The memories of that terrible night are still murky. Slumped over on a dirty lawn chair, as her dogs circled with the playful curiosity of a child, Beth contemplated her last night on Earth. It was summer, but there was no sun.

The cool damp night gave her goosebumps as she felt the various waves of drowsiness and chills that crawled up her spine like excited spiders. The warm, wet tongue of her dog, on her hand, provided a comfort that she had not known for some time.

With a stomach full of codeine and sleeping pills, among other things, she wondered why she could not laugh at her present dream-like state. As if after a long night of drinking, her head was too heavy to hold up. The sound of Lou Reed’s rhythmic guitar over headphones were the only signs of life from this dark summer night.

With some luck, she willed herself inside, and to bed.

The sun greeted her at 8:00am. That night, was not her last night. Life flows.