Lights out. Night covers me, faint light leaming from the street, I snuggle down into my covers, seeking the best point of warmth. Gazing half-aware at the filmy curtains letting my mind drift into the shadows of not-sleep and bare wakefulness, and my eyes close on their own. Drifting deep into lightness, floating on a current which takes me to a place no waking person can go. Finding there a place of unearthly beauty, seeing there people dancing lightly dressed in fantasitic rich clothing layer on layer of iridescence that glimmers under a diffuse moonlight, their feet make no sound. Watching, mouth open, standing on the edge of the dance, I feel pulled to join then, and do, swaying awkwardly on feet of clay-- how can I rival their unearthly grace? Yet I do move, and find joy bubbling like champagne; drunk on it, I giggle and a wizened sprite takes my hand leads me deeper into the dance, so fast, yet I can breathe, for this is magic. On and on I go, until an unheard sound tolls. The sprite bows, and I shift back, back to early dawn. I wake and cry, "Oh, it was a dream!" then look at my covers tofind an unearthly rose glimmering, a gift from my dance partner. |