naked. everybody was naked. the sky was lower today. or maybe i amtaller. i am not naked. i'm wearing a yellow rubber suit. lookslike a raincoat, but it is thicker and shinier -- more like a spacesuit. people perused the busy street corners with icy looks in theireyes. the shops are all open today unlike the final days of June whendoors were sealed with blood. packets of armed naked women walked upthe street with tall blue hats. people started walking slower andlooking nicer. i turned a right. there was no drop.

bubbles. i see bubbles surround me, slowly floating above my head.the water was green. i breathed it in and it felt better than air.swarms of fish surrounded me in a circle and one named Janie wasfloating upside down at the surface. I knew her name was Janie forsome reason. I listened as the gurgling of bubbles stopped, the lightmusic of the seas danced upon my ears. the bottom of the sea wasrough but it didn't hurt my foot. i walked like an astronaut on thebed of the sea, bouncing up and down. there were stars above meglimmering through the water. the fish have left and i was alone.i lie down to sleep upon the craggy floor, slowly drifting away into adream.

the dog's name was hoi-sum which meant happiness in chinese. i petthe dog and it slowly melted into the ground and morphed into a cat ofthe same name. i would ask it questions when i was bored and he wouldask me questions back. why don't you find yourself someplace tobelong? i asked. why should i, he said. because everybody mustbelong somewhere. why, he seemed curious. because it is a need thatmust be satisfied. i pet the cat again and she turned into a littledwarf. She shrugged her tiny shoulders in frustration. i don't know,he said. maybe it's better that way, i said. our conversations soonended and we both slept peacefully on the grass plains of New Horaura.

the parade ended abruptly with the sound of bells chiming in thedistance. i felt the horror of it all. running faster than i hadever ran, watching as the specks of granite flew past me, i couldn'tbear to stand the cold smell of sweat and blood. when i could finallybreath, i raised myself 35 levels. i looked down at the whiffingceremony. then i jumped off, down i went, down, down, i watched thefloor approach me at a fascinatingly rapid pace. and then there wasonly darkness

i nudged hoi-sum until he would wake and we talked about everythingfor a while... then he faded out and i was surrounded by the seaagain. i swam up to the surface. the sun was glaringly bright, agolden oval at this time of day. so i retreated back to the depths ofthe sea, finding solace at the wonders of the water.

Dreamed by: Jimmy Lo