Astral Whale (Epilogue)

Chapter I: https://read.cash/@marcmire/the-astral-whale-dreams-series-c1f3cf49

Chapter II:https://read.cash/@marcmire/the-astral-whale-ii-dreams-series-85896fdc

Chapter III:https://read.cash/@marcmire/astral-whale-iii-dreams-series-44271f66

Chapter IV: https://read.cash/@marcmire/astral-whale-iv-dreams-series-5bfbc645

Chapter V:https://read.cash/@marcmire/astral-whale-v-8e1d9c29

“It’s a miracle that you made it out alive, Mr. Newman. It was only a matter of time when the doctors rushed into my room and checked my condition. I never really understood how I made it out alive, especially when that water was too deep when I fell. We thought you were already a goner.”

“How long was I out, doc?” I asked as I realized I got thinner when I saw my hands.

“You were out for two months and 13 days,” They said, getting the thermometer out of my armpit. “You’re fortunate, kid.” The nurse added. “Fortunate.”

“Tell me,” The doctor stated, sitting beside me after grabbing a chair. “What went on when you were out?” The doctor put his index finger and thumb to his chin, excited to hear what I was about to say. But I know he wouldn’t understand. Even I didn’t know what happened there, and I just got indulged at the moment.

“It was just all pitch black, Doc.” I lied, though it was just a white lie, I want to forget everything that life of lie I lived. “It was like I was in the dark forever until I woke up to my hospital bed.”

“I see,”  The doctor nodded, “I was just curious because you had a 10% chance of surviving your condition.”

“Your brain was deteriorating, kid. Even when saving you when you drowned, you were still heating up.” The nurse then ruffled my hair. “I guess we’ve got a fighter here. Welcome back, bud.” His coarse voice somehow felt comforting. What choice do I have anyway? The important thing is, I’m alive.

“Rest assured, Mr. Newman, before we discharge you, we are going to put you on to some tests so we can evaluate your well-being. The tests will start by tomorrow.” He announced, and the two bid farewell to us in the room.

When they finally left, I asked my aunt about the incident that happened to me at the pier.

“Well, an old man rescued you as people tried to call for help.” She said, “You were fortunate indeed, Austin. But, a few couple minutes and that man would never have saved you, and we would have been grieving.” I gestured for her to come over with open arms asking for another hug. She was tearing up when she came close to me and gave me a good hug. “I’m sorry, I should’ve just accepted the fact that they’re gone,” I cried. “I shouldn’t have put you all through those messes. It was disrespectful.” I hugged her back tighter.

“It’s okay, and I understood what you’ve been experiencing. What are families for anyway? If you’re going to get called crazy, I might as well jump in.” She said with a reassuring tone while caressing my back. Moments after, my aunt mentioned again the older man who saved me. “He was one of your father’s companions back when he was working in the harbor; you could say he was a family friend.”

“Can you describe what he looked like?” I already had a hunch on who it was, and to my surprise, when Aunt Lou gave the description, it was the older man that I met from the beach around the harbor. I knew I had to meet him, it’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other, and we only met that one time when we saw benny. So I got to fulfill and look forward to that task once more.

I got subjected to several tests for weeks; they evaluated my physique and went on to have me for physical and mental therapies. Finally, it was only a matter of time that I got discharged. It was good news that I could live my life a bit longer without living in a fantasy that I created. The bad news is that I failed at school right in my last year where I’m supposed to graduate. Well, that’s the price that I have to pay.

A few days passed by when I was again able-bodied to go my own way. I decided to go to the beach since it’s the weekend. So I rode my bike and sped off to the beach after I had my breakfast. Once I arrived, I saw the older man standing there, watching Benny from a distance before Benny submerged.

“Hey, mister–“ I caught his attention when I spoke.

“Morgan, It’s Klaus Morgan.” He smiled at me as he stood in front of the ocean. I slowly approached him and hugged him. He gladly welcomed me with open arms. “I don’t know what I did to you, but thank you for saving me.”

“It’s nothing, kid, and it’s the least I can do for your father.”

“So you knew my father?”

“Let’s take a seat from that tree trunk, shall we? Just like from day one.” So we slowly broke off from the hug and proceeded to the tree trunk from our first conversation.

“First things first, why didn’t you go that weekend? I was waiting all day long.”

“I was so caught up by that whale in my dreams, sketching it restlessly with no sleep, forgetting I had an appointment here,” I replied, scratching the side of my head.

He took a deep breath and sighed, “Where do I start?” He said.

“Just the relevant parts, I guess.” I chuckled.

“Your father and I go way back when the harbor was still underdeveloped. We’d go for expeditions together and made the port prosper to what it is now.” I nodded, and he continued, “Until that one God-damned day. Remember the storm 13 years ago?”

“Yes, that’s my dad’s second to the last expedition.”

“That’s also the time when you’re father started to go deranged.”

“I thought-“

“Yes, you thought it was just a typical expedition, but it was not. It was a giant cluster fuck where the communications have mismanaged directions and schedules. The shit you get from foreign shipping lines.”

“So what happened?”

“A couple of men went overboard and got eaten by whales. That was too much for your father since he was too naive for his own good. He started doubting his capabilities. I won’t blame him; he was still too young.”

“His last expedition was when he never returned. Did he overcome his fear somehow?” I asked in curiosity as I remembered that day when he said to wait for him to come back by the harbor. That’s when I made it my daily routine.

“No kid, his fear overcame him. He sailed on his own. Then, a couple of days later, his body got found by local fishermen, floating, dead.” He sighed and turned his gaze to the sea. “I cannot imagine what he has been through.”

I stood up and offered him a hand to stand up, “Well, at least you saved their son. He’d be forever grateful to you.” I smiled as he reached for my hand.

“You had it rough, haven’t you kid?”

“I can’t blame my mom that she took her own life. It’s just me, not accepting it and just played to what my heart ever desired.”

“Like a reality of your own?”

“Like a reality of my own.”

The older man gave me another hug, “Well, at least you’re back to the real reality; make your parents proud and keep yourself strong.”

I smiled and hugged him back. After that, we just chatted along the beach, hearing the stories of my father’s journey, especially how he got his Admiral title. It was an excellent start to my new perspective on actual reality.

A couple of moments later, a girl’s voice called out for me behind. How could I ever forget that angelic voice? I turned around and saw Jane, with her golden hair like she descended from heavens and her eyes were blue as the ocean stood across us. She ran towards and me and hugged me tightly.

“I hope you’re back,” She said, as her voice got muffled as she pushed her face towards my chest.

“I am darling, I am.” I smiled and hugged her tighter. She smelled so good, like the scent of spring.

“Please, don’t ever go away like that again. It pains me to pretend that I don’t love you.”

“I’m sorry, I will make it up to you. I swear on the 2nd life given to me.” I pleaded, as tears also start to flow out of my eyes.  I grabbed my handkerchief and wiped her tears away. She was so beautiful even when crying, and it gave me butterflies when she stopped and looked at me as I brushed her sorrows away.

“All right, kids, I’m off now. Greet your friend whose watching you over there,” The older man said and went on his way before we noticed Norman watching us from a distance. “You’re quite the lovebirds, aren’t you?” He said, slowly walking towards us.

“I really can’t believe that you lost your mind to the point that you’re getting jealous of Norman and me.” Jane teased me while having soft whimpers. 

“He lost his mind to the point he thought I was straight, jokes on you, Newman,” Norman said, chuckling at us embracing each other. “You still hit like a bitch, though.”

I just laughed at his remark, “I’m sorry, bro, I just didn’t know what to do” I gave Norman a big hug also, and eventually, it was good to warm group hug.

The answer has always been here all along, acceptance. The whale signified that I’m losing reality, and the dark mist calls to me, plunging me into the darkness with my reality. Blinded with my selfishness, it called unto me. I guess dreams do impact, but it often has dire consequences if you take matters incorrectly. Life is one hell of a complicated feat that only the strongest will survive. If I haven’t been strong enough to face my demons, I would also be with my parents right now in the afterlife.

“I invited the gang here to have some welcome back party,” Norman announced while holding his phone texting.

“They respected our wishes that only Norman and I would take care of you during your seclusion,” Jane said, caressing my cheek with her thumb. “You should thank them also, okay?”

I nodded in response.

“Thank you for waiting for me,”

“I always said I’d wait, right? I’d wait even if it takes forever, Austin,”

We kissed, and it felt like divine redemption. Such a beautiful indeed. We three caught up afterward while waiting for the others.

Having friends and a faithful girlfriend helps around the journey. We never know what lies ahead in life, just like the enigmatic sea that’s full of mysteries.

I guess it’s time to face school with a new perspective again.

End.