Just a Dream (High School Stories #1)
09/08/2009
Prompt/Background: This was a creative writing assignment from my freshman PAP English class—unaltered, in its original form—where I wrote about a fantastical dream filled with all my favorite things at age fourteen.
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I wake up encircled by water. I feel the soft white sand between my toes as I explore my surroundings. I look up at the lush green canopy of palm trees swaying rhythmically against a blue cloudless sky while I listen to the crashing of the waves on the rocky shore. I taste the salty air as the light breeze showers my face in the warm ocean mist. I smell the sweet aroma of Hibiscus and tropical fruits. I scan the horizon for any signs of life, only finding dolphins splashing about and jumping in the air. I am fascinated by them, and for a while I sit and watch them without any other care in the world. I hear the seagulls overhead and I watch them fade into the distance. I see crabs scurry away as the tide moves in closer and the sun sets over the ocean. Suddenly I hear the distant rumble of thunder and the sky is illuminated with bright lightning. I feel heavy cold raindrops against my face as I run to seek shelter. It almost looks like glitter falling from the sky, but I think nothing of it at first. All I think about is getting out of this heavy rain and keeping dry and warm. The sound of the thunder and the rain soothes me, and I finally fall asleep to the pitter patter of the raindrops falling on the canopy above.
I wake up to the warm sunlight on my face shining through the trees and I go out to the shore. As I walk, I notice the sand looks different than the day before. It almost looks like glitter falling from the sky, I remember thinking while running to seek shelter from the storm. Suddenly, I hear the faint sound of music coming from the depths of the palms. I follow the melody and I hear it get closer and louder as I walk deeper and deeper into the tropical forest. I walk for what seems like an eternity when I finally stumble across a clearing. I am very surprised to find that there is a white grand piano there, playing the most beautiful music. I sit there a while as I take it all in. I even play the elegant piano myself, and I enjoy myself more than I have since I have been here. While I sit, I start to feel hungry, so I finally have to leave and search for food. I decide to go back toward the shore and see what I can find. I end up with my favorite pepperoni stuffed crust pizza and a liter of soda that I can definitely not explain. But I enjoy it anyway, and when I finish I look for seashells and I wade in the shallows. I sit on the rocks as I think about all that has happened. It is a wonderful place, yet I long to be home and surrounded by the familiar faces and places I know. All I can do is hope for the best and turn in for the night. I dream that I am home and I am with my family and friends, and I feel warm and happy again. When I wake up, I am not greeted by the warm sunlight, the cloudless blue sky, or the sound of seagulls overhead. Instead, I wake up to the hum of my fan, the blank white ceiling of my room, and the soft pillow beneath my head. I lay there for a moment in the silence, and I finally realize what had just happened. “It was all a dream” I say to myself as I get out of bed. I walk over to my shelf and look at my wonderful collection of snow globes. One in particular catches my eye. I pick it up and examine it closely. I see a little tropical island and crystal blue water. There is a forest of palm trees with coconuts, and there is white sand and flowers of beautiful shades of red and pink. I can almost hear the sound of the waves crashing onto the shore and the call of seagulls overhead as I look into the crystal ball. I shake the snow globe and watch the glitter fall like rain on the trees and rocks of the little island. It almost looks like glitter falling from the sky. Have I been here before? I realize that all of this is strangely familiar to me now. It is exactly like the wonderful place in my beautiful dream. Could it be? I shake my head in disbelief as I put the snow globe back in its place on the shelf, convincing myself that it was just a strange coincidence.
THE END