We hung up, and I went back to bed.

***

I should have guessed I’d dream. Most of them were normal stuff, being chased and not being able to run. Formless terrors. That sort of thing. But one of the dreams was different.

You know the old wives’ tale of if you die in a dream, you die in real life? I can assure you it’s just a tale. Because this dream is one I’ve had before, and I always die in it.

At first there’s not much to it. I’m walking along a dirt road. I’m barefoot, and I can feel the warm earth between my toes. It should feel good, but it doesn’t. It’s like there’s something slimy and disgusting in the dirt. Somehow I know I’m older, at least in middle age. My joints ache, and I don&rsqu...

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