I had a wonderful dream. I was diving with a group of people in a fantastic tropical underwater paradise. On land were majestic snow covered mountains. The scene was perfect and picturesque. The water was the bluest I had ever seen and the hues of the tropical fish were amazingly stunning. Visibility underwater and on land was grand. It was never ending and my perception went beyond what my eye could reach. Everything seemed perfect.
Then, one of our party ran too low on air forcing us to cut the dive short and surface. No problem I thought. Afterall, the water was shallow and conditions absolutely divine. I recall the group surfacing to look for the shortest route to shore. Even though the water was shallow and absolutely clear, the nearest shore was quite a distance away. At the time I did not think about how we had completely gotten off track. We were all still mesmorized by the beauty of our surroundings and in a jovial or childlike mood. The world and setting was our oyster.
We took a compass heading for the nearest exit (safe shore or in other words sandy beach). When we arove we did not want to leave the water and continued to snorkel and marvel at the mysterious and colorful species down below. One person who was particularly adept at underwater skill at one point became a tropical fish to mimic the behavior of a beautiful and amazing new species we found frolicking among the shallow coral.
Finally the sun started setting and we decided it was time to head back to our entry point. With all my gear on we headed up this steep hill on to the trail. At the top was a phenonmenal panoramic view of glorious snow capped mountains! I remember thinking "how could life get any better ?" (warm tropical clear water to dive in and fantastic scenery up above of high altitude snow covered mountains to goggle at). I was not exactly sure where we were but the place was amazing......a place that could only be found in dreams.
When everyone else gathered onto the trail the decision was to go right as that was the trail which hugged the shoreline. The other trail descended down into the valley on toward the mountains. In addition, an athletically built young man was carrying a scuba tank in a sling over his shoulder and heading from the direction everyone wanted to travel.
I followed without questioning as I was still captured by the spell the island had over me. The trail was perfect too....crushed gravel with no big ruts so it was easy for me to walk on. As I walked I was amazed to have no problems with my balance given the extra load of gear I carried on my back. I reasoned that the load was much lighter than cold water gear and the trail was perfect. Therefore I was not having difficulty.
We passed a plethora of historic and interesting ruins as well as fantastic beaches. Still in my bewilderment, I recall thinking how my parents would really enjoy vacationing there and deserved a break to soak in the pleasureful delights of my new found land.
As the sun was definitely setting now, it occured to me that we had been hiking for a while in all our scuba gear and still had not reached our entry point. It did not seem like we were in the water than long and we were now very far from where we exited. It was apparent we were lost or went the wrong way!
As we were literally at a crossroads of trails, the group pondered what to do. Which way to go? Not too far away there was a ranger's office and a couple people had spotted it, pointed, and started heading that way.
When we arove and met with one of the rangers through the office window, I noticed her shake her head and refer or point to the other side of the island. I am not sure but it appeared that we had ventured far from where we intended to be. However, I had noticed the trail ahead, some pictures on some signs, and a map on the side of the building.
I recall passing a pool at the facility where our entry point was. Up ahead on the trail I saw a picture indicating the same place. It was a closer route than going all the way back and through the moutain route. We did not have enough air to go the straight shot underwater.
When I tried to tell everyone my points it was as if they did not hear me. It was like I was no longer there. I was very frustrated as reality finally settled in. We had no food or water, we were wearing our scuba gear, and darkness was approaching fast. Now back in the land of my real world, I contemplated my personal challenges a) I have balance difficulty and I was carrying a load of gear on my back. We had already hiked quite a ways and I would be too exhausted to go back through a longer route. b) As soon as it turned to dusk and night, my balance would be totally shot making the journey even more diffucult and not to mention very slow.
I began to feel left out of the loop as when I voiced my concerns nobody seemed to listen. It appeared to me that everyone felt things were fine and I was just along for the ride. A major decision which could depend on our survival was being made and my input was not considered. It was as if I were in a magic bubble hovering over everyone. I could see what they were doing but I was completely forgotten about.
For me, I desperately needed to know the plan and to see a map. It is kind of fuzzy in my memory but had I been noticed, I get the feeling that people just kind of brushed me off and told me that I would be fine. In their world maybe they would be fine but in my world not as I had special challenges to consider!
Anxiety ridden now and not knowing what was happening and not wanting to walk in the dark donning my gear, as a last moment of deperation I ran to the picture of the trail map I saw on the outside of the building around the corner from the ranger window. Oddly enough, I was noticed or thought I was by two people. I pleaded with them to please get a map for me. I waited a long time and they never came back. When I went to investigate, nearly everyone was gone. They left me! They forgot I was there! I am not quite sure as I began to become lodged between waking and dreaming at this point, but I don't know if the one person I thought was left knew I was there. I think the person was speaking further to the ranger. I was in such a horrified state of shock of being left behind that I awoke at that point.
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