Chapter 4

I could hear the sound of the waves and birds in the distance. My eyes were closed, I could only guess where I was.

Or we.

Tears fell from my eyes as I called out to Pebbles who was struggling to stay afloat on the water. He was barking for help, barking to me. There was nobody at the beach just me and Pebbles who was slowly drifting away to the never-ending ocean. The only thing that was there with us, was a beach ball lying on the sand, still not budging or rolling to the side at least.

Once again, the sky was dark, and the breeze was colder than what I experienced earlier today. I stood there, rooted to the sand, trying to control my tears. How am I going to save him? Im too- My body started trembling, I didn't know what to do. I just had to, I just have to move over there. The problem was, Pebbles was way too far from the shore, I couldn't just grab him.

And then I realized something. Strangely enough, there was no sign of my parents anywhere, everything and everyone was non-existent. My fear was torturing me mentally and I had nowhere to go. Now my dog, my best friend needed me the most and I couldn't help him. I tried calling for help, for my parents and any passers-by but the words only came out as a whimper. The second time I tried, I could feel something holding onto my jaw, preventing it from moving, so, nothing came out.

The roar of thunder turned my feet into jelly. It was going to rain right at where I was and judging by the color of the clouds looming above me and the violent movements of the ocean waves, this wasn't going to be any ordinary storm.

Pebbles was still struggling to swim back to shore, but the waves kept pushing him away to the opposite direction, not giving him a single chance. He barked in agony, desperately trying to get to safety. Meanwhile, I stood there contemplating if I should risk my life saving my dearest pet dog and surround myself in a pool of my own fear.

"Help!" I suddenly called out, but no answer, we were completely alone. Having said that one word was shocking knowing how my mouth was supposedly completely sealed.

I called for help again, screamed at the top of my lungs which resulted in a sharp pain in one of my lungs from all the energy I took. Another roar of thunder shook the ground, startling me as I almost fell to the icy ground. In fact, I could feel the ground getting colder every second. Was it just me or was I being held back?

The wind gushed down on earth and swept my hair which landed a painful hit on my eye. Now every bit of sand was being swept away by the wind, and Pebbles was moving away from my sight. "Pebbles, don't worry im coming!" I yelled to him as he still had his unbearably miserable face.

The panic clouded my vision once again. I felt dizzy and could no longer concentrate on what was happening. I was going to faint, and for some reason, I wanted to, I desperately wanted to get out of this lucid realm, it was hard to tell whether it was real or not. If only I had rested well and not overthink, I wouldn't have been trapped in this hell. Pebbles kept barking to me, even though he was speaking in his animalistic way, I understood him, he wanted me to try.

With all my might, I broke free from the hands of the sand and ran towards him. If Pebbles ends up being swallowed by own fear, I'd never forgive myself. Should this be the pathway for me to overcome my fear, I'd gladly accept it, go through this task if it means a happy time with my family. Mom, dad I don't want to disappoint you, your efforts for bringing me here will not go to waste because of my insecurity.

I dipped my foot into the chilling water and walked further as though it was a normal patch of grass in a field. There was no storm, only sunshine and Pebbles was just barking at me because he got stuck in a bush of thorns. I tried to imagine that, and for a spare moment, it worked. And then, my anxiety started to get a hold of me. I jumped back. My feet were no longer seen, I was completely floating in sea water, actual sea water. Despite wanting to scramble back to shore, I felt comfort, not only because I wasn't alone anymore and that I was closer to Pebbles now, but the water cushioned my shivering body.

I hadn't felt like this in a long time.

Pebbles tried swimming closer to me, but once again, something was holding him back and forcefully pushing him away from me. I snapped out of my anxiety that was trying to strangle the life out of me and thrust myself forward. Waves were sent outwards to sea, I had full control now.

As soon as I got to Pebbles, I hugged him and ruffled his head to make him feel less afraid. The coziness of his fur made me forget about everything. I still missed my parents and hoped they would come by any minute now, smiling and cheering for me. Mom, dad, they would've been really proud of me, I finally got over my fear after a long time. The water around me felt like a close friend, a buddy who understood me and what I had achieved. The waves were no longer angry like Poseidon, they were calm and beautiful.

The sound of the waves was like music to my ears. It was the melody that drove away my anxiety I closed my eyes for a while, entering another realm of peace before opening my eyes again and then..

Pebbles was gone.

My heart skipped a beat. He was here just a second ago, where could he be?

I frantically splashed the still waters hoping for a response. Maybe he drowned? I shut that thought away, Pebbles was with me the whole time, I felt every strand of him. And I couldn't afford to lose my dog.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I spun around hoping to hear his bark again. I yelled his name but to no avail. The third time I spun around again, all the tears in my eyes stopped falling down my cheeks. I gasped and felt my heart fall into a bottomless pit. This was something my neurological senses couldn't process. Believe it or not, the shore had disappeared, and I was all alone in the ocean, with no where to swim to safety and cry out over the loss of my best friend. Despite being surrounded by water, my mind still thought I was on land, I almost got into a sitting position. Differentiating between illusion and reality had become a challenge for me.

"Pebbles! Pebbles!" My screams slowly faded away into the abyss of the ocean. My vision became blurry again, and this time I really wanted to pass out. My nervous self didn't realize I was now holding onto a piece of fabric; brunette just like Pebble's fur, in the form of a ragged shirt that had been torn. Given the situation now, I didn't know how I should react, I just wanted Pebbles to come back, to return to my grasp in a blink like how he disappeared. Hoping was easy, but what worried me the most was the idea of no way back. The water below me was dark, I couldn't see a thing down there. The sky was still grey, it surprisingly didn't rain yet. The sound of water splashing the surface of the sea would be a haven now. I had never felt anymore lonely.

My screams vanished. The waves stopped moving. It was as though the atmosphere was preparing for something. I splashed the water in despair and frustration. At this moment, I was now lost in thought. On the other hand, the sky was just watching me, waiting to send more winds down followed by heavy rain as part of another trial. The large clouds were now moving, leaving me behind. Never had I ever felt sad over such minor things, but seeing the clouds leave made me feel miserable. Was it hopeless to save me from my own fear? How was I going to help myself.

I pushed aside the floating shirt and propelled myself forward, hoping to see a glimpse of the shore, but there was no sign of it anywhere. My body gave in to the hands that were keeping me in place. To show my reluctance, I splashed the water again to get myself to move more efficiently, bubbles forming underneath the currents I created. As I did so, the sudden sound of footsteps startled me as I shook my head to try to make sense of what was going on, only to find myself rolling towards the edge of my bed. A clear view of my room appeared as I looked up at the clock that had just strike nine. Another day. I thought as I slowly got up from my bed. Nevertheless, I was thankful that I was safe in my room.