Ocean Fantasy

Memories

Flashback

Birds chirped outside her window as her eyes opened on a Saturday morning. She was buried under soft blankets, the room cold and cozy. Her room was pink and yellow, her favorite colors. She saw her teddy bear next to her and grabbed it. Hugging it, she got out of bed and stared out her window. The day was cloudy, just how she liked it. That meant she would drink hot chocolate and watch movies all day.

"Honey, are you awake?" A voice she loved said. Her mother was leaning on the doorframe, her sweet smile and warmth making Seulgi feel all happy inside.

"Yes, mama," Seulgi ran up to her and hugged her tight, she wished her mother would stay with her forever.

"Breakfast is ready, eggs and bacon with some pancakes."

"Yay!" Seulgi said excitedly and ran downstairs, her father watching TV and her older brother already sitting at the table with his breakfast.

"Good morning, sweetheart," her father gave her a kiss on her forehead and she hugged him, making her father laugh. She then walked by her brother and he messed up her hair.

"Hey!" Seulgi protested.

"What? Your hair's already a mess," her brother laughed, and she for once agreed.

When she finished her breakfast, she went to the couch next to her father and watched the news. She didn't understand much, but she liked to see people talking.

"What are they talking about, papa?" Seulgi asked innocently as she watched the weather report.

"They're talking about how it's going to rain all day," her father smiled. "Today is going to be one of your favorites."

And he was right. She played with her stuffed animals all day, watched tv and ate hot ramen.

When she got tired, she sat by her window and watched closely as raindrops slid down the glass, how beautiful and transparent they looked. She wondered where all that rain came from and why it made her feel so relaxed.

She suddenly wanted to play in the rain. She wanted to sing, to laugh and look up at the sky so more rain could fall on her face.

"Mama, Can I go outside?" Seulgi asked impatiently.

"But, honey, it's pouring," her mother looked confused.

"Please? I need to know something," seven year old Seulgi pleaded her mother.

Her mother thought for a minute, and then she sighed.

"Okay, but not more than ten minutes. I'll get some towels," her mother agreed and Seulgi hugged her.

Seulgi opened the back porch door, her mother's garden coming into view. Seulgi was sure her mother had every kind of flower in the world in her garden.

When she glanced back and saw nobody looking at her, she walked slowly towards the pouring rain, feeling the first drops of water everywhere. Her hair and clothes were soaking wet in seconds, but she felt at ease.

She lifted her hands and looked at them, wet with five fingers in each of them. She glanced at her clothes, soaking wet, making her shiver. Then, she looked at the sky. She blinked the raindrops away, but what she saw there made her frown.

The sun seemed blocked by the clouds. It seemed like the sun wanted to shine, to show itself, to warm up the world. But the clouds were mean, and they prevented it.

Seulgi got angry at this. Why was the sun trying to hard, couldn't the clouds see that? Out of nowhere, Seulgi cried. She cried, because the sun couldn't shine the way it always did and the clouds were mean. Her tears mixed with raindrops, the same ones who descended from those got clouds.

Suddenly, she didn't like cloudy days anymore. That meant the sun couldn't shine, that meant the sun couldn't be happy.

"Honey, are you alright?!" She heard her mother yell, but she couldn't stop crying. The agony, the anger, the pain she felt was indescribable.

"Go away!" She yelled at the sky, her mother's eyes widened.

"Go away, stupid clouds! Let the sun be happy! Go!" Seulgi's tiny self shouted at the sky. Her mother couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Seulgi, come inside. I don't want you getting sick," her mother pulled her in with an umbrella. Seulgi kicked and yelled, who said she was done scolding the clouds yet?

"Mama, those clouds are mean and stupid! They don't belong in this world," Seulgi crossed her arms and sat on the couch after being bathed.

"Seulgi, I'm sure you won't say that when you're older," her mother said patiently.

"Oh, I'm sure I will. What are the clouds there for?"

"They're there for a lot of different reasons. For example, they're the ones who keep my flowers alive and well."

Seulgi frowned, thinking. With that, she didn't think clouds were that mean. Her mother's flowers were beautiful and colorful, she loved colors.

"Oh," was all Seulgi could respond.

"Want some hot chocolate?" Her mother asked, and she immediately forgot about the clouds.

Later on, she went to bed. Her mother and father wished her goodnight, closing the door behind them. The only light in her room came from the teddy bear night light next to her bed. She could still hear the pouring rain outside.

That meant the clouds were still there.

She sighed, maybe her mother was right. She was just a kid, she didn't know a thing about the world yet.

End of flashback

Today, at 21 years old, she still remembered the days when she lived with her family, the rainy days where she could just relax and judge nature with her tiny brain.

Laying on a soft blanket by the shore, she looked at the sky, specifically at the clouds. Right now, she found them fascinating. Their different shapes and importance. The way they moved, the way they could turn into different colors and produce rain and lightning and hail and tornados.

She wondered what Irene was doing right now. If Irene liked the sky too, if she admired the clouds the way she did. She wondered if Irene had a beautiful family just like she once had. She wondered a lot.

Still, she didn't know a thing. Seulgi always felt clueless inside this gigantic floating rock in space, but somehow she felt like she belonged. The beach always called, the starry night always called.

She was still alone, but somehow she felt like the beach fulfilled that. Surfing was her favorite hobby, good thing her brother taught her.

Oh, her sweet brother. How she missed him. He always gave her the best advice, he was a great older brother.

She glanced at the sky once again. The breeze was getting cold, clouds turning grey. She smiled, remembering how angry she felt throughout her childhood when it got cloudy.

Now, she loved it.