On dreams

I have recurring dreams of being swept over by a huge tidal wave. Sometimes they're nightmares, other times they're just...dreams.

Last night I had another one.

I was on the top deck of a cruise ship. It was still in harbor and was shielded by the ocean beyond by a sea wall that put the ship below sea level. It was almost as if the ship was docked in a lock.

I was amazed by the sight of the dorsal fin of a killer whale swimming just on the other side of the sea wall. I called all my friends to witness the beauty of the orca as it swam by and breached.

But with that breach brought the wave. A wall of turquoise rose above the ship and the shadow of the killer whale was inside. I knew what was to come (from all my other tidal wave dreams), so I took a deep breath and dove into the wave.

Inside the water was calm, no violent currents. Just the water surrounding me. I knew I had to get to the surface before I ran out of breath, but I couldn't swim up because all around me were the killer whales and great white sharks gobbling everything up in sight. I saw the huge jaws of a shark swallow a person whole.

What was crazy about this dream was how calm I was. I felt the air in my lungs giving out and I desperately wanted to take a gasp in, but I knew that I would drown. Looking up at the surface, I knew I was a good 40 feet underwater and wasn't sure if I would even make it. I knew from my scuba lessons that air expands in my lungs as I ascend and there's a slight chance that I would have enough air to reach the surface, but those damn sharks and killer whales were in my way.

So I stayed there standing on the top deck of the cruise ship, 4o feet underwater, watching the terrors swim above my head and my only hope to survive beyond that. And with full awareness of my demise, I calmly waited for the air to run out...

...and I woke up.

What is your recurring dream?