Fabula

Beautiful Dream in a Nightmare

"When life flashes before your eyes..."

The saying goes that your life flashes before your eyes when you think you're about to die. A moment of reflection before the end.

I've always wondered if that was true. Revisiting old memories, both good and bad. Was it random? How far back can memories be accessed? Can they be understood or are they a chaotic sequence of images? Was it dreamlike?

What would I think about? About my friends and family? Most likely. Like the one time when I was a kid, and I had a giant water gun fight with my brother, my sister, and our friends. We went to the park one day and filled up twenty water guns of varying sizes, along with these really cool water grenades. We divided into groups of three, ran around the park, and shot each other until everyone was eliminated.

I remembered one round I hid away from everyone while my team played normally. They prevented the others from finding me. Once the round finished and everyone walked to the center of the park to high-five each other, I sprung.

My partners gifted me three water grenades that I threw, and I sprayed the remaining opponents with my water guns until they were empty. Our team won that round, of course.

I also remember that later on a group of kids showed up. They were some bad seeds looking to join us. They actually demanded to join, but I knew it wouldn't end well. Yet, my brother and sister said it was alright. However, when we started the round, everyone ganged up on the newcomers until they dropped their guns and ran away. It was one of the best days of my life.

It reminded me of another fun experience I had with my family. My brother, sister, and I, along with our dad, went zip lining. It was my first time doing it. I don't know how they got me into doing it, considering my fear of heights.

My dad went first. He seemed experienced despite admitting to being nervous. The joy on his face as he leaped off the ledge. The rope caught his fall, allowing him to glide through the air towards the destination. He hollered as he went, getting a cheer out of my siblings.

They went next, much to their own excitement. I felt the opposite. Butterflies created chaos in my stomach as my legs shook violently. The worker noted my hesitation and helped me get strapped in and secured. She tried reassuring me I would enjoy myself. I remained unconvinced.

It reminded me of the free falling simulation at amusement parks. The ride that hoists you up into the air inside a plastic cacoon. Then they let you fall, a thin rope catching you at the last second.

I swore all the way down. I'm not sure why they put the ride next to a children's playground.

Zip lining felt like the simulated free fall, but even higher in the air. Staff pushed me off the walkway and I screamed while gliding through the trees. I enjoyed every minute.

I did everything with my brother and sister. They were very supportive of me. Our playful teasing and pranks never interfered with our loyalty to each other.

It reminded me of our laser tag events we'd take part in. One of my favorite activities outside of the house. The particular location we went to allowed you to give yourself a nickname for each game. I normally went with Yourself. That way, if someone shot me, the gun would read, 'You shot Yourself', and if I shoot them, their gun would read, 'You were shot by Yourself'. A stupid laugh every time.

The arena at that location was one of the best in the area. There were two towers, two stories tall, in the arena on opposite sides. Depending on their team, everyone would run for one or the other.

Eventually, someone would try to invade the other tower and cause chaos. Or they would be wiped out before making it up the ramp to the second story.

My siblings, friends, and I would always be the ones to start the advancements first. We'd show our presence at a tower of our choosing, then some of us would sneak off towards the skeleton hidden in the arena. Shooting him gave you power-ups for a limited time, like invincibility.

Running up the ramps after the invincibility activated made quick work of anyone hiding up there. After everyone was confirmed tagged, we'd depart only to do it again. Most people assumed we cheated until the staff explained the hidden power-ups. Once everyone knew about them, it made for a more challenging, but fun experience.

Except for one time when a particular opponent grew angrier with us for using power-ups. During game 3, the guy walked over to our tower while we kept shooting him, moving up to the ramp without a care. He spotted me first, punching me right in the face. He was about to attack me again when my sister ran over and fought him off.

The guy got kicked out, and we luckily didn't get punished.

Those were great times. I only wish I could do them again with my brother and sister. It wouldn't be the same now. Not only were we adults, but my brother passed away in a car accident. It was hard on everyone. I made attending the funeral my top priority and took additional time off work to mourn with my family.

All the memories of my brother flooded my mind for days after the funeral. That's how I remembered his dream of going skydiving. I kept putting it off for my fear of heights, of course. My sister was too busy, anyway.

It would honor his memory if I did it, even if I didn't want to. So I asked my sister if she could do it for him. She said yes. In two weeks we both had time; we took to the skies.

We joined a skydiving company with a few other participants to learn the ropes. It didn't take long to board a plane, fly high into the sky, and jump out, risking our lives unnecessarily.

I screamed. I'm still screaming. Not only screaming because I'm falling and the ground is getting closer and closer with every second. I'm screaming because my parachute didn't deploy.

This is it. I'm done. Dead. My life had led up to this moment. Did I live a good life? I'd like to think I did. It was short, though. There was so much I wouldn't see. Where would my career go? Where would my life land when I'm 80? What would the world be like in the future? What would my girlfriend do? What would my family do? Did my sister survive this event? Am I the unlucky one?

To think I used up all my luck and now life has removed me. Life warned me about these gambles, and now I faced the consequences.

I felt dizzy. I only recalled the swirling images of my life. Then everything went black.

Light poured into my eyes as I laid on the ground. Did I just somehow break all the rules of physics? My sister and others were standing around me. They told me the instructor caught up to me and got ahold of my arm before pulling his chute. They saved me.

Life really can flash before your eyes. I wish I could remember everything I saw. It was all a blur for a few seconds. It felt random, both good and bad, both important and not so important. Some even mixing themselves into others they didn't belong to. Like a dream. A beautiful dream in a nightmare.

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