korea

2002

7/7

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Sana felt a tingling in her tiny toes, legs, tummy and head before the light consumed the capacity of her body.

It began alike to the waking of a deep slumber, overwhelming exhaustion paired with aching limbs to match - her eyelids could barely stay open, sealed tight with the weight of a brick like when she’s having naptime at daycare. It’s where she was, before, when she asked to lie in the sick room as she felt the sensation prickling at the soles of her feet.

Initially, she situated herself on the bed waiting for the pins and needles to fade as she was told to do, sit. In turn, they became more intense in sifting into her veins and sending a vague buzz through the surface of her skin, lifting the hairs to stand on end. Instinct ordered her to close her eyes as she faded.

Sana listened to the woman on duty scream in horror at the doorframe as she watched the particles of her skin disappear.

Then she was there, in another room - what was felt to be a dream scenario where everything had a soft filter covering what was real to make it seem prettier. Eyes forced open, she was able to form vision after the dizziness in her blinking, and what was left of her consciousness caused a warmth in her chest to spread to the top of her head, cheeks hot.

It felt as if she was born for this dream, whatever this dream is, and that the day had finally come to fulfil it.

The first thing she noticed was the immediate drop in temperature and exposure of the cold to her skin. Instead of rationally questioning where her clothes disappeared to, she giggled and ran to pick out the pink fairy dress peeking from the lid across the other side of the room.

Painted murals of wild animals on the walls enclosed disproportionately small furniture along with tables sprawled with pencils & crayons, and the overwhelming sweet, chemical scent of the floor cleaner embraced Sana’s senses. It was another daycare centre, but with no children to be found playing inside. A vast space with no voices clouded Sana with a loneliness - maybe she didn’t like this dream after all.

Sana ignored the feeling and chose to gape through the window closeby. A distraction was quickly spotted upon placing her palms atop of the glass and pressing her nose into the pane. A small, slowly moving figure in the distance rapidly piqued interest and she was compelled to venture outside.

Her mind registered exactly where the door to the exit was as if the entire building was mapped out in her head, pushing through it to the outdoor playing area. Another caregiver, different to her own preschool's posed in a red uniform, ignorant to the small child that was running in the grass with the wind in her hair.

The girl Sana discovered from inside was surrounded by sand in a pit, red planks separating the entity from the ground. Its size enveloped the girl’s presence. Her mid-length hair fell into her face as she shoveled the dirt into the mould and only Sana’s feet scuffing against the wood surrounding the pit could've disturbed her immersion in the task.

The girl looked at her once, then twice with more confusion than the first. Sana’s excited grin was particularly manic, and the girl craned her neck to the side. “Who are you?”

“Sana!” Sana enthusiastically introduced herself, crouching to the girl’s level to speak on equal terms - it’s how she thought people should make friends. Sana didn't have many of those back at home, so she smiled a little brighter. “What are you making?”

“Nothing,” The girl was blunt, continuing to shovel sand into the bucket - then aimlessly tipping it out once she was finished patting it down. Her next move was dipping her fingers into the sand, poking holes somewhat aggressively and aimlessly. “You’re wearing Momo’s dress, you know.”