} Dream
Wordless singing threaded it's way past her senses - the music was like being wrapped in soothing warmth, like floating in a warm ocean. The woman opened her eyes to a sea of purple that stretched as far as the horizon. She pushed herself up with one hand, and reached out to carefully pick one of the purple blossoms - bellflowers. She ran a finger over the delicate points, counting them off - one, two, three, four - she frowned slightly. There should be five petals, not four. Another count, and this time there were the expected five. "Those who grieve are loved," she murmured, voice surprisingly loud in the now-quiet field. She was not sure where the statement had come from, but she knew it to be the truth. A shadow fell over her, and she glanced up, momentarily startled. A huge creature swooped above her, flying big, lazy loops in the sky. It was like nothing she had ever seen before, but somehow, she wasn't afraid.
The sky was odd, too - it was clearly sunny out, the field bright with warm light, but when she looked, there was no sun. Only shifting, shimmering patterns of light, like looking up from under the surface of the sea. From this angle, it almost looked like the green and white form above her was swimming, not flying.
The creature noticed her attention and swooped lower in front of her, pale belly almost brushing the carpet of flowers. It was clearly showing off, and she could feel a laugh bubbling up inside of her at the sight. After a few more turns, the creature settled down for a surprisingly quiet landing a few feet away. She pulled herself to her feet, and walked over to lay a hand on its snout. Despite it's decidedly aquatic appearance, it was warm to the touch, and a huge tongue came out to lick the side of her face affectionately, prompting another smile.
As she reached out to pet it again, she blinked in surprise as her hand went through the body. It was dissolving into a heavy mist, expanding to fill the meadow and surround her. It got thicker, blocking out the light, and more solid - warm and moist, like something living. Despite the darkness, and the increasing feeling of solid walls closing in around here, she felt no fear. It was warm, quiet, like a mother’s embrace in the dark of the night. She curled up on what had once been the ground and closed her eyes, listening to the rhythmic pulse of her own heartbeat in the silence.
The sky was odd, too - it was clearly sunny out, the field bright with warm light, but when she looked, there was no sun. Only shifting, shimmering patterns of light, like looking up from under the surface of the sea. From this angle, it almost looked like the green and white form above her was swimming, not flying.
The creature noticed her attention and swooped lower in front of her, pale belly almost brushing the carpet of flowers. It was clearly showing off, and she could feel a laugh bubbling up inside of her at the sight. After a few more turns, the creature settled down for a surprisingly quiet landing a few feet away. She pulled herself to her feet, and walked over to lay a hand on its snout. Despite it's decidedly aquatic appearance, it was warm to the touch, and a huge tongue came out to lick the side of her face affectionately, prompting another smile.
As she reached out to pet it again, she blinked in surprise as her hand went through the body. It was dissolving into a heavy mist, expanding to fill the meadow and surround her. It got thicker, blocking out the light, and more solid - warm and moist, like something living. Despite the darkness, and the increasing feeling of solid walls closing in around here, she felt no fear. It was warm, quiet, like a mother’s embrace in the dark of the night. She curled up on what had once been the ground and closed her eyes, listening to the rhythmic pulse of her own heartbeat in the silence.