The Return

When I awoke, I was immersed in water. I jerked my head upwards and gasped for air, to find that the water was quite shallow. In fact, it had not been enough to cover my head – my stirrings must have moved my mouth into such a position to inhale some of it. I sloshed the water around in my mouth, letting it dribble out. I then violently spat it and looked around to gauge the situation. There was light and I looked at myself. My clothes were gone, except for my trousers, which had been so torn and ripped below the knees that I ripped this part of them off with ease. I looked and saw my leg cross stitched with red cuts, though these appeared to be in stages of healing. I held the soggy pieces of cloth in my hands and then took the time to look around. I was in water, in a small chamber with the bottom filled with water. The bottom was rounded though and the first thought that sprang to my mind was that of a bathtub. It was curved up at two ends and this is how I had not awakened instantly, but must have slid down in my sleep and then taken the water into my mouth as I lay on the bottom. Lying down, only really my lower half was in the water. And, experimenting, I could even curl up in the water itself and lay there and not be bothered by the liquid. I still had the taste of it in my mouth and it tasted surprising pure and clean, even though I had been laying in it with my filthy trousers. The light was fairly dim and I looked up. After the tub depression, it was four straight walls, a rectangle. They were a light orange colour. The whole chamber was the colour of light ceramics. Appeared to be made of that, although smoother. At the top of the room I saw that there were openings in the ceilings, one on either of the long sides. The one to my right appeared to be small and the light was coming in from there. Moonlight. I wondered, was I still on Earth, or was I crossed over to Dark? I guessed at Dark. The moonlight looked more beauteous and heavy. I could almost smell the moonlight…as well as the sea. The water I was in was freshwater but I could smell and hear waves, from the small rectangular slit window. So. Outside there was a beach, or the edge of cliffs. This place was beside the ocean. The other hole let off a dimmer light that I could not place the origin of. It was not quite the right colour to be a torch or an electrical bulb. It seemed to pulse slightly. That opening on the left was larger, but appeared to have some sort of grate over it. I realized it was large enough to push a person through, if they were lying down. This must have been my mode of entrance as I could see no other. The distance up to these windows was not great, but still a few inches beyond my reach. I pondered how I was thrust into this cell without awaking as I hit the bottom. Now I was beginning to think of this small chamber as a cell. It was smaller than a cell though. Really just the tub sized bottom and then the wall. I had room to stretch out if I lay down and this was comfortable enough with the water. But there was not much room for pacing. So I sat in the water, finally placing the soggy pieces of trouser cloth at one of the ends of the room, which were sloped up. I looked down at the water. I saw there were rectangular openings in the bottom. I then realized that this water was slowly flowing, from this end back towards the other, where there were more exits. It was not fast enough to notice at first. That might explain why I saw no dirt in this tub. The whole cell was amazingly clean, in fact. I examined the walls and saw that there were markings engraved. A simple, yet in a way comforting pattern of sea shells. I was near the ocean, surely. I could hear it. I also listened for sounds from above from the opening that I believed I had come in by. I could hear things, but in a strange echoing way. I closed my eyes. It was like the high echoes one hears at some indoor place with water. An indoor pool, or public baths, or a water filled cavern. I could not discern if the faint watery echoes were voices.

 

So. Here I was in a small room with water flowing around my feet. But I was certain I had made my journey, even if I was unawares of my destination. I sat down and then curled up, the water flowing past and under me. It was pleasantly warm, but not hot. I believed that I might even return to sleep here. Suddenly I had a thought and I reached into my pockets to see if I had any affects upon me that might be useful or explain the circumstances. I only had a soggy piece of paper in my right pocket. It appeared to be a letter, but the ink was so washed that it was impossible to read.