I Thought I Lost Them

September 21, 2021

It was Sunday morning and we were all on the seaside to celebrate a special event. The sun was so high and its blaring rays casting on the rocks and pebbles by the seaside. The white fluffy clouds covering the vibrant blue sky. The seawater was charging onto the warm baking sand where some of my siblings were basking under the sun and half of their bodies are buried under the sand while feeling the warm salty sea breeze.

Meanwhile, in the cottage, my parents were happily chatting with grandmother and aunties. My grown-up cousins and I were busy taking photoshoots and laughing while seeing our girlish cousins doing weird funny poses. He would climb on the tree, jump on the sand, and into the water, and pose by the trunk of the giant tree with petals of flowers on his ear.

From my spot, I could see my youngest sibling happily running by the seashore with his little cousins. They would carefully throw sand at each other and would stamp on the water drawing near them. And my little nieces collecting seashells and pebbles on their tiny palms. They would giggle when the water touches their soft feet and run to the dry spots of the sand, afraid to be eaten by the wave.

It was indeed a perfect day and everyone was happy, which we seldom make ever since the devastating typhoon Yolanda wrecked our town. The aftermath was still vividly clear and some of its ruins were still untouched with hidden grief and sorrow that lies behind every wrecked wall and shattered glass.

I opted to go near the sea to join my siblings and cousins. While walking with my bare feet on the wet sand, waves playfully run back and forth onto my feet. A moment later I could see the water running fastly away from the seaside. It seems like being pulled by a strong force under the deep pale blue water.

My normal heartbeat starts to pace faster as I felt the same vibe when I witnessed the havoc of the super typhoon in Philippine history. I remembered how the water of the river behind our house was pulled by the force of nature and splashed back as dark whirling water wrecking every tiny house and smashing down every tree on its way. Meanwhile, in the town area which is facing the open sea, people were crying, running, and screaming to spare their lives, holding tightly onto the very last strong post they grabbed.

Those memories ran through my mind while watching the seawater being pulled by the force of nature. It revealed the corals, seashells, tiny fishes, and seaweeds that were bathing under the water. From the distance, I could see raging water forming huge waves that could destroy whatever things encountered along the way. My eyes grew wider and fear ran down my spine.

I ran faster while shouting the words, "Run!! A tsunami is coming!! Run!!"

I ran to grab my little brother and picked up my little nieces.

"Father, mother, run!!"

People started to panic after seeing the raging waves coming towards us and run as fast as they could without minding everything around them. Some could step onto another and trip down by the barriers. We all ran up the hill and I could hear the kids crying in fear. My siblings are good at swimming and I just thought that they could survive. All that matters to me were the little ones and my weak mother who doesn't know how to swim.

We reached the higher part of the hill, and I noticed some were missing.

"Father, where is mother?"

He wasn't answering and I saw fear painted on his face. My youngest brother wasn't around as well and I started panicking as the water drew nearer and nearer towards the seaside and crushing down the coconut trees.

"Where is July?"

I was shouting at the top of my lungs but nobody was answering. People start to climb on the tree to save their lives. Tears and fears started to form as I saw some people crying for help on the water and all I could do was to watch them drowning. Debris and fallen trees were floating and my mind told me to save my life as well.

I spotted my youngest brother and climb on the tree. As I reached the top, another surge of waves crashed into the ground and the huge wave almost reached our spot. Some fall into the water and I hold onto the trunk of the tree tightly safeguarding my little brother. But a huge wave splashed onto us and I caught off guard.

My little brother fell into the water and I cried for help. Nobody minds me as all were busy saving their own lives. I dipped my hand into the raging water hoping that I could save my brother. I heaved a sigh of relief when I touch his hand and pull him out of the water. But after placing him securely on the big branch, I slipped and fell into the water.

I tried my best to swim back to the tree but debris was hindering my way and the raging whirling water was pulling me down. I was drowning and gasping for breath and in my mind, I knew I would reach my final ultimatum and would cross the bridge of death any time soon.

My body was already in pain and a loud thud broke the silence when I hit a wrecked wall. Everything went black and all I could hear was a raging sound coming from somewhere else. Another water surge is coming, I thought. I was drowning and I find myself gasping for air. And I opened my eyes with a throbbing heart.

It was a dream that kept on coming and forming fear in my mind. I started dreaming about a tsunami after typhoon Yolanda brought havoc to our place and exterminated thousands of lives in our region. The devastation happened eight years ago, but the memories are still vivid clear, and indelible. And that dream of mine, a nightmare rather, doesn't fade in my mind. It happened not only once, but multiple times. Different scenes but with one climax, always running away from the raging tsunami.

From that dream, I dreamed of building a huge and tall house with strong fundamentals that could protect my family and not easily be wrecked by any natural disasters.

The typhoon Yolanda wrecked some part of our house and through my father's retirement money, he built it back brick by brick with the help of my brothers. Meanwhile, my grandmother, auntie, and two eldest brothers' houses were totally damaged by the typhoon leaving only some of their stuff. With the help of each member of the family, we build back their houses brick by brick until fully furnished.

That devastation not only ruined the lives of thousands of people but also killed the dreams of thousands of children who weren't able to survive that havoc. It was truly saddening seeing dead bodies on the streets and wrecked houses in our town. People were wailing even animals like dogs were in grief as well for losing their beloved owners.

I'm still having goosebumps while remembering my sister-in-law's story about how they survived the storm surge. My eldest brother was on duty that day and his family was told to evacuate prior to the landing of the storm but my sis-in-law hesitated as she didn't want to leave their house because of their belongings. We have survived many strong typhoons but that one was unexpected and we weren't given a heads-up about the certain condition of the storm and the range of the possible destruction it will cause. We can survive from strong winds and heavy rain, but we did not expect a water surge.

My sister told us that a huge tree helped them survive the surge. They climbed up the tree and secured my little nephew with only a few things with them. The water level almost reached them and all she could do was to pray and hold my nephew tightly while trembling in fear. They are living by the seashore and their house was entirely wrecked by the storm. Meanwhile, my other older brother's house located in the town area has been totally wrecked by the storm as well but his family was lucky to evacuate safely to our house before the storm surge creates havoc in our town. My brother was on duty that day as well, and if his family did not evacuate to our place, I don't think they are still alive by now.

These stories were the reasons I guess why I kept dreaming about a tsunami after Typhoon Yolanda ruined our town. And even if years have already passed, those dreams are still clear in my mind. Currently, our house is newly renovated by our father and we are building a strong wall by the river to protect our house from strong storm surge in the future.

And this is my entry to the prompt Dreams of @JonicaBradley

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Lead image from https://www.istockphoto.com/photos/ocean-storm