“It sure is cold,” I said through numb lips.
“Yes.” she agreed a little too loudly. “Yes, it sure is cold.”

The silence followed us all the way home as I closed my heavy eyes and thought about how I tried sending a dream into the universe. There are many like me who have killed their emotions. Remember that. I’ve walked among the shadows of the moon, capsizing houses with my touch. Like an afternoon rooster, I was alone and out of time.

Once back in my room, I took to my bed. A mattress of many years that had somehow acquired a comfort beyond explanation. My eyes closed and my life retreated to my mind. Gasping, I sat up, slowly letting reality back in.