Running quickly now, she stumbled over twisted roots, as if the very trees were attempting to slow her path. Closer, closer, until finally she collapsed on to the white sand of the beach. She gasped, welcoming the scraping of the broken shells on the palms of her hands as she took in the warm salty air. Grateful tears spilled onto her cheeks as she pushed herself up and crawled onto the wet packed sand, letting the cool water wash over her as the tide ebbed and flowed.

The panic that had driven her there was subsiding, draining away with the lapping waves as she looked up at the sky. The night was clear, and the stars and moon reflected off of the dark water, splitting into a thousand images as waves and currents rippled the surface. The strange dreams seemed so far away.

“It was your imagination,â€? she muttered. “Just get up, and go back to sleep.â€?

After a moment of convincing herself to move, to go back and leave all the foolishness behind her, she felt something brush up against her foot.

Finally.