4

The day started on a cloud. Above me deep blue sky stretched for miles, over the entire world it seemed. I had seen plenty of skies before, but never one as vivid or expansive as this. Still not quite relieved of my shock and awe, I looked below my dangling feet and saw a green patchwork quilt blanketing the entire earth.

I nearly fell off the cloud, I was so amazed. But the more I stared at the green land below me, the darker it became. Light greens turned into darker hues and eventually faded to black. In what felt like a second, the entire ground below me was pure black.

Before I realized what was happening, I leaned over my cloud too far and started to slip off. A hand from above grabbed mine before I plummeted to the ground. I looked up and saw a familiar, handsome man with brown hair and grey eyes clasping my five fingers in his own. He grinned and I knew I was safe. But my hands suddenly slipped out of his and his smile faltered as I was swallowed up by the black nothingness below. He shouted my name, but I couldn't hear him...

My own name was ringing in my ears when I woke up. I heard the rain pounding against my window and felt Felix jump up on the bed. He meowed.

I rocked out of bed and ungracefully slipped into clothes and a rain jacket. I ran my fingers down Felix's back once and then walked out the door. 168 stairs and 24 steps later, I was buying a newspaper and cat food for Felix from the newspaper stand outside Castle Apartments. I was surprised but thankful that it was open on such a dreadful day.

Before I paid for my goods, the paper man, whose name (I found out today) is Jean and who used to work as a farmer in the south of France, warned me of a recent outbreak of the flu. He recommended a flu shot at the clinic, but my disapproval of modern medicine caused me to politely reject his suggestion.

"Well you know, there's an Occupy site behind the Castle Apartments," he said. "You've heard of the Occupy protests, yeah?"

"I have, but what would those protesters have with a little old lady like me?" I asked. Jean laughed and patted my shoulder. His skin was tough and thick. Probably from all that farming.

A little while later I said goodbye to Jean and took a route I've taken before, towards the clinic, to meet a musical, homeless friend.

The last time I visited, I remembered to count the steps to the clinic so I wouldn't accidentally get lost. I followed my mental directions and finally heard my friend humming along with the radio. I was almost surprised he was here –– the weather was so terrible I figured I'd be the only one out and about. But based on the different sounds I heard on my walk to the clinic, I'd chance a guess that it was a pretty busy day.

"Good morning, friend," I said.

"Ah, if it isn't my usual company. How're you doin', Sile?"

"Very well, thank you. How are you?"

"Want to sing?" I felt the smile in his words. "No. Let's mix it up this time. Let's dance."

I haven't dance since after my accident. I wasn't sure I still knew how.

"You'll have to stand before we can do that," I said.

He grunted and I felt him closer. He stroked my arm down to my fingers and clasped my hand. I remembered this grip before. It wasn't as forceful or demanding as I recalled, but I knew I'd held this hand before.

"Everybody Hurts" started playing through his radio and he gently pulled me into his chest. While we danced, the rain seemed to stop. The thunder subsided and everything was calm. We were just dancing –– and the whole world seemed to know it.

Only after we stopped did we realize that the music had stopped a while ago and that the rain had not. We were both soaked to the bone and he sneezed. Realizing I forgot to take my pills in the morning, I smiled. This moment was a more effective cure than those pills ever were.

"And thou salt not be frustrate of thy wish. Now my imaginings have gone so far," he said. I put my wet head on his wet shoulder. I don't know how long we stood that way.

Suddenly the wind changed. A loud swooshing noise came behind me and a wall of hot air hit my back. I fell forward, into my friend, and he fell on the ground. A loud beeping noise rang out in the sound of rain and made me sit up.

"What is it?" he yelled.

I stood up and tried to move away from the beeping. Maybe the thing causing this confusion was a broken car or some other dangerous machine.

"Sile? Sile!" my friend shouted. I tried to get away, but I couldn't tell where the beeping was coming from. Then the ground transformed from cracked pavement to a smooth upward slant. The slant started to lift me up. I toppled forward, sliding down the smooth new surface.

My friend's shouts were getting softer and softer now. It sounded as though there were a wall or some sort of barrier between us.

"Hello? Where am I?!"

"We are on the o6713 Odar ship. I am Captain Gloonkk. What are you?"

"Where are you taking me?!" I heard the terror crack through my weak words.

"We are headed for the Galactic Alliance of Maballm."

I heard Captain Gloonkk mumble something to someone else in the ship, though I had no idea who. Sticky suction cup fingers grabbed my face and forced my head upward.

"This is damaged goods. We have no use for this," something said. It was a difference voice than Gloonkk.

"Ppfft. Release," Gloonkk said. I heard a loud crash, like huge gears fighting against each other. The wind changed again, got louder and I could hear the rain again. Frightened, I tried to stay on whatever surface I was on, but something under me shifted and I fell. I slipped off of the smooth surface into the cold, hard rain.

Whatever had just opened to spit me out, closed a second later and, with a whirring sound, left the scene.

"Hello?! Help!" I shouted. Silence. Clearly whatever had just picked me up had moved me too. Where was I?

I figured it was safe to chance a guess that I was lost.