A Dreamland Dialectical Journal

The sound of gravel cracking against the shoes of the travelers awakens a bird in her nest. With undeniable excitement, she perches up in the large branch of acacia tree to tap the other slumbering birds with her music. A few seconds later, a chorus of soft high-pitched voices resonates in the entire forest. Along with the birds, the cicadas join. Then the trees rustle their leaves to acknowledge the presence of their visitors.

Amidst the lively welcoming song of the creatures in the forest, a girl named Sophia is so consumed in her thoughts that she can barely hear a thing. Her eyes are trained in the path ahead, ignoring the slow stretching of dawn whose gown of yellow, pink, and blue trails across the horizon. There is silent chattering around her but their voices grow fainter and dimmer every time her eyes wander into the future of becoming wealthy.

Her mind

Sophia closed her eyes and she finds herself watching a child running across a large front yard. She can hear the sound effects the young girl makes as she slashes her plastic sword in the air. “In dreamland, hope is the air that people are breathing in.” Debris starts to fall around them but the both girl and Sophia remains still. Another memory enters her mind, a colorful drawing of a seven year old. She saw her mother talking to the child in pigtails but even though the memory is muted, she knows what exactly the conversation was. This is the first time she told her mother that she wanted to be an artist. “Everyone has a chance to claim their dreamland. Dreamland exists now, not tomorrow.” The girl turned around and smiles at her. This was her face back in the time she believes in dreamland—sparkling eyes, face shining with hope, heart full of dreams. When she finally felt the tingling sensation running in her body, Sophia ran and immediately embraces her lost self before a boulder crushes