Camilla and I step out from my hut. As we cross the threshold, the air changes from chilly rain to dry heat. Once we’re outside, the sands rise up once again to encircle my home. For a moment, there’s a column of dark grains in the shape of my hut. The particles settle again. Any sign of the structure is gone.
It strikes me that losing my old home is more than the dissolution of a spell. Something in my life is ending, too. Another future is beginning. It’s one that will be forever driven by these few days with Camilla.
Speaking of Camilla, she steps around with her tablet in hand. She taps the surface in a rapid rhythm. “Midnight will be here in five, four, three, two, one.”
Both of us stand stock still. The silence is so complete, my ears ring. The clear night sky is pockmarked with c
