, to the flowers glued naturally to the tower's bricks, it was truly beautiful to see. As I walked amongst the stage, I could feel the humidity accumulating in the air, as if walking outside after a rainy day. Within moments, I felt refreshed, in pure bliss and calmness. However, I was not alone.

My resting mood came to an end, and to my surprise, I found myself surrounded. A group of people whom I did not know appeared from thin air. I never saw them materialize, but instead, they appeared as if they had been doing their tasks for a while in place. My mind nor my body took it in any odd way, instead accepting accordingly, course-correcting to the new reality. I stared at the unknown beings around me as they lived out their momentary tasks. The group turned out to be a sort of theater ensemble. I could believe this was the case, as amongst me, I saw them involved closely with the stages already mounted. Some sat together on the floor, reading paper scripts. Others slid their hands amongst the many props, covering the entirety of their elegantly built and placed staged structures, I would assume making sure they were in good condition. Others murmured to themselves in a rather unconventional way of speaking, one that could be described as that of theater emotion and acting.

The groups, at a certain point, decided to split, choosing their respective stages. Some went into the desert, others into the humid castle, and others into the deep sea. The more I looked, the more stages seemed to be available—different ecosystems, worlds, slowly inhabited by beings willing to "play house." If only for a brief period of time, a make-believe of sorts, and I, with nothing but time, sat at a distance, contemplating the marvel that was the moment before me in all its splendor. With passing time as a witness, I gazed into their effort. I listened to the sounds of their inspiration, the works of art merged so subtly into a beautiful composition, a sonata of sorts built so very elegantly, manifesting its greatness in voice, song, and dance. Amongst so much portrayed beauty, my eyes, however, found themselves anchored to a certain spirit. As my attention to her increased, so did her visibility. The unknown shape of her being subtly materialized as I contemplated her in all her splendor. I saw caramel diamond bathed in bliss, her skin glowing like the cloudless night sky, smothered in swerving rivers of gold-plated chocolate. Tall and powerful, yet graceful like an evening amongst early stars. Regardless of my unyielding stare, her effort and gracefulness on stage never dwindled, and as such, I continued paying tribute to the magic of life, an ode to God's creation, an applause of attention to those willing to see and listen was there to display, and I was there to accept with honor.

I understood, however, she was but a small piece of an all too grandiose work of art, a drop amongst the crashing downstream waves of a river. But a breath of air in an all too ambiguous and lost existence. A small cog in an elegant and proud machine. I remember seeing the group she was paired with. I saw them all suddenly stop their practice and begin to move. Looking around me, everyone did the same. I saw all of the spirits getting up, slowly, and without acknowledging my presence, they all proceeded to move past me, all the way to what looked like a long wooden corridor. Every single corner of the corridor was covered in mahogany, from the floors to the ceiling, everything connected so subtly all the way to the far back. In the distance past the groups who stood in line across the corridor, I could see an open window letting in the rays of the sun directly towards them. I remember seeing the reflections of their bodies creating a long shadow reaching my feet. Then and there, as I stood in place admiring what happened around me, I could remember hearing them all begin to sing. Their voices were perfectly pitched, like a choir directly sent from the heavens, a sound like the first sip of morning coffee, a warm hug from a loved one, the very sensation of peace, the calm after a storm. With every uttered note, every elegant shout from the spirits, I felt at peace once more.

As the groups sang, a lone spirit stood on a balcony over the sunlit window. He looked on, as if in command of those beneath him. His look was one of authority; however, his face resembled pride. Like a father watching his children grow, a man overjoyed endlessly stood before them as they sang in harmony and unison. At one point, I felt myself overcome with emotion, and with it, I began taking slow steps towards those who sang. With every step, I could see the colors around me intensify, getting brighter and brighter. With it, their voices adjusted, matching the closeness of my steps towards them. Soon their harmonious singing, as well as the colors around me, led to a glorious crescendo, one that, before noticing, already had me less than a foot away from the nearest singing spirit. As I stopped, I felt the lights around me intensify even more, forcing me to look directly into the balcony, which was less illuminated at the time. As the voices around me all raised their voices on one last beautiful note, the one standing on the balcony stretched his arm outwards. As he did, subtle explosions brought with them endless amounts of confetti bathed in shades of gold, tainted with a pearl-like finish that engulfed me. The confetti-like substance was weightless as paper but in my hands felt cold to the touch, like metal. I could see it failing to advance, as the wind around it made it float subtly, hitting the ground with the same gracefulness as a piece of thin cloth. However, as soon as my hand touched it, the weight of a piece of gold took its place.

The confetti soon stopped, and now with the celebration complete, I saw myself sitting down amongst it along with the spirits. To my ears, the beautiful ensemble was now at rest, bringing upon it deafening silence that quickly engulfed the air. In the distance, my eyes reached the lone spirit on the balcony. I could see his hands moving, signaling gestures to those closest to him. In the blink of an eye, I saw my gaze transferred to the spirit. I could see his arms moving around as he talked from his perspective at the multitude before him. Regardless of what I did, where I sat, or what I was thinking, I saw myself at the mercy of this for a few moments. I saw the gestures, and yet, I heard or understood nothing. But I can assure you this, all this time, I was indeed at peace.