In this dream, I am on a small sailing boat with P. We are in the middle of the ocean and all around us there is nothing but water. The sun bears down on us heavily and the breeze is thick.
Suddenly, we capsize with no warning. As I hit the water, I realise how strong the tide is. Within a few seconds, the boat is already no longer within reach. I float on my back and try to remain calm.
When I next look up, my thoughts knotted in my chest, P has found a giant inflatable pool toy. It's a ludicrous shade of green or blue, striped with white. He's holding onto one edge so that I can climb aboard. He struggles to get up after me and for a moment the toy tips wildly from side to side, but we manage to stabilise ourselves.
We survey our surroundings - nothing but sea.
We start paddling towards one direction, each of us paddling on one side. We barely speak but cooperate well (maybe my subconscious reflecting back to the canoe disaster in Canadia?)
After a long time, we can see the traces of a shore line, dotted with palm trees. Though we are exhausted and sunburnt, we paddle hard towards the shore. As we get closer, the waves get even more wild and eventually we are dumped unannounced on some rocks
By the time we stand up, the pool toy has already floated back out to sea, a tiny fluorescent dot on the horizon.
We climb over the rocky escarpment to arrive at what looks like a restaurant. Everyone is dressed in tourist gear - khaki zipoffs, quick dry shirts and strappy sandals. There is a mix of families and older couples. Everyone is eating and talking excitedly about the animals they've seen.
Bonobos? Monkeys? Rhinos? Where are we? Then I realise that we are at Singapore zoo. All around us are big platters of food and suddenly we are both famished.
I want to see a giraffe! I say to P excitedly.
Shhhh, P says. If we keep quiet we can get some food and no one will know we didn't pay for the buffet.
We take a few pieces of fruit. There's a lot of exotic fruit - dragonfruit, rambutans, mangosteens. I stuff a piece of dragonfruit into my mouth and it is dreamily sweet.
I tell P to wait for me and head to the bathroom. He hangs by a group of older people looking conspicuous and I hurry off quickly. A steep set of stairs descend to the bathroom, far steeper than what the oldies could possibly manage. Inside the stall I turn around to lock the door, but my backpack gets stuck.
I try to move but no matter how hard I try I'm truly stuck. I cannot turn to the left or right, nor bend forward.
In a panic, I wake up.
Suddenly, we capsize with no warning. As I hit the water, I realise how strong the tide is. Within a few seconds, the boat is already no longer within reach. I float on my back and try to remain calm.
When I next look up, my thoughts knotted in my chest, P has found a giant inflatable pool toy. It's a ludicrous shade of green or blue, striped with white. He's holding onto one edge so that I can climb aboard. He struggles to get up after me and for a moment the toy tips wildly from side to side, but we manage to stabilise ourselves.
We survey our surroundings - nothing but sea.
We start paddling towards one direction, each of us paddling on one side. We barely speak but cooperate well (maybe my subconscious reflecting back to the canoe disaster in Canadia?)
After a long time, we can see the traces of a shore line, dotted with palm trees. Though we are exhausted and sunburnt, we paddle hard towards the shore. As we get closer, the waves get even more wild and eventually we are dumped unannounced on some rocks
By the time we stand up, the pool toy has already floated back out to sea, a tiny fluorescent dot on the horizon.
We climb over the rocky escarpment to arrive at what looks like a restaurant. Everyone is dressed in tourist gear - khaki zipoffs, quick dry shirts and strappy sandals. There is a mix of families and older couples. Everyone is eating and talking excitedly about the animals they've seen.
Bonobos? Monkeys? Rhinos? Where are we? Then I realise that we are at Singapore zoo. All around us are big platters of food and suddenly we are both famished.
I want to see a giraffe! I say to P excitedly.
Shhhh, P says. If we keep quiet we can get some food and no one will know we didn't pay for the buffet.
We take a few pieces of fruit. There's a lot of exotic fruit - dragonfruit, rambutans, mangosteens. I stuff a piece of dragonfruit into my mouth and it is dreamily sweet.
I tell P to wait for me and head to the bathroom. He hangs by a group of older people looking conspicuous and I hurry off quickly. A steep set of stairs descend to the bathroom, far steeper than what the oldies could possibly manage. Inside the stall I turn around to lock the door, but my backpack gets stuck.
I try to move but no matter how hard I try I'm truly stuck. I cannot turn to the left or right, nor bend forward.
In a panic, I wake up.
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