Something is wrong. Not even the sea breeze caressing my cheek feels comforting. With a heavy heart, I inhale deep before diving again. At once, a bright glow grabs my attention, a small fish hiding inside the coral. Despite the nagging feeling on my stomach, I smile. Then, a multitude of fish swim past by me. For a moment, it feels as if they're inviting me to dance with them.

Our fun doesn't last.

A dark mass is coming from the surface. It's fast, and it absorbs the light of the sun as it passes through. I'm stunned at the scene and my whole-body starts to tremble. I don't move fast enough though. It traps me.

Other sea creatures gliding next to me, some are slimy, others are bumpy. They all make me shiver. They're trying to escape, and all my senses are in overdrive, trying to figure out where they come from and where they're going so I can tag along. I must get out of here as fast as I can.

My heart slams against my chest and I can't breathe. I'm dizzy as I try to push to the surface, I know I'm not that far away from it. Pain bursts in my abdomen as something large crashes against me, but I keep going, it's my last chance to survive.

Surface alludes me, keeping me apart from the oxygen I need and from the light of the sun that will allow me to see. I push harder until I get a hold of a piece of the barrier. Desperation is creeping in as my fingers in the dark rub against it. It's a bottle. I have the urge to open my mouth to gasp for air, but I know that as soon as I will, water will fill my lungs and I won't make it out. My last effort is to push against the barrier with the bottle, but it doesn't cave.

This is it, I think. This is the way I'm going to die.

I pry my eyes to open, coughing and gasping, fighting to breathe. My blankets are puddled around my feet and I'm drenched in a cold sweat. My head throbs with my own heartbeats. I'm safe in my bedroom, I say in my mind. It was all just a dream. With a trembling hand, I rub my eyes.

It felt so real.

My throat is like sandpaper as I get up of bed. As I walk towards my window, I step on a crumpled paper I tossed out yesterday. The one that asks for volunteers to help clean the bay. My chest is tight as I take it in my hands and flatten it against my bed stand. I dismissed it yesterday, thinking it would be boring and a loss of time.

The nightmare is real. It's up to us if we want to stand up and fight against it.

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