As the train crept across Ireland, making stops in quaint villages that dotted the verdant, rolling hills, Erin's mind was lost in vivid dreams. These dreams were the strangest she'd ever experienced in her life, more like memories of things past than the familiarly surreal and often absurd dreams to which she was accustomed.
Entranced within her mind's eye, Erin found herself sitting atop menacing cliffs. She was not afraid, though, perched near the edge of the massive stone precipice despite the hundreds off feet between her and the sea. Everything she saw was in some way familiar like she'd known this place for an eternity. She scanned the horizon and saw massive clouds approaching across the Atlantic.
Looking at the sea brought her a deep pang of sorrow, somehow she knew shed had experienced some kind of sadness related to the sea. Try as she might, though, she could not remember exactly what had happened here. It was as if she could feel deep emotions connected to the area but could not clearly remember what had caused such forceful impressions. Erin sighed deeply in her sleep at the somehow-obliterated memory, forgetting in her slumber that this recollection was not hers at all, but somehow she knew it well.
In her dream state, she turned around to face the sounds that arose behind her. Clamoring up the hill trailing her, two small children were happily and noisily making their way up the hill to the cliffs, stopping at times to grab a sprig of clover or simply tumble about each other contentedly. As they came into closer view she could see the faces of a young boy and girl and knew them so well but she did not understand how. They were clearly twins, a boy, and a girl, both with a shock of dark hair and piercingly clear green eyes.
They continued their trek up the slope and having found a butterfly, began chasing it with whoops of childish, raucous delight. Unable to catch the butterfly, they joyously continued up the path, clearly oblivious to the pangs of sorrow she felt. "Ah, the innocence of children," she thought in her head, wishing she could still feel such unbridled joy. Their delight was contagious and soon Erin was grinning in her sleep.
With that, Erin jolted back to wakefulness and realized the train had slowed to a crawl, and with an excited surprise realized that they were pulling in to Galway's Ceannt train station. She could not believe how long she had slept. She hadn't truly realized she had even drifted off. Strangely, she remembered every detail of the odd dream-memory that she had experienced while she slept. It was the most curious feeling she had felt in her life--and that made two very odd experiences in one day.
Chalking it up to overwhelming excitement, Erin began gathering her belongings and making her way to the doorway where her large suitcase had been stowed. She was abuzz with commotion, every hair on her arms was standing on end, and she couldn't believe she was finally arriving.
She had planned meticulously over the past two years--even having chosen her university at home for their close relationship to the university in Galway. All of that preparation had finally manifested in her dream coming true and Erin couldn't wait to finally reach the apartment she had rented through the university. She could see it in her mind's eye now and was nervously excited to meet her new flatmates to whom she'd chatted a bit with online before arriving.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the train came to a full stop. Erin sucked in a giant gulp of air and attempted to quell the bit of nerves that tickled her stomach. After allowing the other passengers to pass by, she hauled her giant suitcase from the rack, hefted it down the stairs and departed the train anxiously eager to continue this adventure of a lifetime. She couldn't wait to see everything in person, at last.