This Place is My Dream

Aboard the Youth, now stopped in its place, the waters were still.

No matter where she turned, she couldn’t see a single thing.

The sky was devoid of clouds, and the horizon from obstructions. The girls’ visions could only reach so far, never before witnessing a vanishing point in their lives spent inside dense amusement parks. In the middle of a blue, empty field, Frankie sat in her tiny craft of safety, experiencing it for the first time.

True silence.

All there was to hear was the calming sound of the soft waves brushing in from afar. The two halves of the Earth met in perfect sync. At a certain angle, the sky didn’t even look all that different from the water as she took it all in. She was surrounded on all sides by that comforting, peaceful blue. But this sure beat the hell out of drowning, she breathed, death all but a distant memory.

A fleck of wetness climbed down her cheek.

Katie didn’t speak as she watched her. Her own sister, not smiling- but absently gawking at the sight in content amazement. She smiled for her, more than happy to see her finally visit a place that made her happy. 

Frankie stood up, looking out at all of it- and it was everything she’d ever dreamed it would be.

“Thanks for bringing me out here, Kate.”

“…Thanks for coming.” She made sure it was okay to talk. “And I’m- sorry it can’t just last forever.” She looked out at the waves herself from the stopped boat.

“Why would I want that?” Frankie laughed. “Actually, I’m excited to see this next park.”

“Really?”

“More than ever.” Frankie stood at the bow, crossing her arms. “Like I thought… parks are gonna be a lot easier to enjoy now that I’ve seen somewhere without any.” She grinned. “Doesn’t seem fair that I’d only get one or the other. Or interesting, for that matter.”

“I’ll always prefer the parks, but I see where you were coming from now.” Katie sniffed the salty air. “This is pretty nice.”

“You can start the boat again, I’ve had my fill.” She day back down.

“You sure?”

“Yeah. Just promise you’ll stop again if I want more of that heaven.”

“Anytime.” She consulted the top deck’s secondary controls and continued their route.