Five Full-Colour Dreams of a Young Marie Curie
Dream #1: Diogenes Lights the Lamp
“Come, child.” Diogenes takes me by the hand. “Let me show you the way.” His fingers are gnarled and twisted, ancient twigs. A delicate accordion of tendons glide under papyrus skin, thin and translucent. I feel every knob and sharpness, the very bone of him. A feral dog at his feet barks a warning.
“You are a seeker of knowledge,” he tells me. “You are a seeker of truth.”
The streets are deserted, although it is midday. He stands still for a moment to light his lamp, though we are already drenched in sunlight.
“You would be surprised by the difference a single light can make.”
We arrive at the temple. The oracle stands before us. She is wrapped in purple robes and crowned by floral garlands but her fac
