Disclaimer : Last night I had a dream I was in So Hoi, South Korea. I dreamt I was swept off by tsunami due to volcanic eruption. So Hoi in my dream is not an existing state or city in South Korea. My narration of my dream is pure fiction and the characters in it are part of my dream. It has no resemblance to anyone. Even if it do, my dream characters are just only a coincidence. Enjoy my dream...
All of it had happened so fast and I had took a flight to South Korea to get my beloved ones to safety, probably as fast as possible, out from So Hoi. The moment I took hold of my analysis report and read the figures, my hand had trembled and my foot had struck there like an iron cast to the floor. My stomach that had swallowed up everything in the morning had became frozen in it. I had to do something. "Secure this information and sent a link to the general", I told my colleague as I rushed out of the building. "What do I say to him?" my colleague yelled back.
"Volcanic eruption" I shot back before I ran out of the office, "Tsunami and evacuation!".
I heard him crashed onto something. It must have scared him. I hope he does not have any family in So Hoi like I partially do. My wedding is not due until next month. However, it will be too late. That place was a direct hit and the wave will be 12 feet high and by the time it reaches So Hoi, the goverment will be too late to do anything. I need to get them out immediately. I reached So Hoi in twenty minutes with my private jet.
So Hoi is located in Seochoen, South Korea and it's quite a big city according to the satellite's map. Unfortunately, So Hoi is located nearer to the west of the South Korea's coastal line. The beach is magnificient in the summer. I rented the first available jeep and drove to my future wife's house. I ran into the house. Her dad was watching his afternoon news. At least, the news has not reach their network yet else it will be another nightmare trying to leave So Hoi. Still I had to get them out as soon as possible. "Dad, you will need to follow me!". I dashed up to my wife's bedroom. "Kimmy!" I shouted as I ran up. "Kimmy" I had reach her door. "I am in the bathroom" she had replied. I can hear the water shower running.
"Come out quickly, we need to leave now!".
"I am still naked! Why?".
"I am going to take you and your family out of So Hoi now!".
"Why?!"
She came out covered in her only towel. She was beautiful. Her hair was wet. I could even smell her lavender scented hair shampoo from where I stood by her bedroom's door. "I will tell you on the way to the airport and just grabbed your passport and personal identification", I hurried her. "What's all this?", she was now looking at me and I could sense her agitation by my sudden irrational action to leave So Hoi. I rushed to dressing table, grabbed her passport and took her out of the house. Her father just stood there looking at his future son in law as though some devil had taken over him. "Are you mad? What is all this about?", He pointed one finger on my chest.
"So Hoi is about to be burnt and flooded! Follow me if you want to live!", I ran out of the house into the jeep. I heard him shouting "the weather is fine!". I ignored my father in law and came out of the house, the sky had became so dark and heavy black smoke was billowing from the volcanic mountain. It had changed. A sudden changed in the weather. Morning had became night. Finally, the volcanic mountain has awoke from its long sleep. I fear time might not be at my side. "Look!", I yelled to my father in law as I turned my head to the mountain. He dashed out with me into the passenger side of the car. I pushed my accelerator hard with the reverse gear to get out of the house compound. It was too late. I could see fire sparks in the sky and everyone was screaming and running frantically around. I sped off towards the airport as fast as I could before the authorities grounds all flights. Fortunately, I still got my private plane on the tarmac ready for another immediate return trip to Seoul. I can leave So Hoi. That very one moment it all happen, I could hear more people shouting and I looked at my rear view mirror. I saw it. It had come. That dreaded moment. "Honey, grab hold of anything tightly. We are about to be flooded", I sped my jeep as fast as I could to the airport. I doubted if I ever had any opportunity at all. The strong gushing sound of water. The wave very high at twelve feet. I could the wave coming fast behind me.
US CNN - We bring you a horrifying news from South Korea. Roughly eight o'clock this morning a state SeoCheon, South Korea had been flooded as a result of volcanic eruption. Now, the world had been rocked with that news. South Korean government were struck by a sudden shockwave overnight. They had just received the information as I had left it to the general and it all had happen so fast. The volcanic, I guessed, had not waited for it's time. I lost my wife that very night. I recovered her body several weeks later. She was badly decomposed and my father in law was never found. After several months down the road, I can still remember the whole incident very clearly.
When the force hit our car, I can feel the whole jeep flying. I grabbed tightly my steerring wheel. But the current was too strong. The whole jeep turned and water came in. It was so cold. I could see cars and people drowned or swept away. My wife held her breath and looked at me. "I know, do not worry", my thoughts kept on saying over again and again. We were now in the current with the city beneath us like the sea had just reclaim its portion of the earth. My wife began to struggle for oxygen. I could see her body twitching badly for air. I need to do something. I freed myself from the car but my footing went wrong. The current swept me away from the car. "No", my heart yelled. That was the last I saw her.
After the aftermath, a month later, I had resigned and returned to So Hoi to see how bad the sea had reclaimed the city and what it had done after it had left. I landed twenty four hours in So Hoi and I could see the whole city was wrecked beyond recognition and my late wife's house had a large tree trunk struck into the living room. Imagine that if I had not took them out of the house. Yet, I still had lost her to the sea. I had walked around the house that day to see what I could salvaged. I found none worth save for one album which was covered with a plastic bag tigthly concealed in a safety box escaped the terror. I spent nearly half a day sitting outside the house looking at her pictures. Only if I get the result one day earlier. Only one day earlier.
I walked around the house one more time when I got another called from my ex-colleague. "Hi, I know you are in So Hoi. We got another analysis." I held my breath again.
"Where?"
"So Hoi"
"Again?"
"Yes, there will be another eruption"
"Shit"
"Yes, Jon, leave immediately"
I thanked him again and rushed out looked out to the sky. It was dark and lots of birds are flying away. The exactly same dark skies that had happen many months ago. I looked towards the volcanic mountain. It seem domain for that moment. Serene and quiet just like a sleeping giant. Flocks of birds flying away from that volcanic mountain is not a good sign. I drove to the airport immediately. Too late. My heart panic for the second time in my life. I heard the thunder. It was so loud that it rocked non stop. I flipped out my mobile and called my colleague. It went into voicemail. "It had started!", I yelled loudly. I could see the fire sparks again. Just like the moment I pushed my wife into the car that night. The volcanic was roaring again. My mind was racing for question of death and how bad it will end this city again. Small and big fire rocks came raining onto the street. It hit my jeep's rooftop a few times. Houses burning and people ran for cover.
I could see the last aeroplane flying off but was hit down by one lone fire rock spewed from the deadly volcanic mountain. The aeroplane came down hard with an eruption of fireball. I will not be able to convince the airport to let me out anymore. The whole state was in distress. I saw firefighters, police and the militaries helping their citizen to escape. I drove to the biggest shopping complex. I am not sure why I did that but probably that might be the safest haven now. As I drove fast, I saw a policeman stood far holding a big card wrote "REFUGE" and directing cars to a direction. It went up to another hill. I drove towards it. The whole city was leaving. I could not drove further anymore. The traffic had came to a standstill.
So Hoi's skies had became so dark and it was raining ashes too. I covered my mouth with my handkerchief. Children with their parents had formed a row with other strangers walking towards the refuge centre. The volcano roar again. It sent shivers to everyone with it's terrible tremor. I felt it surge and moving underneath my feet. The road cracked and shook wildly. More fire rocks came and I could hear people screaming and children crying. I ran for cover. "Where?" my heart questioned and my eyes looked around as I ran and ran. I saw a new building under renovation. It was another shopping mall. I ran in. The air condition was still running. I felt the cold air ran through my body and I could breathe better now. The moment I had ran in, the people inside closed the door and locked it. "Hey!", I turned back to them and told them that there were still children outside. "No, its more than we can do anymore", the security said and he looked tired and very scared. I looked around me. There were even more people huddled together and children with their parents. I could still hear fire rocks hitting the building. I prayed it will not burn the building where I am seeking shelter now.
I went to one corner, for the time being, hopefully I can called my ex-colleague and tell them where I am now. The line had went dead. As far as I had realised, there were no twelve feet wave coming at us. Perhaps, it will come like last time and it is just a matter of time. I am not sure how long it will last before the volcano will do anything angry towards us. I prayed hard that moment of sorrow and pain that I wished I had not come back. Probably I should have just leave South Korea and go back to the states. One part of me still longing for one thing that had held me back in Seoul. I wanted a few pictures of her so I could bring her back to the US. I prayed hard again. Then someone came running back and knocked some things over me. "I'm sorry", she apologized. "Kim!" it was her!
"Sorry! I am not Kim"
"I am sorry you looked like her"
"Yeah, in such circumstances everyone tends to look like everyone", she nodded her head.
I kept silent and saw her ran away. She had ran away fast to the back. I picked myself up and ran behind her. I am not sure why I ran after her. For a moment I did not know she was bringing a child with her running towards the parking lot. "Why was she running towards the parking lot?" said my thoughts. She had gone through the exit. I had lost sight of her again. I pushed the exit door outward. I heard someone crying. I ran towards it. She had sat herself on the ground crying hard. Obviously, the car in front of her was crushed to pieces and burning. The child, a girl, was crying also. "Papa!" she held up her little arms. I walked towards them. "Come on, you all need to leave. There's nothing you can do here". I held up her daughter and I took Kim, no it was not her, back into the building. Her husband had been crushed to death by a fire rock from the sky when volcanoe erupted that night. Her husband were waiting for them outside when the woman took her daughter into the new shopping store to buy a few things. His luck had met his creator.
Now I am in the building with another person who looked so much like my late wife. Her daughter is adorable too. I wished god would have been more lenient now. Faith has always been twisty and mysterious. The booming and roaring of the volcano is deafening. I hope I can leave this forsaken place. I am just as helpless as anyone in this building. I looked at that person who looked so much like my late wife. "What's your name?".
williamwilstroth... So Hoi, Kimmy...
