I awakened from the dream with a start. The snow outside had stopped. The apartment was dark, the only sound Ruth’s steady snore. It felt like someone had just been here and departed only seconds before I opened my eyes. I looked over to the door and saw the chain lock in place.
I lay there for a long time, letting my mind savor the dream imagery. It took me all of about two minutes to put it all together, and when I did, I gasped.
Ruth stopped snoring for a moment and then went right back into it, louder than before.
I sat up, agitated, on the couch. I stood and stretched my arms above my head and moved to the window. The sky had cleared and was now full dark. An orange crescent moon hung low on the horizon, and I could see its shape, wavery, reflected on the slick blackness of the riv
