Chapter Thirteen
Dreams and Nightmares
A taxi drops me off at the gate. It is sunset, the clouds bright orange. The thick mist from the morning is burned away and the estate basks in a golden glow. A lone figure walks down the lane and stares at me from the other side of the locked gate.
“So, you’ve come back,” Red Silk says.
“Yes.”
“Are you ready to commit?”
“I ... I think so. At least this time I won’t leave because someone doesn’t perfectly fit my fantasy. I don’t know what else to say.”
Red Silk considers this and nods. “That will do, for now.” She opens the gate. “You have a long road back.”
“I’m ready.”
“Then, enter.”
The estate is alive again. Gone is the cemetery atmosphere as ponygirls trot in teams, the drivers’ whips cracking against their backs. One wagon, pulled by a
