If tonight was a dream passing quickly, it would be forgotten like so many dreams were. But Ferro would never forget what they saw in their head that night.
They were on the beach, looking out over the water. Ferro often joked about throwing themselves into the sea. But it was a joke that held some truth. Ferro liked the idea that the currents would carry their body somewhere else. Though they were terrified of drowning. The sea was calling to Ferro tonight, and not in the dark way that it has in the past.
Ferro stepped up to the water's edge. The sea was stiller than it usually was. They tried to stick a foot paw in, but to their surprise the surface of the water held their weight, never breaking. They knelt down to investigate. Noticing that although the water appeared the way it always had, it was actually extremely shallow. They weren’t standing on top of the water per say, rather standing on the sea floor with a deceptively thin film of water on top of it.
Ferro pondered for a moment, “if this isn’t the sea, then what is it?” A mirror perhaps. They followed that inquiry, but as they looked down, they noticed the water didn’t reflect them, just the sky above. And the sea floor beneath.
They closed their eyes. This was too bizarre. It was donning on Ferro that this might be a dream. But even if none of this was real, there were still things they wanted on a primal level. For some strange reason, it was important for them to see their reflection in the water. So they decided they would stay dreaming for now. Ferro opened their eyes.
They were not greeted by their reflection, but by a large gaping hole that bore into the sea's mirror surface. It was filled with water so deep they couldn’t see the bottom of it. But it felt so inviting, so they dove in.
They sank like their heart was made of lead.
They descended, nose pointed down, losing sight of the surface. It was empty down here, just water for as long as they could see. They didn’t feel the burning of held breath. Perhaps they even breathed in the water passively, they weren’t aware enough to tell. It let them sink for a long time, and the surrounding nothing made them feel something they’ve never been able to put into words.
They were lonely, yet felt tragic comfort in it. They closed their eyes and wondered if someone was sinking with them, if they would feel the same way. Perhaps someone was sinking too. Just so far away that they’d never be seen. And never feel any connection.
Ferro opened their eyes to find that they were not sinking alone anymore, a massive shape was in the distance. An upside down dark shape of a mythical whale, with spots that lit them up like white stars on a black sky. It didn’t move at all, it just sank. Ferro wondered if it was still alive, or perhaps just sleeping. Then they wondered if whales sleep at all, if they need to go to the surface to breathe.
It wasn’t like they could read a book about whale anatomy, so it was likely something they’d never know. Then Ferro had a thought. Maybe they could ask it? They open their mouth to speak.
“Do you ever sleep, whale?” The sound was muffled as the air escaped their lungs in a flow of bubbles. Their breathing stayed calm and measured. The water here was as familiar as air to them. Ferro watched as the bubbles floated up towards the surface, and it made them think.
They are upside down, and the whale is upside down. The only reason to think the bubbles are going up is that it’s something they already believed. They closed their eyes again. It felt like they were heading towards an epiphany. If they just reoriented themselves not around the bubbles but around them and their whale partner, then down would be a new up.
They felt like they were on to something, and they opened their eyes.
Ferro screamed at what they saw. The air inside them flowed as bubbles down towards their feet. The water that filled their lungs stung and made them gasp for precious air, but only to meet more salty sea water. Ferro was drowning.
In front of them was the whale, so much closer and awake. Its eye was open, staring into Ferro. Its pupil was a door, a door to the galaxy that was its iris. The whale smiled at them, smirking a long unnatural grin. They were happy to see Ferro, perhaps even impressed they made it this far.
Ferro tried to wake themselves up, but it felt like something was holding their hand. Keeping them here. They tried to cry, but they couldn’t tell if they were. It was all just part of the sea. They took in gulps of water and closed their eyes and wished to be anywhere else. They opened their eyes, and the whale was even closer. With mouth ajar slightly showing massive rows of brush like baleen.
Ferro missed the familiarity of the air. They wanted to be like they always were. Back on land, stable and alone. They craved it, every little bit of their dreadful existence that made them want to throw themselves into the sea in the first place. Ferro just wanted to be alone!
And they were..
It happened in a moment without a transition. They were on an isle to themselves. It was stable, and the air was familiar. They had never been to this place before, but it felt like home. Like they've lived here their entire life.
When they woke up, everything was normal too. Beryl had left while they were sleeping, leaving them completely alone in their bed. And everything was familiar, again… They decided to not bother thinking about the dream they just had. No matter how concerning, Ferro learned a long time ago that their dreams were worthless.
