Insomnia all night. I didn't sleep until daybreak, and then not very well. Pounding head, scratchy throat. Possible fever. Even so, I wasn't sure I was really sick enough to stay home...until, while everyone else was getting up:

1. I got very sick and couldn't go to school. Dad was disappointed in me. Except... then I woke up.
2. I didn't feel that bad. So I dragged myself to school. THEN got very sick--so sick I had to call Mom to pick me up and get me home. She was annoyed at me. Except... then I woke up.
3. So I got up and this time made it all the way to the front door before facing just how sick I felt. I told Mom "I'm not going" and headed back toward bed. But as I did, BOTH parents shook their heads in disappointment and exchanged that special parental glance they have, the one that says

   "Methinks our daughter doth complain too much..."

   And then I woke up again.

BIRD CRASH

My friend Maddie and I are held captive by a man on an airborne pirate ship. But we free ourselves and take control of the vessel. Immediately, a dream-teacher shows up in the form of a big black bird, a garuda or roc. In that shape, I'm not sure if it's my teacher Aorphe, or hers, Aine.

Our teacher says we're on a quest. "Your current challenge is to get from the ship to that airplane speeding along below us." It's too far to jump, and we can't steer closer.

But our teacher abruptly jumps over the rail, soars around the plane in a wide arc. My spirit, catching on, becomes a bird and follows...but my body, huddled queasily on the deck, refuses to go along! Instead, I control my bird spirit from afar, manipulating it like a marionette. My bird spirals down--but I misjudge distances, and crash into our teacher.

I expect one or both to fall injured. Instead, one bursts into flame. Then they BOTH catch fire. The fire grows, spreads, becomes a field, an expanding disc in the sky. Then it explodes.

When our eyes clear, a shiny vortex like an enormous vinyl record has materialized directly below us. It looks like it's swallowed the world.

We try to steer the ship away, but the vortex is too big, has too strong a hold on us. Abandon ship! We escape in the tiny lifeboat glider, fly like hell. We don't know what that vortex will do, but we're pretty sure that down there is no place to be.

"Aw, man. We destroyed the world," I whine to Maddie.

"Yes. And you killed our teacher."

"God damn it!"

But what could we do? We kept flying.

Much later, I came back through this area alone, in another bird form...and found our pirate ship drifting. No vortex. Nothing wrong. So I sought out the cabin, crawled into my bunk, and fell asleep. And woke up here.

MORAL (1)

Thank god I didn't go to school today.

MORAL (2)

If I'm feeling weak, just stay put. Stay home. Stay in my body. Lessons can wait.

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