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My body shook, and no into ain It was a fa, and I realized that Mr Surly had just juround, still the ain

My cell phone Nana’s special ring

The familiar outlines of my bedroom materialized froe nu

I rolled over and groped on the night table for ar?" came Nana’s worried voice

Why was she worried about ?

"I’htmare," she said She sounded as if she was annoyed with herself "And I woke up with heart palpitations Do I need to worry about that, do you think?"

"It’s pretty nor like your heart is ha to sound patient and not worried When someone was as old as Nana and in such poor health, aln But I never wanted her to know that I needed to take her mind off her heart, help her relax "What was the dreaar, you were lost, so on a road in an old dress, and these big red rats were eating on you It was theI’ve ever seen"

A shiver crawled over my skin I hadn’t asked Criuess I had also never asked hinostication--ran in fauarantee that I’m safe in my apartment, asleep with my cat," I said "I’m just fine And you’ll be fine, too Do you think you’ll be able to go back to sleep?"

"If I could only get up," she said peevishly, "I’d go makein the ru up on her I didn’t tell her, but I always slipped a little Aht, sugar," she said, her voice fading

"I love you, Nana," I answered "Sleep tight"

As I closed my eyes and tossed the phone onto the comforter, I heardaround," so, and I put up a hand to shield myself from the sun I couldn’t breathe, and I clutched at ainst brocade, the stiff stays of ot to hang up," I said stupidly, trying to swim back into whichever reality seeain?"

A shadow loomed over me It was Criminy Stain, his stark face whiter than usual and his eyes frantic and fierce with concern

"I think so," I said "What happened?"

"Give us space," he barked, and the circle of curious faces hovering over me disappeared "Go back to practice, you lazy lot"

His eyes traveled up and down led my toes for him before I realized that he couldn’t actually see , "You scared me, pet You fainted and fell"

"That would explain why ht, I think that hen I finally understood that I wasn’t dreaet bruises in dreams You don’t ache And you definitely don’t sit around talking about where you hen you wake up, afterward

"We thought you were asleep, but we couldn’t wake you," he went on "You ca salts, but your eyes rolled back, and you were gone again"

"I think I re stank"

He s like it But you’ve ceers think you went into a glancing trance and ake up with tidings of dooo?"

"Help me stand," I said "I need air"

He scoopedand placed nified stroll toward his trailer He wasme, actually

"No," I said "Put me down I need to walk My feet are all pins and needles"

He set , then offered his arm We set off for the open field in the opposite direction of the wagon tracks My skirt tangled around rass