It has been two years and five months since my father passed away. That was also the time I lost the will to pursue my dreams. I had forgotten the little things that once brought me joy and comfort.
Now, I sit on the sofa, staring blankly at the TV—nothing is playing. I had been watching movies on Netflix all day, until the TV eventually went into sleep mode and images of landscapes started appearing on the screen, photographs taken by photographers from different countries. Then, without thinking, I whispered, "If only I could experience what's in these photographs…"
It was already evening, and suddenly I felt drowsy. After I turned off the lights while the images were still flashing on the TV, I lay down and quickly drifted into sleep.
I awoke to a soft glow surrounding me. When I opened my eyes, I found myself gazing at an image titled "Gathering Water-Lilies." It was in black and white, yet beautifully historic. Suddenly, the air turned cold, and I heard ducks swimming on a lake filled with water lilies.
A voice suddenly asked,
"Are you all right? Shall we return to the shore?"
It was the man rowing the small boat I was in.
"What's going on? Where am I? Who are you?" I asked, bewildered.
The boat rocked slightly as I stood and turned around, trying to understand where I was. Just then, it flipped, sending both the rower and me into the lake. We swam to shore, though I struggled to stay afloat—the heavy dress I was wearing dragged me down with every movement. Once we reached land, I couldn't stop sneezing, and my thick clothes clung to me, heavy and soaked.
"Your hat," he said, handing it to me. I then realized that the clothes I was wearing looked exactly like the one in the photograph I saw on the TV.
"What year is it now?" I asked. I remembered scenes from time-travel movies I'd seen, so I told myself maybe I was dreaming—and somehow traveling through time.
"1886. Are you sure you're all right? You seemed completely out of yourself. We almost died because of you."
"I'm sorry," I replied quickly.
"I didn't realize I had fallen asleep and dreamed of being in a different time," I said—a lie, but not entirely. I didn't want him to think I'd gone crazy and cause a scene.
He looked at me and said, "Okay...?" he sounds confused. "We should head home now—you'll catch a cold if we stay out here any longer," he continued.
"Yeah… I guess so," I replied, shivering and still dazed of what is happening and where to go. And so, I followed him. We walked just a short distance from the lake to a large, beautiful house.
"Wow…" I gasped in awe at the beauty of the house we entered.
"Arthur, were you able to gather what we asked?" a woman asked him, wearing a stunning red Victorian dress.
"Cling…cling…" rang the small bell held by another woman who met us at the door, eyeing Arthur in disappointment. Only then did I learn his name.
Moments later, someone seemed dressed as a butler came and handed us both towels. Arthur handed over two water lilies and said,
"Freshly gathered," he said with a soft smile, "the finest blooms of the season—for my two lovely sisters."
And just like that, my vision slowly faded to black. I felt someone lifting me, and as I completely blacked out, I murmured, "This is just a dream. This is just a dr..."