I had a dream…

We are in Hong Kong and it was time to move to another apartment. I was the one who chose the new apartment. The chosen flat was in a sky scraper at one of those dizzying heights with swanky new fittings and amenities provided. But it seems the building foundation was still in the last phase of construction. (Worrying right?) I was happy with the choice but since it was quite far from the boys’ school, I sheepishly told my husband that we shouldn’t shift there, and that is after we had signed the contract! He asked me to pay the flat another visit to be sure of my decision. Now, for some strange reason instead of my boys I saw my two pets accompanying me – Romeo and Juliet, black and white very cute looking cocker spaniels.

Juliet and Romeo sitting on my bed

The access to the building was via a narrow plank which was laid for people to cross, while there was a huge well being constructed underneath, the size of a small lake. It was quite crowded and my dogs were running up ahead of me. Juliet wasn’t too bothered about the crowds as she made her way crossing the plank effortlessly. But when it was Romeo’s turn I could see him getting nervous as made his way, cowering till the very edge of the plank a few times. Suddenly a loud bang at one end of the plank made him lose his balance as he plummeted down fifty feet straight into the water below. My heart stopped beating and for a minute I was paralysed with no sound coming out from my mouth. I bent down and saw lots of young boys swimming in the water. I climbed onto the inside part of the wall looking for a foothold to climb down the steep well but couldn’t manage to find any as I helplessly watched a tiny black and white mass struggling to keep his head above the water. I started crying for help urging those boys to save my baby. Is this how I would watch him die I wondered, feeling more helpless by the minute. Suddenly I sensed no one around me. When I looked up the crowd around me had disappeared and I saw two ladies trying to empty the place, I begged them to help me pointing at my little dog who was already going under the water in circles. I shouted out in agony, my heart beating faster than the world’s fastest train. When I looked down again I saw this lady swimming in the water with Juliet at her side trying to reach Romeo and pull him out of the water. My joys knew no bounds as I started shouting out his name “Romeo Romeo look Mummy is here” as loud as I could to help him come out of his semi-concious state. They were successful and Romeo was pulled out of water with Julie at his side. When they both found hard ground to stand on, my darling pets looked up straight at me, black eyes shining with joy, a wet mess of black and white tangled hair now mixed with brown mud and wagged their almost non-existent tails in response to their ‘mum.’

I suddenly woke up in that instant, heart thumping, sweat forming on my forehead, taking in gulps of air and realised that it was all a dream. Both my darling pets Romeo and Juliet are no more in this world with me today and in that state of confusion between the real and the unreal world I could sense their presence, feel their long silky ears, see the twinkle in their black eyes. What were they both trying to tell me? Where were they going? What did falling into the water mean? Romeo was drowning till he was rescued by that lady. Who was she? Was there a message to be decoded? Or was it that they both were simply calling out to me as they were moving on to a new life, a re-birth?

Whatever it was my heart found its normal pace and my breathing started to get back to normal, a smile started to form on my lips and I said a short prayer and mouthed a thank you to them both for visiting me once again. After all there is no other way to meet them, is there?