May 1 – Somewhere in my Dreamland – Day
I gather that I must be a small fry inside a battle ship. It does not take long for me to realize that my work revolves around cleaning and filing. A kind of small fry that everyone knows (when they need something) yet nobody sees (when I need someone to talk to). It also does not take long for me to recognize that I have this platonic admiration towards the ship commander – a fine slender fair lady with a face of an angel and a gaze that says nothing (when I busy thinking) yet says it all (when I stop thinking).
I think I am happy working in that ship. The job is manageable and now that the ship is docked at a small town by the sea, we stay at a modern oriental hotel that adjoins a hospital. I gather that it must be wartime because from time to time, I see injured soldiers carried into the hospital. Some with half the body gone screaming in pain. I hear that there is a plague going on too. Outside. Somewhere out there.
It is a different world inside the hotel. There is not much work at the ship as we are awaiting for further instructions from the Empire. Hence, there are lots of social gatherings – at the lobby and at our own bedrooms. How strange it is that on one side of the building – the hotel – there is romance and life in the air. On the other side of the building – the hospital – there is despair and death at every corner.
One day, we are summoned by our ship commander for a briefing on a recent re-org. A re-org directive from the Empire?! I miss the briefing and bump into the commander at one corner of the deck later the day. She – more human than ever – appears to talk to me (or to herself?) and says, “Can you believe it? I belong to the same rank as the map readers and the navigators in this new re-org. A rank 3?!”.
She sighs and I dare not ask what rank 1 and 2 are, set aside where I am in this new organizational chart.
Under the Empire’s instruction, our battle ship is slated to set sail. The war and the plague have taken the toll on the crew. As I step inside the ship, there are hardly any people left. Instead, the ghosts of the dead have returned and carry on their assigned duties, as it was in the good old days. The ship has to return to battle. And soon, there will only be ghosts left inside.
May 2 – Also Somewhere in my Dreamland – Night
I gather that I must be a student, in black uniform. It does not take long for me to realize that I do have friends whom I hang out with often. I have no clue which century I am at as I rely on my horse to get from A to B. We study in the evening, with burning candles. There is a big gig in the Capital, at a stadium, and all the citizens will be there to attain an event with such a grandeur. Posters and flyers are everywhere.
Days ago I asked my best friend if he wished to go and he said no. I kept asking each day and the reply has stayed the same. Today, it is too late to start the journey to the Capital for we both stay somewhere far away.
I hear horse steps outside my house, and then silence. Greeted at my doorway are my best friend and another two friends of mine – a boy and a girl. “Grab your horse and let’s go!” my best friend exclaims.
“But we are too late for the gig!” I replies.
Before I can protest, I am dragged out of my own home and he hands me my horse and says, “Follow me”.
Four of us ride through the woodland and in an unexpected opening, I see a small plane.
“A plane,” I inquire. “That’s right. Take your horse with you too. We can all fit into that plane.” “Who’s flying,” I ask. “You,” he replies.
Ya right. I know nothing about flying the plane. Miraculously, all four of us together with our horses manage to squeeze into the small plane and absurd as it sounds, I am at the pilot seat.
The first thought that comes into my mind is that I should have played a flight simulator game at least once in my life (which century am I in again that has computer games?!).
Through some random pressing of buttons and some instinct with a large portion of luck, the plane takes off. Everybody is screaming in joy. Yes, we are going to make it to the gig of the year!
As our plane circles around the well lit stadium (by what, torch fire?), we see the crowd cheering for us. Now, how the heck do I land this thing?! But before I can worry about landing, the entire plane has gone dead. It has lost all its power and is plunging towards the ground.
Strangely, no one seems scared. At that very moment, so close to death, there is a sense of serenity. We are all smiling (except me perhaps who is still trying to resurrect the plane). Time seems to have frozen. For all we know, we are all dead inside the plane as life and death fades in and out of each other.
We fall, and fall.
And at the last moment, the plane jerks into motion. I grab the handle and the last thing in my mind is …
I will play a flight simulator game at least once when I wake up from this dream.