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Sunday, March 28, 2021

"Dreamland" by Emily B.

 

Another horrible day at school. I was completely sure I failed that biology quiz and,like I thought, nobody sat with me at lunch. I saw my “friends” snicker past me, as I wished I was anywhere but there. However, my mind was too busy thinking about him to even mind them. I know he had heard the rumor about me and was probably making a joke out of it like the rest of the school. Why wouldn’t he? I was a joke. I never had a chance with him anyway. The connection I thought we had was probably all in my head. I tend to fantasize my life like that often. I should probably stop.

 

            I walked home from the bus stop, holding the pamphlet my counselor handed me during my sixth period. What a discreet way to announce that I need a therapist. “A therapist isn’t gonna help.”, I mumbled to myself. I just needed to get home, get in bed, and watch some Netflix or something. This whole thing was gonna blow over.. I was sure of it. When I got home, I didnt say a word to anyone and just headed to my room. I got comfortable and was about to play a movie, when I realized how tired I was. That’s usually the case when I’ve been crying. I closed my eyes and was soon asleep. I think.

 

            The first sensation I felt was stinging. It wasn’t strong, but more like when salt enters a wound. I hadn’t remembered opening a window, but I had goosebumps all along my body from the gusts of cool air coming into my room. I was hearing… waves crashing? I still hadn’t opened my eyes. I was afraid to. I could feel my eyes burning from the bright sun that, surprisingly, was still out. I finally gathered the courage to open my eyes and take a look around my surroundings. The first thought that came to mind was, “I’ve been kidnapped. Mom was right about me not being careful.” However, that didn’t make any sense to me, considering I was literally in the safety of my bedroom. I uncovered myself from a blanket I had never seen before, to find that I was wearing a tunic of some kind. “What kind of sick game is this?”, I thought. I walked around what looked like my room until I noticed the missing wall. Outside the wall was the most beautiful beach I had ever seen. The ocean had been my favorite since I can remember, and at that moment, I felt safe.

 

            I decided to walk along the beach and see if I could find anyone else there. Another girl around my age walked out of what seemed like the water. At this point, I’m thinking “I’ve been drugged.”  She was the most beautiful person I had ever seen. The sweet girl welcomed me to what she referred to as Elysia. At that moment, I was convinced I was dead. I had read about the Elysian Fields in Greek Mythology and how it was a part of the Afterlife. The girl, who actually never gave me her name, reassured me that Elysia was merely a place of peace, where girls like us could go to enjoy each other's company and be harmonious. “No boy drama? Nice.” As perfect as that sounded, considering my current situation back home, I knew I couldn’t stay forever.

 

            The sun was already setting, after I had spent the day at the beach with a few more girls, all glowing with life. I felt like I stuck out, seeing as though I had been miserable for the past couple weeks, but something was different about me too. I didn’t have a gloom over me. How could I? I was in paradise. I decided it was time to clean myself up before I went back home.. Once I figured out how. The strange part was,  I couldn't find any of my mirrors. Same thing with my electronics and makeup. Had I lost them? Had the girls taken them? Then I slowly realized; I hadnt seen any electronics all day, nor did any of the girls wear makeup. They all kind of glowed from within, with their natural features enhanced by the sun. Given up on the fact I won’t be going home tonight, I went to bed. The salty breeze and crashing waves sang to me as I dozed off, excited for the next day in Elysia.

 

            A subconsious part of me knew I would not be waking up in Elysia. It was just too good to be true. There I was; laying in my completely mundane, 4-sided room in the suburbs. My alarm on my phone had woken me up and I knew the fantasy was over. I was not too disappointed, however. Although not a perfect beach, it was a beautiful day out. My experience in Elysia gave me hope for better days here. The girls also said that I could come back whenever the frigid stares and seclusion became too much, or at least until it died down, which they reassured me that it would. That comfort of knowing I have a safe place to escape to, gave me the confidence to tackle the day. It was all thanks to my dreamland.

 

           

 

           

19 comments:

  1. Hi Emily, I enjoyed the flash fiction. The beginning of the paragraph really hooked me in. Perhaps it is a combination of your real experiences with some fantasies and dreams of hope, but regardless of the format, it was a great piece that I enjoyed reading. Thank you for this piece!

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  2. Wow! What a great job you did in narrating this story, I was truly captivated by your “Dreamland” story and felt as if I was reading a novel. The transition from reality to her dream-like state was done so smoothly and effortlessly. It really was a great way to introduce this fantasy. Although being Flash Fiction, you added some remarkable points about self-confidence and positivity. I love how you included that the girls on the island “glowed from within” and that the main character was able to experience all of this without any electronics. These amazing points allowed the main character to silence the noise around her and focus on herself. Such an amazing way to end the story because it shows character growth, and her newfound purpose.

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  3. Emily!! I loved your piece and how I, myself, felt like I was in this dreamland. The way in which you told this story, even though being fictional, was truly beautiful and captivating. Thanks you so much for this!!

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  4. It took 3 paragraphs in for me to realize this was flash fiction, wonderful job, this is incredibly realistic, and was written so well! I want to read the rest...

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  5. I love this! I love how descriptive the whole thing was. It was captivating. Fantastic job!

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  6. This was so cool! I loved this story, its so creative! Good job!- Angela Carnalla

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  7. Benjamin Galaz Jr.April 6, 2021 at 10:21 PM

    This was beautifully written Emily! That transition from the insecure thoughts into the enlightening dream was exemplary.

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  8. This was an amazing story! Love all the vivid descriptions and how mesmerizing this was! Great work!

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  9. Great piece Em! I seriously enjoyed it right from the beginning. You were incredibly descriptive, I envisioned everything so vividly! Amazing job!

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  10. Love this! I think a lot of people go through things that others will never understand or know about; so, to have a place you can escape to is amazing. It was a really powerful writing and definitely made me think about my escape place. super good job!

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  11. I loved the imagery you used to describe Elysia; it really contrasted the "reality" of the stressful parts of school, and definitely sounded like a dream!

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  12. I loved this so much! Your dreamland was described so well it was so easy for me to imagine myself there as well. No matter how bad things get, there will always be someone or somewhere to make you feel at ease. Thank you for sharing this piece, I really loved how you described how you felt when you woke up and how you described the girls glowing from within, great job! :D

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  13. Hi Emily:DD this piece was so creative and enjoyable to read. I think it is relatable for many people, as we all have these fantasies we make up in our head as we daydream. As great as it sounds, they are dreams for a reason, so they never become a reality. Great writing like this allows us to relive happy thoughts and dreams for a moment! good job.

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  14. This is really well written, I love how descriptive it is and how well you conveyed the reality of school in the eyes of a student but also bringing in a dream aesthetic. Good Job!
    ~Kayla Macasinag

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  15. Hi Emily! I really loved your piece! I loved how it was flash fiction, it was so beautiful and it kept drawing me in! Awesome job! -gisselle flores

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  16. This was very well-written and I like how you used sensory imagery throughout your whole essay!

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  17. I found the concept of having a dream world to escape from the trials of reality to be something that I think a lot of us can relate to. In the midst of hardships and drama sometimes it really helpful to separate yourself a bit to kind of find perspective and where you really are. Anyway I really enjoyed reading this, great job

    -Ryan Mallon

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  18. I really liked your interpretation of the idea of being able to escape reality and not being able to worry about the opinions of other people or feeling insecure about things you can't control. It was really nice reading your piece and the ending was perfect.

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  19. I loved this short story so much. The way the beach and sounds were detailed made me feel as though I was there too, or would love to be there. I think we all have a dreamland we escape to, when times get hard or stressful and this sounds like perfection.

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