It wasn’t all bad, all of the time. Some days it was safe to set foot outside while the sun was still in the sky, if there were enough clouds and you were willing to risk it.

Darlene settled back against Dave who was lying on tufts of brown grass, eyes closed.

“I’m glad we came.” She said. “I think it’s good for us. It’s beautiful out here, so different than what they show on t.v., somehow it’s so much more real. Being here makes us more real.”

Dave replied with an ambivalent noise and half of a shrug. It was his way. He knew that Darlene didn’t need much to keep a conversation going.

“Oh my! Look there. It’s so beautiful. What is that?” Darlene gasped.

Opening one eye, Dave looked to see what Darlene was talking about.

Clouds that had hung heavy in the sky were now stretching toward the ground, running like ice cream in the heat. Gossamer strands sparkled as the sky tore itself apart, becoming a waterfall of rainbows.

When Dave spoke his voice was full of wonder and terror. “The sky- it’s melting!”