It was a really nice morning, just like any other day when I hopped on my school bus to head to high school. Sitting behind me were my friends Magnus and Martha. Our bus driver usually takes us along the main roads of the city, but sometimes, as a special treat, he guides us through the subway.
Today, though, the main roads were all jam-packed with cars, so the driver decided to take a different route – the tunnel route. And not just any tunnel, mind you, but an underwater one. We were all super excited because this underwater tunnel thing happens only once in a blue moon.
As our bus slowly rolled up to the tunnel entrance, it was quite a sight to see. Inside and outside the tunnel, there were these amazing, massive lights that made everything look magical. It felt like we were swimming right alongside all the cool sea creatures. It was so awesome and unbelievable to be cruising under the sea like that.
Everything had been going as usual until suddenly, the lights began flickering. At first, nobody paid much attention. But soon, nerves started to set in. There was this noise, like a heavy door banging, far away. It kept echoing, relentless and ominous. That’s when the tension spread among all of us on the road. Drivers began slowing down, trying to make sense of it all.
The distant noise seemed to be drawing nearer. Then, all the tunnel lights went out, leaving just the glow of the vehicles’ headlights. It was pitch dark outside. The sea around us turned into an obscure mystery. Fear gripped us all, reflected in our wide-eyed glances at one another.
“Hey, Jonas, think this is cool?”
Magnus tried to act cool, but I could see the same worry in his eyes that we all felt. The noise, growing louder, felt like an impending threat, vibrating through the tunnel.
The noise escalated quickly, as if something was rushing towards us. Flashing warning lights added to our panic. Heartbeats raced with fear. In that moment of stunned silence, the noise abruptly stopped. The lights flickered back on, one by one. The eerie quiet took over, but we were all on high alert, scanning for any sign of danger.
We noticed a small scratch on the tunnel glass to our right, fearing it might break and flood us with seawater. While most of us were focused on the right side, one among us, trembling, gestured towards the left. Tears streamed down his face, rendering him speechless with fear. We turned our heads to the left, our hearts pounding with trepidation.
Before I could fully turn, a massive figure loomed. It bared its teeth, radiating fury. Fear surged through me, freezing me from head to toe. It took a moment to comprehend – it was an enormous shark. I had never heard of such a colossal creature. Its sheer power hinted that the tunnel wouldn’t withstand many attacks.
It seemed on the verge of breaking through. I had a feeling the shark could breach it after a few more attempts. The speed at which it charged towards us signaled imminent danger. I closed my eyes, bracing for the worst. There was a deafening crash of glass breaking. When I dared to open my eyes, seawater gushed in, striking our bus. I closed my eyes again.
I sensed something significant had occurred. Fear gripped me, making me hesitant to open my eyes. When I finally managed, I felt a strange sensation, like floating. Despite colliding with a giant seashell in my dream, my body was oddly dry. Opening my eyes reluctantly, I realized that what I’d experienced was just a dream. Reality hit hard when I spotted the military uniform I appeared to be wearing. A fleeting relief washed over me before I heard commotion outside my room in a submarine, soldiers running about urgently.
“Everyone, move to the ship’s front. We have to attack it.”
“It’s too massive. We need backup.”
Emerging from my room, I witnessed soldiers rushing with weapons. I hurried to the control room, finding the crew grappling with a loss of control over the ship. Peering through a small window, I saw the same colossal shark from my dream, tearing into our submarine.
The ship’s alarm blared amid flashing red lights. With a deafening noise, the ship split in two, tossing us all into the sea. As I was thrown overboard, the impact felt more like hitting solid ground than the ocean. Limbs aching, injuries apparent, I should have been surrounded by water, but instead, there was a wall. It dawned on me that I wasn’t a soldier; it was all just a dream.
Recalling the underwater stickers in my room and the serene feeling they bring, I remembered asking my father to put them up. It was all to recreate the calming sensation of being underwater while I slept. Slowly, as these thoughts surfaced, I began to drift out of my dream world. My mother entered to wake me up.
“Sweetie, how was your wake-up experience with the new alert tone alarm ringtone?”
