Scattered Dreams & Dragonflies

The oasis hotel

I found myself sitting against a sturdy rock. The sun shone brightly in my crosshairs as I sat amongst a bustling community in a desert-like setting. Many men and women moved around me, but their faces were indiscernible, seeming erased or deleted, making it impossible for me to identify any of them. As I sat amongst the rocks under the sun, I looked around to find my immediate family sitting with me. We all sat in a circular pattern, facing each other. However, my eyes were drawn to a giant white building in front of us. The building was covered in shades of beige, bathed in glistening sunlight reflecting white. My eyes attempted to follow the top, but they were unable to, as the very top of it went up and straight through the clouds into infinity.

My eyes wandered in its direction for a moment as I heard my family talk in the background. My admiration for the immense and impressive building was cut short, however, as a strong siren went off in the distance. The sound traveled rather fast, managing to reach us in mere moments. As the sound arrived, I could feel it reverberate through my body. I looked around to see that the once calm people around us had now started to run in every direction, all in a frenzied panic. Amidst the commotion, I looked at my family, who at the time found themselves alert as well and staring at me. I signaled for them to follow, as amidst the chaos my instincts pushed me once again toward the nearest place I could consider a sanctuary: the giant white building.

We continued to run amongst the scattered people. In that specific moment, I could vividly and authentically feel my environment. The world suddenly came alive as all of my senses awakened. The overstimulation was overwhelming. I could smell the dust in the air, kicked up by the people running in a desperate attempt to flee from danger as the heat of the sun burned into my skin. I could feel the glare of the sun as it competed for my undivided attention, even though I had eyes only for my goal, which was the white hotel-like building. I felt the people as they occasionally rushed into me, running in opposite directions. They felt like hardened pillows against my chest and shoulders—sturdy, yet not enough to push me back, but strong enough to stagger my progression occasionally.

Overstimulated and attentive in that moment in time, I continued to run. Looking back, I could see my family running close behind. As we continued to move, planes flying in a straight line flew many feet over our heads, bringing with them the roaring sound of their engines cutting through the air. I could also feel the wind hitting my backside from the intensity of the planes as they cut through the air. As we approached the building, I could see one of the planes stop right in front of the entrance to the hotel, morphing in the same motion into an ambulance. Amidst the commotion and the sudden plane transformation, I decided not to stop. Arriving at the entrance of the building, we just walked around the ambulance and entered the building.

Already inside, I noticed the particular aesthetic of the hotel. Conventional hotel-style carpeted floors in delicate tones of red adorned the floor, contrasting gently with the line-like patterns on the darkened beige walls. It looked like many hotels I used to stay in during family vacations and work trips. However, the center housed a spring-like style. The red of the rug and the beige walls stopped at a certain point, morphing into what could only be described as a flat, yet shiny surface. The rocky, flat surface, covered in a slight mossy texture, was adorned with blue lights around the sides. Walking around, you could see many levels, with small bodies of water connecting from the floors higher up, all the way down, simulating different channels of waterfalls connecting downstream. Steam covered the quiet waters as they seamlessly connected with an endless array of clear water from above.

Wooden, delicate bridges occasionally connected adjacent ponds for access, but no one could be seen in sight. The environment, considering what was happening outside, contrasted greatly. However, we thought nothing of it. I just began to walk around the place as one does in a new environment. Getting close to one of the edges, I looked down and stared at a pitch-black bottom. Nothing could be seen, but I could see the water falling into the pitch-black darkness, losing itself in it, letting out faint traces of humid mist.

As I continued to walk, I began to see certain groups of people. Some of them walked in noticeable desperation, but it was controlled. They were wary of their environment but did not run or scream. I remembered the same feeling when I was little—the smell of a different environment, the faint scent of freshly cleaned sheets with a peculiar hotel smell, the faint casino-like smoke smell in the lobby, the faces around me. It was all familiar growing up. Such is the price of new experiences—uncomfortable at first, but eventually, they have their rewards.

Walking through a deserted part of the hotel, closer to the spring-like ponds, a lone lady was sitting with her feet gently placed inside the warm water. Noticing that I was coming through, she called me over, asking me to take a picture of her in the spring. I obliged and took her phone. As I positioned myself to take the picture, I was stopped by a plant that grew instantly in front of me. Noticing it through the phone's camera, I moved to the side of the newly developed plant, not thinking much of it, and positioned myself to take the picture—a picture I never got to see.