By: Noemy Campos
I’m at the beach on the edge of a cliff with my boyfriend. The sky is dark gray, there’s thunder booming, and lighting flashing, there’s going to be a storm soon. We’re both laughing and smiling and playfully wrestling. I look at him and tell him I bet I can swim faster than he can. He smiles at me and says ‘bet’. I shout bet and we begin to map out our course. The first one to touch the rock on the other end of the cliff wins. We hold hands and start to count to 3. The wind pushes our hair back.
“1,” I breathe in.
“2,” I start to get ready.
“3,” We jump in together but I lose my confidence and start to panic. I can see the waves crashing up against the rocks and suddenly I’m afraid of the water. My arms take aimless swings as I’m in the air. I’m trying to grab at the air as if something magically will appear and stop me from slamming against the rocks. But it’s too late now and my body meets the water.
I’m expecting my bones to break like glass and my body gets hit by the freezing ocean water. I’m thinking I’m going to die. I’m going to drown. But no. I open my eyes and I’m inside my old dorm room on my bed. My old roommate is looking over me. A new kind of fear takes over my body. She’s just staring down at me, with this scowl on her face. She has a pair of scissors in her hands and begins to lash at me. “Get away from me you maniac! You psychopath! You’re insane!” I yell over and over trying to dodge her attacks. I get off the bed and run out into the hall. “Help me! Please help me!” I cry out to a stranger. I look back, and there my roommate stands waving and smiling sweetly to the stranger.
She comes closer and closer.
I close my eyes shut afraid of what will happen next and then just when I can feel she’s in front of me. I can smell her perfume and it starts to suffocate me. And then everything goes silent.
I sit up on my bed, eyes wide awake, heart pounding a mile a minute. I’m in my room back at home. I look at the time, 5:30 am. The sun is just peeking its head up. I’m okay. I’m okay. I tell myself I’m okay. And that I never have to see that psycho again. I lay down remembering I’m safe again and that at the end of the day I won.