I am walking on a beach. I walk slowly, my toes play with the sand. I let my feet sink in this soft, relenting, glistening mica. It is a lovely warm feeling. Like snuggling into a blanket with hot chocolate, buttery toast and a favourite book. The sea is rhythmic, sleep inducing. It is a very hot day. Blue sky, brown beach, blue-green water, a school child’s drawing.

In the distance I see a rock formation where the sea forms a small shallow pool. It is brilliant blue, still, calm. Two children are playing in the pool. They see me and ask me to come over. One of them throws water on me. It is cold as ice. I shiver. They ask me to play with them and I, shy, sit among the rocks and dip my feet into the pool.

They are wearing school uniforms. White with a grey and white striped belt. They point out to a building not very far away from the pool. ‘That is our school, the SEA SCHOOL’, says the girl. I see that the school has two buildings that are connected by a glass fronted passage on one of the top floors. There is, I think, a tower that is a part of the building on the right. I cannot be sure.

The bell rings. Not a school bell, more a maniacal tolling. ‘What is that?’ I ask. ‘Oh, that is the drill bell”, says the boy. ‘Practice drill for us in case of tidal waves’, says the girl. ‘We have to run into the building on the right and run all the way to the highest floor, can you see that floor that has a lot of glass windows?’ she asks. ‘Yes,’ I said, I could. ‘We have to reach there, hurry’ she said.

They took my hands, one on each side and ran. All around me the sky and the sea was changing. Clouds; black, gray, angry, hungry, filled the sky. I shivered. The sea ran after us, full of fury. Big arms of water broke away chunks of beach. The pool was gone.

‘Run, run’, they said. I ran with them towards the building. All the while the sea ran behind us. I felt a spray of water. Then the rain came down, the sun died, the world went black. Up, up up the stairs we ran. The waves rammed against the glass. The rain and the wind tried to shatter it. Then the wave came. First there was a sky, an angry black sky, there was rain, and then there was no difference between the two. Then the wave that ate the sky drank the rain and swallowed the building.

When I opened my eyes, I saw a room full of school children in white uniform. Some were crying, some sleeping, some playing some and singing songs. It was a gray dull room so full of sorrow I wanted to cry.

I saw my two friends from the beach sitting quietly. They looked very peaceful. ‘Aren’t you sacred?’ I asked. ‘Oh no’, said the girl. ‘This wave came one day, long ago, when we were playing, and took us all away, we had no time to reach the building, we are happy we saved you, we are already dead, nothing can happen to us’.

This was a dream I had many years ago, in 2004 perhaps.