Underwater Dreams

Underwater Dreams
Being a parent in the year 4,000 isn’t any easier than it has ever been. Storm’s parents should know. As they near the final year they can keep tabs on their son’s dreams. Here in underwater society people are allowed to monitor their children’s dreams in order to capture any potential problems their children may have in advance before they actually do anything. Anywhere from birth to the age of twenty-five. Storm will be twenty-five in another two months and they will have to let go of the apron strings.
He got his name Storm because he was born during an underwater earthquake and things have been rocky all his life. All he dreams about is going to see the land someday. As if there’s anything there to see his parents are thinking. On land only vagrants and criminals and people who want to actually age gracefully.
We don’t have to grow old here as long as we wear these necklaces that hold a solution that keeps us young. But despite their concerns Storm will be free to make his own choices soon. On his 25th birthday, they decide to take him to an underwater concert featuring the Sharks who have been playing since ancient times. As long back as the year 2,000.
Secretly though Storm wishes his parents would just forget about his birthday but because they



won’t he plans an escape to the land he has never seen. All his life he has lived underwater. All he knows about is homes that can be driven, underwater amusement parks and high rise parking lots that stack these home like cubes on top of each other rather than side by side like people used to. Is there anything else to discover besides the ocean?, he often wonders. To keep other people from suspecting his plans he has had to exercise great control over his thoughts to prevent himself from dreaming what he spends planning all day long. Equipped with maps of possible escape routes hidden under his sleep station. There’s a small opening under it he can hide papers in. People here sleep standing up in a surround sound barrier that pipes suggestions and the attitudes the leaders of this society want you to have. He plans on going to the concert as usual and leaving by climbing up one of the dark tubes that are attached from the water park.
All kinds of tubes are attached to this dome. Most are see through, but some are not to add more excitement . The youth here slide down these into the dome for fun. At night they are not in use and he plans on using his rock climbing equipment to help him keep from sliding while climbing up. The time has arrived and they all go to the dome. Anyone with half a brain wouldn’t miss seeing the sharks in concert. As usual their great. Storm’s parents afterward hand him a key to a new underwater home and congratulate him on being a grown man now. Then go back to their place. He doesn’t go visit this home but slips the key into his right pocket and himself into a short tube to the land station. Underneath his pants he pulls out a tool people often use to climb rocks to prevent himself from falling. It shouldn’t take long. Everyone is distracted and on up the



tube he goes.
Not knowing what to expect he climbs and climbs seeing an opening of light up ahead. Pulling himself out the tube and onto land he needs to shield his eyes for awhile. The light is glaring to him. They adjust though and he stands up to dust himself off and look around. The only thing identifying him as an underwater member is the necklace still around his neck.
Hesitant and unsure about what to do next he hears a clanging and someone shouting power necklaces for sale, anyone want a necklace? As this vagrant passes by Storm he says, “I see you have a necklace already and it has full power. You must be from the ocean people. Why are you here?” He shifts his attention entirely on Storm. Storm explains his story and the vagrant decides to show him around.
“There’s nothing much for you to see boy. The people here are poor. They live in shacks and try to eat the insects that are still alive in the dust. My only living is by selling these necklaces. People will pay a pretty penny to stay younger you know. How about we make a deal?” “What kind of deal,” Storm asks while shifting his body nervously.
“If you get me some more necklaces I will show you the land people.”
“Deal, Storm says, only you have to show me first. I can’t get away with going back just yet.
The vagrant shows him the dirty and hungry children. The families that live off the bugs in order to enjoy growing old like people of the past use to and the criminals that will pay good money to stay young.



Finding some of their desires strange but accepting it, Storm decides withing himself something needs to be done about the poverty on land. So he and the vagrant head back to the ocean. When at the water’s edge he realizes that he knows the formula for the solution from chemistry class. He hands this formula to the vagrant so he can make his own necklaces. As he watches the vagrant leave Storm gets into a long dark tube and slides down to the dome. Where his mobile home is waiting. Inserting the key he takes off to find a dock and reflect on what he has seen. While reflecting he decides to raise funds and awareness of the land people’s plight and he does successfully. Raising millions fo dollars and helping thousands of land people, find food and better homes.