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I was lying on the beach listening to the ocean when I looked up into the sky. A hole formed in the middle of the clouds. The clouds surrounding the hole floated into magical shapes. The first one was a rabbit. The second one was an angel. The third appeared to be a donkey. They slid across the sky and faded, and the hole gradually disappeared.
Then a woman appeared who had severe features—a pointed nose, long face, high cheekbones, and a crooked neck. Unlike the others, she glared at me from the clouds. She knew me, but I didn’t know her. I wanted her to fade away, but she wouldn’t. Feeling trapped in my dream, I awoke.
I sat up, disturbed. The light from the moon filtered in through the window and cast shadows over the bed. Cherios was sound asleep. Shadowy cartoon characters scaled the walls. I couldn’t get the cloud-shaped woman out of my mind. Who was she?
Chapter Nine
WOMAN IN THE CLOUDS