LAST NIGHT

Last night I slipped off my bath shoes and let my robe pool at my feet, I gathered my hair in a bundle and slapped on my eye mask. I slid into my icy covers and waited for them to gather warmth off of me. I replayed the events of the previous day and made a mental note to go to the gym first thing in the morning. Eventually after what seemed like an eternity, my eyelids got heavier and  my breathing became shallow and in that moment of tranquility, I drifted off to a different dimension.

The dew on the grass threw small droplets on my leg as I walked through a green paradise with dinosaurs stomping away in my wake. A mammoth lay sun bathing in the distance and the air almost tasted fruity. I then walked into a wide arena where people were hand making clothes and getting along really well. Everyone was equal and social classes were obviously not in existence. The scene changed and I saw children playing blithely and the air was filled with their joyous shrieks. I noticed in wonderment that all the people did not have any colour so you could see them on the inside which was both scary and exciting.
I was then transferred to the sea side. The sea was pure blue and the waves crashed so beautifully against each other producing a sweet melody that put me in a trance and levitated me into the sea. The sea was alive and I could almost taste the tension of the sea monsters. I walked along the sea floor and noticed how pure it was, devoid of any pollution as the white sand seeped through my toes. I saw a whale and her young swim past me and a colourful school of fish encircled me. I was in a utopia.

A strong wind carried me out of the ocean and we hovered over a health centre. People with various ailments, I noticed would have a word with the medic and they would receive a prescription of herbs. Another shock I received was that all the people spoke different languages but everyone understood each other perfectly. At that moment it began to rain and the heavens poured out all their ecstasy free of sulfur dioxide. A wonderful rainbow curved away in the aftermath of the spew.

A force took a hold of me and pushed and carried me over to a cliff. I began to feel uneasy as the scenery below me shifted. The sea turned grey, the air was thick and covered in fumes, the forests began to burn one by one while other trees were being cut down by the people. It was with great alarm that I noticed the people had got colour. Some were black, white and all kinds of  colour tones. The sea shore was littered with aquatic corpses. I opened my mouth to scream  at the people to stop but no sound came out. Suddenly, as if on cue, they all turned to look at me. Time seemed to freeze. They were all a reflection of me!
I woke up in a cold sweat and took a good few minutes to calm down. If I say I could sleep again, I will be a liar. Morning came and did not hesitate to get up and make a change. What should the goal of humanity be, you ask? Let me tell you. It should be to start with yourself. Make that change.

BY RITA MUSIMENTA