The Other Side of the Wall
Nightmares and Gestures
The expansive sky lined irregularly by cottony clouds and birds sharply contrasting the brightness burned my eyes uncomfortably. I squinted them, trying to resist the immensity and then directed them a little south to witness calmness gurgling through the sea. The sweet, mildly cold wind wafted off the sea and relaxed my nerves, eyes, and skin.
I leaned back and found the support of a long wall running across and in the middle of the beach. Weird, I thought. The wall was about 3–4 feet tall and built with multicoloured stones. Still odd that it was present facing the sand and the sea.
Undeterred by the weirdness, I sat down on the beach, rested against the wall and relished the subtle liveliness in the vast sea ahead. Soon I forgot about the brightness and the burning eyes and mused how it was possible when such coolness was present. The waves erratically splashed amongst each other, playfully dodging my laid-out feet. Alas, the moments of bliss were shortlived, followed by a murmuring nearby. A group of people approached and quizzically looked at my carefree state. I looked back at them, masking the annoyance because of their interruptions.
One of them broke through the murmurs and asked how I would save myself from the gigantic waves. Immediately confused, I glanced at the sea and found the same rippling playfulness. I faced the stranger again but couldn’t bring myself to speak or question back. The stranger intently looked into my eyes and pointed towards the sea. I followed the trail of the pointed finger and witnessed a mountainous wave emerging from the sea this time.
The feelings of calm raced out of my body, and panic entered gleefully. With a rising heartbeat, I still sat and rested against the multicoloured wall. Unable to move, I glanced at the sea and desperately missed its playfulness. I watched the group and wondered why weren’t they worried. They kept staring at me, and I kept oscillating between the sights of the sea and them. An idea to jump across the wall came, but I couldn’t move. The waves kept ascending, moving closer by the second, and I couldn’t move or scream for help.
When the waves were an inch closer, I gave up on hope and cursed my inability to move. I covered the legs with the hem of the white dress and my face with disproportionately thin hands. I decided to face the waves by not actually facing them. Waiting for the thunderous splash, I sat shivering and wondering and panicking. Moments passed, but nothing happened. No splash, no collision, and no water.
Moving my hands aside and opening my eyes for the second time, I found myself on the other side of the wall and in my bed.
The other side of the wall had sand for a few metres, lined by towering, lush green trees. My bed was as comfy as always, lined by four walls and an open window allowing the morning breeze in.
I was standing on the other side of the wall, a thing I couldn’t do before. I was lying in bed, another thing I couldn’t do before.
A friendly face held my hand on the other side and kindly looked at me. I laughed at the familiarity of the friend and the hand-holding. The laugh reverberated through the expansiveness of the sky and the sea. I smiled, moving my face upwards, towards the room’s ceiling. A resounding laugh was also something I couldn’t do before.
I relaxed under my snuggly blanket and finally understood why my eyes hurt when the sky blazed before me for the first time.
