The boat with my brother

My brother and I went out on a boat. It wasn't a big boat, but like a small fishing, tin-can boat. We had taken it out on the ocean and we were young. He was probably seven or so. We had gotten out too far, and sprung a leak. The water was coming in from the bottom and there was a storm coming. We didn't know how to get back, and he's not the biggest swimmer. When I was younger (in real life) I used to take him out in the boat in Tahoe and leave him there, swim back to shore. It was to make him stronger, face his fear. But now in the dream he was there, and I was there. The land seemed so far away, too far for him to swim, the boat to heavy for me to pull. I told him that I'd be back for him, for him not to be afraid.

I jumped out and looked back and he was sitting there. Staring at me as he went up and down, up and down with the swell of the waves. We just looked at each other as the water carried us further and further apart and I felt like I was making a big mistake. Soon I couldn't see him anymore, he was just a speck in the distance. The waves were rough, and they kept pushing me down, down, down. I kept trying to fight them, but I was just so tired, so so tired. I let the waves push me down and I tried to swim up, but I couldnt.

I woke up on the shore in a heap. I shook the water out of my ear and weakly looked around... there was a party going on nearby. I stood up slowly, shaky and wet. For a moment I didn't know what was going on. I stumbled over to the boat that the music was coming from and found myself in a room with a bar. I sat down and asked for some water and the bartender looked at me like I was crazy. A man walked into the room and saw me. He sad down on the chair next to me and said, "I'm patrick. What's your name?" We started to talk. It was patrick demsey, and he wanted to help me. I burst into tears, and didn't know what to do with myself. He picked me up and carried me to a room, and laid me in a bed with big soft blankets. He pulled them up to my chin and told me not to worry, everything would be alright. I felt the boat start to move and I drifted off to sleep.

Awhile later I woke up with a start. Where was my brother? How had I fallen asleep when he was out there all alone? I jumped out of bed and raced to where i had met patrick. He was nowhere to be found. I had no idea where I was so I ran off the boat back onto the shore. Tears streaming down my face I panicked and started screaming, "erik! erik! where are you! where are you! Erik!" As i stumbled down the beach. I kept falling, calling his name. I saw a girl running towards me. Bonnie! I yelled. Bonnie help me! My brother is missing! Immediately she stopped running and called her boyfriend, Cy. She explained the situation to him and we started calling his name and runnign up and down the beach. We walked for miles, for MILES calling his name and searching the water. We reached a spot and I stopped. This is it, I said. I looked into the ocean, deep and dark, forbidding. The sun was starting to set and I took a step towards the shoreline. "What are you doing?" Cy asked. I have to get him, I have to find my brother, I said. I took a few more steps into the water. "We can get the coast gaurd, you dont have to go in" he said. Ignoring him, I started to run. Baywatch style, i leaped across the breaks in the waves and dove deep into the rushing water. Stroke after stroke, I took a side breath and pushed forward. Motivation to find my brother gave me energy and after awhile I stopped to take a break. Something shiny caught my eye as the sun sunk below the waterline. Just one flash and it was gone. It had to be him. I kept my eyes focused on where I had seen the light and started calling his name. "erik! erik! erik!" Frantically I swam towards the boat. I could see it now, as I got closer. But I didn't see him. I was so tired. But I kept paddling, calling his name. I reached the boat, and put my ams over the side. I was terrified to look and see what I would find it inside. I peered over the edge. My little brother was laying in the bottom of the boat, eyes closed. I screamed, "NO!!! ERIK!" and grabbed his arm. Sobbing, I shook him, splashed water on him. This couldn't be happening. As I shook him and screamed, i didn't notice his eyes open. "Kristen?" He was okay! I climbed in the boat and held him, held him in my arms and held him close. "I'm so sorry," i said. I'm so so sorry. Cy reached the boat, he had followed me. I could see flashing lights and medical personell on the beach, bonnie must have called them. Cy and I pulled the boat to shore and the medical people swarmed around us. I just held Erik in my arms and told him I'd never let go.