time: mid-summer
place: waterpark (close to the size of one in myrtle)
walking around i find myself going into deep underwater caverns that branch off the kiddy pool section's cave. the caverns lead to different places all over the park. swimming through the caverns i find small air pockets to stay alive (this probably came from ecco the dolphin). after going all over the park throughout the caves i eventually come to a very long straight forward stretch. the stretch kept going and going and light couldn't be seen but from behind me. after about 20 seconds of swimming and without air pockets i realize i wouldn't make it back to the last air pocket without running out of breath. so i continued as fast as possible, which really felt like as slow as possible because for some reason being in a rush in dreams only slows it down... finally i made it to the end of the long tunnel and above me was a manhole cover that had little rays of sunlight coming through the top of it.
i opened it and caught the air completely and fully while sprawled out on the hot concrete. when i opened my eyes the sun was directly above me. everything had a bright tungsten blue shade from my eyes adjusting to the bright light. looking right i find the rest of the waterpark to be pretty far away probably a mile. 1 mile of flat and baron concrete field. to my left was a steep staircase about 2 feet in width that extended up farther than i could see. walking towards the steps i notice that there is nothing behind them but more concrete. i walk 50 feet more to discover nothing but a drop into baby blue sky. with the concrete hanging off the side in jagged pieces. it looked like the whole side of the earth was ripped off and drifted out. walking back to the steps i see water on them. "someone must have gone up there while i was away"... wanting answers and not trusting people back at the water park because they wouldn't believe me,,, i pursued the steps.
while striding barefoot i observed the steps. they were white with no cracks, slick like the bottom of a jacuzzi, plastic with a hollow sound, and very steep. steep enough to easily fall backwards without clinching the hand rail. they were slick, but the texture looked like mended stone. very similar to santorini's staircases. i only must have walked 40 steps and couldn't see the ground anymore. still i kept walking. eventually losing track of time i notice my trunks are dry and the steps in front of me are not wet. i then realized it was me that soaked the beginning of the staircase when i exited the caves. knowing there was no one before me i still persisted in want of answers. i must have been climbing for an hour now but the temperature stayed constant. eventually i could feel the wind slowly sway the structure back and forth exactly how it feels to climb a tree during a storm. i started to reach stratus clouds which blocked the sun while the wind blew. i felt frozen with fear of falling and cold from the lack of sun. it became harder to climb the seemingly infinite staircase.
as i seeped through the clouds the sun hit my bare back. warming me up despite the wind. now looking up there is nothing but steps and sky. so i kept at it knowing i'd never stop thinking about it if i didn't go up. after around 20 minutes of determined paces the wind had stopped. it was nothing but slow gentle swaying that didn't make a sound. there was complete silence in the sky other than my hollow foot steps. not long after i hear water trickling softly. i look up and see the steps end. for some reason i didn't react in a excited way but more like this was a holy moment. that whatever is up there deserves a full humble respect. that whatever it may be doesn't matter, but how you perceive it does. when this thought came over me the sun started setting dramatically fast. i sat on the stairs and watched it thinking about nothing but how the sun felt when i broke through the clouds. after sitting there for five minutes, the sun was already greeting the horizon. i got up and turned around, the end was still there. as i approached it the trickling became more noticeable. i'm now on the last 20 steps....
i reached the top to see the railing make 2 barred walls on either side. i sat between them on a 3x3 flat square that was made of rubber encased metal typically seen with picnic tables with a diamond pattern. in front of me was a 2foot wide metal slide that extended down far beyond what i could see. the walls of the slide were only 4 inches high and had 3 tiny holes on each side near the top flowing out water. i then saw that the sun was in front of the slide instead of the steps. it was frozen in place laying on the earth. there was a peace like no other up there. something i wish i had words to describe. the waterslide swayed slower than it ever did before at this moment. so slow it was almost unnoticeable. still, nothing but the water could be heard. and nothing could break its current. i sat there for a long time. just staring at the sun leaned against the slide's bars. eventually i had to make a decision. either go back or ride the slide. i saw what was beyond the slide's steps earlier... nothing. nothing but a drop off. yet i still went down with full acceptance of whatever happened.
i scooted up to the edge of the metal and felt the water. it was warm like the metal itself which the sun must have kept heating. i then started the descent. . . . . . . . . . . . . . as soon as i started sliding the sun began setting once more at normal speed. despite the steep angle the slide had, it was very slow yet smooth with little to no friction. all i did was lay there and watch the sun that guided me my whole journey. i don't remember how long i saw that scene and laid there sliding,,, but after that is when i woke up.
i didn't bother to document this dream because of how surreal it was and i'd knew i would remember it. but if you got all the way through it, thanks for reading!
