A cold drop of rain fell on Jack’s shoulder. In the dim streetlight, he could see the dark splotch of wet cloth. A few more drops of the storm’s advance guard fell, but none hit him. In the distance a car alarm blared, almost drowning out the surrounding crickets.

His friends were off in some smoky bar hoping to get laid. They couldn’t fathom why Jack would rather spend a Friday night walking around the apartment complex where he lived. At first he had answered them with reasons like, “My default state is a thousand years from now,” and “I live within my own skull.” In time, his friends quit asking.

A warm breeze blew in, creating the soft rumble of a leafy wave crashing upon the shore of night. Jack closed his eyes, smiled, and let himself be carried away.