Dream of the Woman and the Sea of Hatillo
by Myrna Nieves
My father and I talked indoors; a small room. We are sitting on a sofa, in front of a closed door. The space seems to be a waiting room, similar to a doctor's office; It is narrow and I do not recall seeing paintings or ornaments. My father, on the left, is jovial and happy to be with me. In a tone of admiration, he tells me that I read and write so much. I listen to it with pleasure, although in my mind I also think that I no longer do it that much; I hardly have time to write and read.
Then I see myself walking down a street that overlooks the sea. It's like in Hatillo, where the town - its last street - is at the edge of the sea. It is a part of the sea that enters and is surrounded on the right by another street populated by spacious houses with balconies and terraces. I walk alone, without looking back, and there is no one on the street. It is a splendid, sunny day, definitely in Puerto Rico. The sky over the sea is very blue; I don't see anyone on the street. Then, I look into the sea and I see its bottom. In it, a figure of imprecise shapes moves. It is orange in color (my favorite color) and at first resembles a giant goldfish. Then I think I see a diver or a man scuba diving in an orange suit or gear. It is translucent; it moves and metamorphoses. Its shape is still imprecise, but I notice it and I wonder how I can see under the sea.
I keep walking. It is a short journey and only lasted (looking at the sea) a few seconds. I live in that town in my dream; its streets resemble those of the town of Arecibo, in its isolated and more residential streets; the old town, not the commercial section of it. I turn down a street to the left, a street called Pisces. I live on the second floor; The building has a number - 221 - that I don't know if it was the one from the dream or I made it up when I woke up.
Perhaps my father was encouraging me to read and write as before, perhaps to dream and write down my dreams. It was good to see my father and have him talk to me. I always wanted to have a dialogue with him and rarely had an opportunity to do so while he was alive. In this dream I felt complete, loved. The door in the space where I was conversing with him could indicate an opening between worlds. Did he come in through it to talk to me?
Is it possible that the dream is telling me to return to my country even for part of the year, as I want to do in the future? I thought I want a place or an apartment in the capital, near the University, but I don't know if this dream points to another place. Perhaps it suggests taking another route, moving near the sea. There, I walked agile and safe; nothing hurt. Pisces, the name of the street, is also my zodiac sign.
Within days of this dream, there was a large-scale earthquake in Puerto Rico, the epicenter of which was in the sea of Hatillo.
A friend tells me that the number 221 adds up to 5; the five-pointed star. It indicates that it means new beginnings and the perfect human being. It is a symbol of freedom, of the adventurous spirit, of new and visionary ideas. It represents the attraction to magic and mystery. Also, on its negative side, it can denote too much restlessness, discomfort, impatience.
She also tells me to find out who the Iroquois were, and I do. They are from upstate New York: a federation of tribes that were very important in the history of this country. Women seemed to be quite powerful in their culture. They were great dreamers.
