Young Serena Montblanc sighed as the soothing reverie formed in her mind every time she drifted off to sleep.
The repetitive dream felt as if Serena was strolling through a vast city floating merely on a large piece of cloud. The city was bustling with activity and the violet sky was beautiful; filled with luminous stars, and thin peach-coloured clouds. Citizens took the time to make a conversation with her, every so often making her smile.
After that, she would wake instantaneously, feeling as though a burden has been lifted off of her. Serena wanted to stay in that pleasant feeling forever.
Her mother and father had passed away after a fatal car accident and so she became more and more lonely, never communicating with others. Serena never made any friends, aside from her father. She would move from household to household, never staying in one home. Ever since then, she built a dense wall; making her unapproachable.
Serena took a nap in the sailboat her father left her, hoping to return to the enjoyable dream. All of a sudden, a whirlpool emerged in the ocean.
What happened was unconvincing, as if another dimension opened up in the middle of the ocean. Serena forced her eyes open to see a man who resembled her father.
"Welcome to Opatum, my name's James Wilden," the man said with a comforting smile.
He started speaking again, "I found you unconscious in one of the flower beds outside," James pointed to a nearby flower bed through a small window, "And I decided to take you in my house to rest for a while."
Serena was astounded by this. Usually, people would avoid dealing with people like her.
"Follow me; I have something to show you,"
James turned the latch of a metal door and it creaked open.
"I've been working on this project for years, and I completed it while you were asleep,"
Inside, was a flying contraption.
"This machine can fly an altitude of 9.5 billion miles," James explained excitedly, "Will you assist me in flying the hovercraft?"
"Sure."
Opatum looked familiar; the beautiful violet sky and the city floating on a cloud.
James turned to Serena, "It seems like you've seen Opatum before."
"I've had dreams about this place," Serena said tentatively.
James smiled knowingly, "Dreams are linked to reality."
Serena observed that the citizens of Opatum look after one another like family. And they treated each other as equals. It felt like everyone knew each other.
Serena sighed. Back home, people would look down on her and call her a freak.
James read Serena's mind, "The source to a healthy community is the citizens. If you block out all people from your life, you will be forever miserable."
Abruptly, Serena awoke to the sound of the waves. The words of James Wilden still linger in her mind.
"The source to a healthy community is the citizens. If you block out all people from your life, you will be forever miserable."
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