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Dreams
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Dreams |
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Logan Senior Member
since 2001-05-28
Posts 1641Arkansas |
The young woman sat on the sand in heavy contemplation, feeling but not really hearing the soft boom of the surf. Small crabs darted in and out of the receding water, casting small shadows in the brilliant moonlight. These, too, were just a part of the ignored setting. Her head was down on her arms, not even noticing the wide highway of natural light stretching to the horizon. The part of the beach where she had taken up residence was fairly isolated from the vacation houses closer to the small coastal town several miles away. This, however, had been by choice instead of chance when she had spoken to the realty company. Finally, her head raised to stare out to sea. “Damn it, did I come here to relax or to hide,” she said outloud. “What am I really doing here, feeling sorry for myself or am I going to put this all behind me and go on with my life?” With this bitter outburst, Diana jumped to her feet and followed the moonpath down to the water edge. This time, however, a small smile crept on her face as she watched the crabs scurrying away from her footfalls. The smile vanished as she slowly walked ankles deep through the warm surf, feeling the pull of the sand from the retreating tide. “How could I have been so gullible not to have seen the signs? I just thought Jeffery was being nervous.” Diana thought, remembering the scene last week. “Uh, Diana, we need to talk,” Jeffery had muttered. Diana looked around, curious at the nervousness in Jeffery’s voice. She had been bent over looking at the growing number of guests and friends that were on the wedding list. “Can it wait, honey? If I lose my concentration now, we’ll never be sure everyone is down for the wedding.” Tossing her hair back, she turned back to the list and the pencil she had laid down. “Well Diana, that is what we need to talk about, the wedding. Maybe we need to put it off a little while and think about this.” “Think about it! What do you mean, think about it? We decided on a date months ago. Half of the arrangements are all made and here you are saying, Think about it. What in the hell are you talking about?” At those words, Diana jumped out of her chair, putting her hands on her hips as she faced her fiancee. In the face of the angry look in Diana’s eyes, Jeffery backed up a few steps and raised his hands in front of him. “Well, I’m just thinking that maybe we’re rushing into this. Marriage is a really big commitment. Not like just living together and.” Whatever Jeffery was getting ready to say at this point was lost at the outburst from Diana. “Jeffery Kingston! White faced, with spots of red color on her cheeks, Diana got right in his face. “How dare you pull this on me! What am I, just a toy for you to play with? Get the hell out of here before I really get mad. You think this over really good on whether you love me or don’t, but don’t hand me this rushing into something business.” On seeing the look on Diana’s face and her looking for some close by object, Jeffery beat a hasty retreat out the door. As the door shut he could hear something smash and break against the wood. Diana sighed as her thoughts came back to the present. The deep hurt from returning back to the apartment from work and finding Jeffery’s clothes missing from the closet. Shaking her head, she walked back to her towel on the beach and sat back down. She knew that she had fled from the hurt, back to the beach that had always been a source of comfort to her. Moodily her eyes again looked down the white path of the moon glow. A break in the pattern of light caught her eye. Something was out there, barely glimpsed. Diana straightened up and strained her eyes to the distance. There! Now she could see it. Her breath caught at the sight of a lone dolphin leaping out of the water. Slowly, she stood. The beauty of the sight of the dolphin with the moon as a background and the disturbance of the water where it had been filled her mind. “Come on, come on.” she all but pleaded. Again, as in answer to her thoughts, the water rippled again as the large dolphin leapt out of the water, but this time closer. Diana almost shouted with rapture at the sight. Unconsciously, Diana moved down toward the water edge, anxiously looking for another display of the freedom and grace of the animal. Just beyond the breakers, the water erupted again with the large form, but this time its head was turned toward Diana. With a shake of its head, as though beckoning, the dolphin again plunged into the sea. Without a thought of what she was doing, only the seemingly necessity, Diana swiftly pulled off her clothing and ran into the water. Diving through the incoming waves, she strongly started swimming down the highway of light. The magnetic pull of the moment made her swim further and further from the shore. Finally, she straightened up and started treading water. “What in the world am I doing?” the thought hit her. Shaking her head at what she considered the absurdity of her actions, Diana started swimming back toward the shore. “I’m further out than I thought.” she realized. She could feel the pull of the tide and started swimming harder. At this point, Diana started feeling the strength leaving her and could feel panic rising in her breast. The thought hit with brutal reality that she could drown out here and no one would ever know it. A shudder ran through her body as suddenly something brushed against her leg. The scream that started in the back of her throat died when she realized what had brushed her. Right in front of her, the large dolphin rolled his head up out of the water and looked her right in the eye. Drawn by the compassionate look, Diana hooked her arm in front of the dorsal fin as the dolphin eased against her body. The dolphin slowly started swimming toward the shore while Diana rested against the strong form. Diana relaxed to the pull of the dolphin and the warm water surrounding her. The odd thought ran through her mind that not only she was safe from drowning, but she felt safer than when she was a little child in her mother’s arms. She realized that the dolphin was not only huge, but that it was old with numerous scars on its body. The dolphin turned his head and again, Diana was looking into his eye. With a start she realized that a thought was running through her head. “Why are you sad, child?” Shaking her head, Diana felt she was dreaming. Then panic-stricken, she pushed away from the dolphin and again started treading water. “Don’t be scared. You are safe.” This new thought suddenly made Diana feel the relaxation that had earlier ran through her mind. She did feel safe and the feeling of a thought pattern no longer scared her. Out loud she replied to the thought. “I’m either crazy or dead” As the remark, the dolphin’s head bobbed up and down as though a laugh was being made. “Just think, my child, just use your thoughts. You are neither, but you are sad. I could feel the sadness, which brought me to the surface to comfort you.” Diana felt like crying with the feeling of love and peace that was sweeping through her. Never had she felt this way. It felt like the love was surrounding and caressing her. She felt nothing was demanded of her, but to relax in the warmth of the feeling. The peacefulness of the moment washed through her and for the first time that she could remember in a long, long time, she seemed completely at ease. “Hold on and return to the land where you can dream good dreams tonight. We will communicate again.” Diana again grasped the dolphin and was pulled to the breaker line where she slipped away. With another look at the old dolphin, she rode a wave into the beach. Walking out of the water, she picked up her clothes and walked to the beach house. As she walked up the steps, she turned her head in time to see the dolphin make, what seemed to be a farewell leap. Inside the house, Diana stepped into a shower and made ready for her bed. For the first time since the break with Jeffery, she dropped into a sound sleep. Dreams came to her, filled with the dolphin. In the dream, if it was a dream, she once again was in the water with the old dolphin. As before, the thought patterns seemed to just flow from one to the other. “What is your name?” Diana thought. “My name is Strength. Strength when you need it. When your needs are one of purpose and you have to carry on, regardless of the burden. When you feel that the world is against you, and you stand alone. When you question your purpose in life and others let you down. My name is Compassion. Compassion to the needs of others. Compassion to the ones weaker than yourself. Compassion to the hurts of the world. My name is Love. An unselfish love for the people who need such love. A giving without a receiving. An ache for the torment of younger ones than I. A refuge for the wounded in spirit. My name is Mercy. Mercy to forgive transgressions. Mercy for the envious who try to hurt with words. My name is Honor. A code by which only I can live. To live life as I perceive it by my rules alone. Call me by what you wish, because I am only what you feel and have need for me. I am what I am, but only what I can be for you. But now I am for you in whatever role you want me to be. Call me Teacher, if you wish to learn. Call me Comforter if you wish to be held. Call me Rock if you wish a support on which to cling. Call me Forever because I will always be there in your mind. What is a name? It is the thoughts that matter. It is only important that I am there for you. Come share with me” With these words in her mind, Diana saw the two of them dropping below the water surface. Lying on the dolphin’s back, grasping the dorsal fin with her hands, Diana was sped through the water. Down, down they went. She felt no need to breathe, only to capture the sensation of the water flow. Past ancient galleons, their yards and spurs lifting ghostly fingers from the ocean floor. Past marble statues and columns from sunken cities long past. Glimpses of earth fire through rents of the boiling steam rising for a future island. For seemingly hours, they saw the sights of the underwater world. Salt tears from her eyes mingled with the salt of the sea as she thought of the land of Mu and Atlantis and the great crystals gone to never be seen again. Then she awoke. “Wow.” Diana thought. “What a dream that was.” Oddly enough she felt more alive and refreshed then at any time since she had been there. “I know that was only a dream, but when did it begin. Common sense tells me that there wasn’t really a dolphin, but did I really go into the water last night or not? Of course, I couldn’t have done that and as far as the dolphin, I love dolphins, but this is ridiculous.” Still, as she brushed out her long brown hair, the thoughts kept creeping into her mind. For some reason, she felt more confidence in herself and a feeling of self-assurance that had not been there for a long time. “Well, it was a lovely dream anyway.” she thought. However, all during the day, her thoughts kept going back to the look in the dolphin’s eye and for some reason it made her want to cry. Her eyes would sweep the vast expanse of the water looking for something, anything that would let her cling to the dream. But, other than the gulls, with the sun reflecting off their white wings, the water just glistened in the bright light. That night Diana again ventured forth to her spot on the beach of the night before. This time she eagerly cast her eyes out on the beckoning surface of the sea. “I know it was just a dream, but what if it was not? I need that feeling that I had. I need something to love me for just me and not for what they want.” Time dragged and the disappointment rose in her breast. She idly watched the crabs play and finally with a sigh, came to her feet. “Why wish for the impossible? It was only a dream anyway.” she mused. Reaching down for her towel, Diana froze. With a feeling of exaltation she saw what her eyes wouldn’t believe. The dolphin, just beyond the breakers, looking toward her. Just his head out of the water, jerking it back and forth in an invitation to join him. “It wasn’t a dream at all, at least not all of it.” the thoughts ran through her mind as she ran toward the water. Stopping at the edge of the surf, she stepped out of her clothes and again plunged into the water. The old one, as she thought of him, was still beyond the breakers waiting for her to reach him. Gleefully, Diana slipped her arm around the sleek back and impulsively planted a kiss on the gray head. “Thank you, oh thank you for really being here.’ she projected in her mind. “I needed you so badly.” The thought came back, “No, you really don’t need me. Everything is inside of you. You just need reassurance. I couldn’t guide you if the answers were not within you. But I see that you are not sad like you were last night. See. You are already coming to find yourself.” With this projected, they slowly moved out to sea. Diana clinging to the dolphin, her naked body resting against his side with a feeling of deep companionship. Time passed before the next thoughts projected. An endless time of deep feeling for Diana. “Old one, why can’t people just accept me for myself? I try to just show feeling and friendliness, but they all seem to want more then I want, or are willing to give. People offer with the presumption of free will, but then expect a payment of some kind. Am I so gullible or trusting? Is it wrong to trust? Do I unconsciously use people without meaning to do so?” The return thought came with a sigh, “Dear one, I watched a thousand ships launched for the sake of fair Helen. Men have always believed in what they want to believe. One innocent look can lead to fantasies perceived only in their minds. Your thoughts are the only ones that matter, not what anyone else wishes to believe. As long as your thoughts are honorable, you cannot help or accept what they might desire. Just be true to yourself and do not respond out of a sense of obligation.” Time seemed to stand still as the two slowly moved through the silent waters. “Old one, why did you come to me?” “You needed me to find yourself.” came back the answer. “I felt your life force crying into the wind. At one time you were a daughter of Poseidon and you rode my back and we were as one. As you call me, I am the old one. I was young in Poseidon’s court at the time of the Greek Gods. I saw the Roman Neptune take the power of the sea. I saw Atlantis crumble and fall into legend. I wandered through these many years seeing and feeling the tides of life. I gained much knowledge until I realized I was ignorant. I knew not why I have wandered until now. You needed me again, so I came. I am one with you, but now you will only be able to carry me in your heart. But you will see other dolphins leap, and when you do, I pray that you will think of me. Your remembrance of this will be as only a dream, but your resolve will be strong and you will have found the well of strength that is within you. Come, my child, return to your beach. I am weary, but I have served my purpose. Your life force is strong and you will prevail.” Impulsively, Diana tighten her arm around the dolphin’s neck. “But I don’t want you to leave me. I need you, please don’t go away from me.” Tears trickled down her face as she buried her head against the old one’s side. “Child, I won’t ever leave you, because what you are is part of me. Respond to life and live it with glory, honesty and self-assurance. But I’m tired and have lived only to respond to your call of anguish. My thoughts are no more, I’ve given you only what you knew.” At that, the old dolphin turned toward the beach and would no longer respond. As Diana let loose at the breaker’s edge, the dolphin turned and briefly touched his nose to the side of her face. Backing off, with one look, he slipped beneath the surface. With a sob, Diana rode the breakers back to the beach. Climbing out on the sand, she cast her eyes back to the water. Far out, she thought she could see a dolphin slowly break the water. “Good by,” she cried. “Thank you for letting me see myself and be strong.” Only the wind answered her as she made her way back to the beach house. The next day; Diana pondered the strange dreams of the night before and wondered again, when upon waking, on finding the small sea shell clutched in her hand. She smiled to herself at the feeling of being so alive and in complete control of her life. “Amazing, how the sea always makes me feel so good” she thought. Dropping off the keys to the beach house, she started the long drive back to the city. While in the ocean depths, a lonely shape dropped to his final resting place beside the great crystal of Atlantis. |
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| © Copyright 2001 Logan - All Rights Reserved | |||
catalinamoon
since 2000-06-03
Posts 9543The Shores of Alone |
Oh this is wonderful. I see you as the Dolphin of many names. A beautiful story,as the other memrmaid story of yours.  This has some special meanings for me. Thanks Sandra |
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athena4 Senior Member
since 2000-12-10
Posts 622 |
Logan, This is a truly beautiful masterpiece. So many truths and outpourings of wisdom in this epic of emotions. A library entry, indeed... Elise |
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Enchantress Member Empyrean
since 2001-08-14
Posts 35113Canada eh. |
Logan, thank you for leading me to this one. Now I have a better understanding, of you, of myself, of others. This is truly a remarkable piece. Nancy Lee. ~Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.~ |
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Sunshine
Administrator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-06-25
Posts 63354Listening to every heart |
The symbolism being, it doesn't matter the form, nor the name, of what one hears in one's heart... as long as the good advice is heeded... well done, Sir... |
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Janet Marie Member Laureate
since 2000-01-22
Posts 18554 |
“My name is Strength. Strength when you need it. When your needs are one of purpose and you have to carry on, regardless of the burden. When you feel that the world is against you, and you stand alone. When you question your purpose in life and others let you down. My name is Compassion. Compassion to the needs of others. Compassion to the ones weaker than yourself. Compassion to the hurts of the world. My name is Love. An unselfish love for the people who need such love. A giving without a receiving. An ache for the torment of younger ones than I. A refuge for the wounded in spirit. My name is Mercy. Mercy to forgive transgressions. Mercy for the envious who try to hurt with words. My name is Honor. A code by which only I can live. To live life as I perceive it by my rules alone. ========================================= I have not come and checked this forum in some time.... today something drew me here ... now I know what and why..... and I thank you.   Feels like Im dancin with truth and wisdom |
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Midnitesun
since 2001-05-18
Posts 28647Gaia |
This is the first time I've read in the prose section...and I am in awe. Dolphins are magical creatures for me. They are not always gentle, as some people think. Yet they have often saved humans. Your dolphin is a fine example. I especially liked the Strength, Compassion, Mercy, Love and other personifications. |
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shadow974 Senior Member
since 2001-06-21
Posts 636Michigan |
This is just filled with wisdom. I must read it over and over. Wouldn't be fantastic if we all could find and listen to that voice inside. Throw your heart out in front of you |
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Marge Tindal
since 1999-11-06
Posts 42384Florida's Foreverly Shores |
Logan~ My friend, I trust you know how beautifully moving this is~ I already have it saved in my keeper folder~  *Hugs* ~*LittleGoose*~ ~*The pen of the poet never runs out of ink, as long as we breathe.*~ |
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Apachecat906 Member
since 2001-09-04
Posts 217Michigan, USA |
An interesting story to lift me out of my cynicism. But, I wonder, where did my dolphin go? A story to contemplate, thanks |
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Temptress
Moderator
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-06-15
Posts 7136Mobile, AL |
Ahh..Sweet One. I needed this read today I think. Wherever you are, know that I'm thinking of you. This is beautiful, although it seems I recall reading it once before.  Sometimes the heart needs the solace of solitude and silence. |
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Startime Member Ascendant
since 2000-10-03
Posts 5918Canada |
*sigh* you want an honest opinion......this should be expanded into a book. I lost myself in the wonder of it. You have a gift for weaving a spell around your reader. I love it and I reread it 4 times. It is MAGNIFICENT!!!! Love I leave with you whether it is in your life now or yet the essense of your dreams. |
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Alan Senior Member
since 2000-09-12
Posts 1499right next door |
Logan....I truly enjoyed this. great writing. I hope to see more. |
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Martie
Moderator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-09-21
Posts 28049California |
Logan Because you know me you will know behind the surface and the ink of a thousand words my expression can envision there is something else intangible and free something between the lines that can’t be told. |
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