Why do her words give me oxygen?

I see an island in the distance. I swiftly move, hearing a ruffle like a flag in the wind. I look down and I'm standing on a platform that is cutting through thick, dark water. My heart races: I close my eyes to wake up.

I find myself walking on a shore of white sand. Blue waters surround me and I see a girl standing in the shining sun. Why does she seem so familiar?

"Who is that?" "How could I know anyone here?"
"She's beautiful."

She's making shapes in the sand with her toes. Sunlight shines off her dark skin; she flips her hair as her eyes follow something behind me. I look over my shoulder to find a brilliant white sail fading off in the distance.

"Where am I?", I think.

She walks ahead of me, leading me somewhere. I ask who she is- she speaks, but her name evades my comprehension. I hear her say it but all I can do is feel it. I would have no understanding of how to utter it with my own mouth. I ask where she is from she says, "I'm from Waterloo."

"Waterloo where?"

"Waterloo, Iowa silly... near where you grew up."

She looks into my eyes and grasps my hand. Her eyes sparkle with excitement and her hands are strong. We walk down the coast for a short time. As I follow her path my eyes pierce the horizon.

I look down.
I have no shoes. I'm wearing simple clothes, they are light on my body. I feel for my wallet and car keys, but I must have left them somewhere. We walk up to a small rock jetting off from the shore. The water is still. Serene. The sun is warm. The wind is gentle.

I close my eyes and we jump into dark blue water.

As we shoot into blue my eyes open and through blurry vision I see hard white stone. When we dove deeper the rocks started shifting into more shapely figures. My vision clears. Colors appear. I see brilliant shades of blue, purple, orange. I'm holding my breath; my lungs start screaming for air. I try to kick up to the surface but her strong hand won't let go. I give her a shove and she speaks words that make me breathe. Peace overcomes me and shudders go down my spine.

Why can I breathe here? Why do her words give me oxygen?