2026-04-22, 03:25 AM - Word count:
”Dreamlike” is an interesting term. Often associated with something highly positive, particularly something that may be elegant, but most importantly out of the ordinary. Still, it can just as well refer to a state in which things don’t quite feel the way they are supposed to feel. As though one is in a dream. The real culprit here may well be the word “dream”, which naturally has the literal meaning of something that one imagines during a state of sleep. Great aspirations are also often spoken of as “dreams”, as they first appear to be the type of thing that we imagine in our sleep. Then comes “daydreaming”, where one entertains the imagination to the extent that it may seem as though one is no longer present in reality, typically in a state of stillness, despite not actually being asleep (or walking straight into a lamppost, if old movies are anything to go by). The things that one imagines during moments of daydreaming are commonly of the category of dreams that encompass the aforementioned great aspirations as well as imaginings that are far-flung; one may be daydreaming about the past, or about a wholly made-up world. In that sense, the concept of a dream is widely applied. And as a result, something being “dreamlike” can mean a little bit of everything, with the only common denominator seemingly being that what it describes is, in one way or another, apart from typical everyday reality.
Joe had been stuck in one such dreamlike state for quite a while. It was as though he’d dropped out of the airplane and into a thick, murky cloud, except he knew it not to be the case. After all, everything had unfolded more or less as he had been informed that it would. After arriving in his new hometown, he had been installed in a living space arranged by the Victoria Falls Eagles, the football academy whose logo and name had been on the very first official document onto which he had signed his name in the Latin alphabet. He had met his new teammates, an interesting bunch of youngsters from around the world, and he had been introduced to the staff in whose care he would be over the coming year. All that was left was to actually get out there on the field and perform. Yet, here he was, somewhat worried from behind the fog, about to step out on the training pitch for the first time. How good would his teammates, who might in the long term double as rivals, be? Despite that cognitive nervousness, his body still felt a little sluggish, although it might not even have been the body itself. Rather, it might have been the connection between body and mind itself.
Out there on the field, it took about as long as it did for the ball to reach Joe’s feet before he felt alright. His teammates were probably the best players he’d ever faced, every single one of them at a different level to what he’d been used to playing school football. Even so, it was nothing he couldn’t handle. So long as he would give it his best, Joe knew it’d be enough. Not to be the best in the world or anything like that, but that wasn’t what mattered. Ultimately, it was about winning himself a professional contract, about earning a salary large enough to be able to pay back his father and to help his sister get a proper education while staying afloat himself. And that much he was sure he could do, so long as he put in the effort.
Not many days had passed since Joe’s arrival at the VFE academy before he first stepped out onto the pitch in front of a crowd. Stockholm IK were in town for the first match of the season, and excitement was in the air as the players’ studs connected with the grass. It was like a dream to all the hopeful recruits. Joe felt lucky that the academy manager had decided to play him on the left wing of an asymmetric 3-4-3. If there was one thing his experiences playing small courts around Bangkok had taught him, it was that his technique was one of his strong suits. Positions had been less important to him for the school team, where he’d tried a little bit of everything, but he knew that playing off the flank meant the likelihood of there being space for him to blossom into was greater than anywhere else on the pitch.
Two minutes into the match, and the Swedish side combined down Joe’s side of the pitch, albeit in an area a length or two behind his supposed zone of activity, and sent in a hard, low cross for an attacker to put Stockholm IK ahead before the match had really even started. Joe had a few neat touches in the minutes that followed, including a decent delivery from a corner kick, but it was his teammate Blanco who got the Eagles back into the game just a handful of minutes after going behind. Joe still found himself immersed in that dreamlike state. However, you see, the thing about dreams is that sometimes they turn into nightmares. And that’s exactly what happened. Shortly before the half-hour mark, Joe missed a header from a Stockholm corner kick, and it resulted in the ball landing at the feet of a Swedish player who slotted it home. He was to blame. He knew it. Of course nobody would expect a small, tricky winger to win an aerial duel in the box, but that did not obscure the fact that he could have done more. Ten minutes later, and bad turned worse, as the Swedes converted another cross to go up 3-1.
Something had to change. He had to be better. Yet all Joe could muster were thoughts of putting in more energy. More exertion. And that was all he managed to do. When the final whistle was blown, the Eagles were left feeling sorry for themselves, having lost 2-4 in their opening match, and all that Joe had to show for the match was that at least he had won all of his six tackles. Not bad, but also not what he was there for. Sure, there had been a couple of decent passes too, but nothing that mattered.
Joe knew that he needed to wake up.
Joe had been stuck in one such dreamlike state for quite a while. It was as though he’d dropped out of the airplane and into a thick, murky cloud, except he knew it not to be the case. After all, everything had unfolded more or less as he had been informed that it would. After arriving in his new hometown, he had been installed in a living space arranged by the Victoria Falls Eagles, the football academy whose logo and name had been on the very first official document onto which he had signed his name in the Latin alphabet. He had met his new teammates, an interesting bunch of youngsters from around the world, and he had been introduced to the staff in whose care he would be over the coming year. All that was left was to actually get out there on the field and perform. Yet, here he was, somewhat worried from behind the fog, about to step out on the training pitch for the first time. How good would his teammates, who might in the long term double as rivals, be? Despite that cognitive nervousness, his body still felt a little sluggish, although it might not even have been the body itself. Rather, it might have been the connection between body and mind itself.
Out there on the field, it took about as long as it did for the ball to reach Joe’s feet before he felt alright. His teammates were probably the best players he’d ever faced, every single one of them at a different level to what he’d been used to playing school football. Even so, it was nothing he couldn’t handle. So long as he would give it his best, Joe knew it’d be enough. Not to be the best in the world or anything like that, but that wasn’t what mattered. Ultimately, it was about winning himself a professional contract, about earning a salary large enough to be able to pay back his father and to help his sister get a proper education while staying afloat himself. And that much he was sure he could do, so long as he put in the effort.
Not many days had passed since Joe’s arrival at the VFE academy before he first stepped out onto the pitch in front of a crowd. Stockholm IK were in town for the first match of the season, and excitement was in the air as the players’ studs connected with the grass. It was like a dream to all the hopeful recruits. Joe felt lucky that the academy manager had decided to play him on the left wing of an asymmetric 3-4-3. If there was one thing his experiences playing small courts around Bangkok had taught him, it was that his technique was one of his strong suits. Positions had been less important to him for the school team, where he’d tried a little bit of everything, but he knew that playing off the flank meant the likelihood of there being space for him to blossom into was greater than anywhere else on the pitch.
Two minutes into the match, and the Swedish side combined down Joe’s side of the pitch, albeit in an area a length or two behind his supposed zone of activity, and sent in a hard, low cross for an attacker to put Stockholm IK ahead before the match had really even started. Joe had a few neat touches in the minutes that followed, including a decent delivery from a corner kick, but it was his teammate Blanco who got the Eagles back into the game just a handful of minutes after going behind. Joe still found himself immersed in that dreamlike state. However, you see, the thing about dreams is that sometimes they turn into nightmares. And that’s exactly what happened. Shortly before the half-hour mark, Joe missed a header from a Stockholm corner kick, and it resulted in the ball landing at the feet of a Swedish player who slotted it home. He was to blame. He knew it. Of course nobody would expect a small, tricky winger to win an aerial duel in the box, but that did not obscure the fact that he could have done more. Ten minutes later, and bad turned worse, as the Swedes converted another cross to go up 3-1.
Something had to change. He had to be better. Yet all Joe could muster were thoughts of putting in more energy. More exertion. And that was all he managed to do. When the final whistle was blown, the Eagles were left feeling sorry for themselves, having lost 2-4 in their opening match, and all that Joe had to show for the match was that at least he had won all of his six tackles. Not bad, but also not what he was there for. Sure, there had been a couple of decent passes too, but nothing that mattered.
Joe knew that he needed to wake up.
