"Chaisi, Chaisi, wake up. It's time to go home."
A hand gently pushed his shoulder. His dream cracked, the fragments slipping away, and Chaisi opened his eyes.
The evening clouds on the horizon were already a faint purple, the long clouds dyed a deep crimson, as if someone had smeared rouge across the sky with their fingers.
The silhouettes of palm trees stood tall against the sky. In the evening parking lot, dim yellow lights flickered on one by one.
"You were sleeping so soundly. Were you having a good dream?"
His mother stood outside the car. Seeing him awake, she pulled her hand back through the half-open window and straightened up. Although Chaisi couldn't see her expression, he heard a hint of guilt in her tone. Her voice was very gentle, for guilt is a softener.
Chaisi couldn't remember. The lights in the dream had been bright, far brighter than the western dusk in the parking lot. He had been tall, much taller than he was now.
