In perfect time to the lilting strains of the heavenly music, she stepped along the floor, rising and falling with his lead. He motioned to her with a twist of his wrist and she glided sideways to him, catching a glimpse of his smile. His other hand swept in an arc and gently touched the middle of her back. As they floated toward the other wall in the distance he gently nudged her away, then gathered her back in, nudged her away, and gathered her back in.
He'd led he through a large room with tall windows that sliced rays of sunshine down.
She could only concentrate on him, though, as he guided her through a series of exquisite pirouettes and turns on the smooth, marble floor.
She felt she could have stayed in that room forever. Light suddenly exploded through the tall windows, washing out the contours of the pillars, the floor, and the smiling, tall man. Strangely, she started to float up and away, as if she'd been an angel. Gradually, the bright light washed away and she floated downward. She realized she was waking up, and by instinct, she pushed the mask upward.
The room was still dark.
She had been partially disappointed about coming out of her dream, since she'd been enjoying it so much. It was thrilling at the same time, though, because now she had a fantastic story for Geraldine and the rest of the Dream lab staff. Linda knew that Geraldine watched a series of small screens that looked like the radar screen in submarine movies. The sensors on her eyes would have caused wavy lines on one of the screens, she assumed.
Sitting up, she took off the mask and her sensors. She turned on the light and sat on the edge of her bed for a few minutes. There was no Geraldine and no sound out in the hallway.
It was highly irregular and might even be frowned upon, but she got up and opened the door.
She ventured out into the hallway to look for Geraldine.
They met in the hallway when Geraldine emerged from the office, startling each other in the dim early morning. "Is something wrong?" Geraldine asked.
"I was going to ask you the same thing," Linda replied.
"Did you need the rest room? It's down the other hallway?"
"I just woke up from a dream. I was lucid. I got there on my own, without help from the lights."
"I see." Geraldine gave her a confused look and started back toward the office. There were five screens in there, all of them with flat lines crossing them. Her clipboard lay on a desk beside them.