Maia felt like she was falling backward for a very long time. When she finally landed, she floated to the ground with the softness of a feather. She sat up, hoping to find herself in her bed. She wanted to call for her mother, who would comfort her. She wanted everything to be okay. When she looked around, she wasn’t in her bedroom at all. She was in a flower bed. The delicate white petals were crushed beneath her body. Purple and orange streaked across the sky as the sun went down. Happy people strolled along the waterfront. The men all wore long pants and button-down shirts like they were going someplace special. The women wore dresses that went down to their knees and swayed back and forth when they walked. Maia got up and dusted herself off. Then she ran to the middle of the path, hopi
