Endless Summer

Dreaming?

Annoyed, Marianna runs all the way to the swimming pool and climbs onto the diving platform, standing there, staring blankly at the pool. With a few deep breaths, Marianna calms herself down, but a strange uneasy feeling fills her chest. "I feel like this has happened before... This is just like the dream. Where is this coming from? If I'm not dreaming, it should be 9 o'clock..." Marianna looks up at the clock on the wall. 9:49 a.m. "Just like in the dream..."

"It didn't feel like a dream, it feels like I'm living through the same day over and over again. No, no, I'm thinking too much. Time can't go backwards." Marianna gives herself a hard slap on the face, takes a deep breath, and dives.

Moments later, Marianna heard a girl's voice. "Come on out! You've been holding your breath for too long!"

Marianna blubbed up to the surface of the water. The girl looked at her in worry. "You okay?" Marianna responded with a low, "I'm fine."

"Why'd you come in early? Coach isn't even going to be here today."

"Coach isn't coming?"

"She's on vacation! We're supposed to be getting on with our own training. You forgot?"

"Oh... I think I remember her saying that." Marianna stares blankly at the window-glass. The sunlight is intense, even through the windows of the swimming pool building... It's sweltering. Scenes from the dream float through Marianna's mind. "I think she'll come anyway."

"What are you talking about? Has worrying about your college application rotted your brain?" The girl asked, but Marianna responded with an, "I'm fine. Really."

"How's it going with the school application? Deadline's coming up." The girl asked.

"No change."

"Your mom still won't agree?"

"Yep. Nothing I can say seems to change her mind. I don't know what's going on with her. She's been leaving early in the morning, not coming back until late. It's hard to find the time to talk about it, and as soon as I mention Hazlitt, she brushes me off, this excuse and that excuse. Tells me off, even. She's completely against it."

"Why's she being like this? Your mom's usually really chill."

"I don't know. Feels like she's changed these past two months, like she's going to lash out no matter what I do."

"Maybe she's having trouble at work?"

"Doesn't give her the right to take it out on me. Does she even think about how it makes me feel? I'm already eighteen. I know what I want to do and I should be allowed to make my own decisions."

"Mari, you need to be honest with your mom, you can't keep coming and training in secret. Who knows, maybe she'll support you once she understands you better?"

Marianna grew quiet as she heard a woman's voice. "Hey... what are you two whispering about?"

The girl looked at the woman in shock. "Coach, how come you're here!"

"Don't worry, I didn't come back early to check up on you. That said, you two having a nice chat?" Coach May said in a friendly tone.

"Chat!... No... We're... We're discussing diving techniques! Right, Mari?"

Marianna snapped out of her daze. "Oh... yeah."

"Fair enough. Do the work, put in the training, don't let up." Coach May said, which made the girl respond with a nice, "No problem, Coach!"

"Me too, I'll get back to it." Marianna mumbled as she was going to leave before Coach May called. "Marianna, wait up a moment." Coach may stops Marianna and gives her a meaningful look. "So I know you want to go train in Hazlitt, but... It wasn't easy for your mom to raise you by herself. Go talk to her. Try to be more considerate, okay?"

Hearing Coach May's words, Marianna snaps out of her daze. 'No, this isn't a dream. Is time really going backwards? If it is...' An enormous cube and a wall of surging waves... images from her dream, they float across Marianna's mind. Marianna jumps out of the pool, and rushes to towel herself off. "Coach, I'm going to have to miss practice today! I need to head home!"

"Go." Coach May assures.

"Are you still coming to see the fireworks? Mari—" The girl was cut off by Marianna. "I don't know— don't wait for me!"

"Huh?"