A Dragonfly's Dream

Chapter XII- A class under the sea

DREAM JOURNAL

A class under the sea

My high school class and I were aboard a ship under the sea. I was seated at the back and James was beside me.

The ship actually belonged to my mom. In her absence, I was in charge. I went out and swam undersea to check if everything was okay. I didn't feel afraid at all. James also went undersea, to check the other side of the ship. He didn't want me doing it alone.

............

I've always loved the water. Particularly the beach. There was just something about being near the sea that rejuvenated me.

What was quite different about this beach resort was the fact that the water was shallow, about knee deep, for a few meters, and then at a certain point the land underneath suddenly descended and the water became very deep. There was a nipa hut in the middle of the water that marked the deep part. To get to the hut, we had to cross a bridge that provided a path to get from the shallow waters to the deep part.

I looked at Gail who was sitting beside me. I was so depressed with my break up that I just needed to get away. "Thanks for bringing me here."

"It's nothing." she answered.

We had planned originally to go swimming. But at the moment, I was not much in the mood and it was really nice to just sit there, and just sort of, enjoy that time where I could just commune with the water.

"Want to feed the fish?" Gail offered me some bread.

I took some of the bread and threw it in the water. My face lit up as I watched schools of fish gather around and fight valiantly for it. I suppose, it made me feel generous, maybe even powerful, that I held the key to the happiness they were all struggling for. I wondered if that was how the gods felt like sometimes. That maybe, we, human beings, were just like those fish, struggling for bread. That maybe, like those fish, we struggled for crumbs without realizing that the ocean was wide, very wide --- and offered so much more. "Fish can be so stupid sometimes." I observed.

"Well, that's why they end up as sardines." Gail said, obviously trying to humor me.

More and more fish were gathering. "Hey, look, there's a baby eel!" We were sitting on the stairs of the hut with our feet submerged in the water. The eel was swimming among the fish, partaking of the bread. I pointed it out to Gail, who unsuccessfully tried to catch it. Not too far away, a swordfish excitedly jumped into the air and splashed back into the water.

"How did all of them get here?" I asked.

"Pardon?" Gail didn't understand my question.

"I mean, how did all these fish know that there's food in here? Even that swordfish over there seemed to know!'

Gail laughed at this. "Hmm, let me think about it. I guess the rumor has spread all over the ocean that Alyssa Torres is giving away free bread."

"So, one fish told his or her friend, then that fish in turn told all of his friends and relatives, and that's how they all ended up here?"

Gail thought about it for while, then, looked at me weirdly. "Yeah, I think that's it."

"My, these fish are such gossip mongers." I joked.

Was I being just as silly as those fish struggling for bread? Was I struggling so much, wishing so much, for the wrong thing? Or was I too fixated on Andy, that I did not notice the wide ocean that was within my reach? Maybe somewhere in that ocean, someone was searching for me too. But like those fish, I stupidly, stupidly, struggled for the bread.

I looked at the fish again and shook my head. "Fish mentality."

"Okay, what on earth is that????"

"I'll tell you later on the way home." I promised. "Thanks for being a friend."

She gave me hug. "Here's one fish who will always be here for you."