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we tumbled down the sand dunes filled my head. It was hard to keep myself from smiling.
    Gram always made sure our adventures were full of fun. She told me to never forget the power of laughter. Nothing heals the heart and soul like a good laugh.
    Of course Gram was there on her own little mission. She needed to collect the elements of the earth. She always had selenite, or gypsum as she sometimes called it, in the cupboard. Even though it’s one of the most common minerals, it is very rare to be spread in this form over the earth’s surface. White Sands might be the only location in the world.
    Gram tried to teach me her craft of wielding nature to her bidding through teas, tonics, salves, and incense. Although I was never interested, I did recall most of what she tried to teach me. I also picked up a thing or two listening to her give instructions to her customers.
    The larger pieces of selenite were beautiful. She made some of the nicer fragments into jewelry. Most of them she sold, but I had the one she made special for me. The crystal had a pear-like luster. It always reminded me of the full moon glow. I guess that’s why I usually donned it on my rare evenings out.
    Thoughts of this necklace brought me full circle. I reached up to clench my amulet and gasped. It was no longer draped around my neck. Horrified, I also came to realize the rest of my body appeared to be fitted with someone else’s clothes.
    Purple unicorns, rainbows, and shooting stars—these things were always at the top of my childhood favorites. I vaguely remembered the nightgown belonged to me as a small child. Maybe even before Mom left. I could still hear Mom’s voice calling my name. It sounded a lot like my Gram’s, but I could always tell the difference.
    “Kasha… Kaaa-shaaa…” came at me from the rear.
    I snapped around, and in the distance I could see what appeared to be both my mother and my grandmother standing on a dune.
    “Kasha!” they called to me over and over again.
    “I’m coming!” I hollered back.
    The excitement that filled me had my feet locked into place for only a moment before I began a full-out sprint down the dune. I couldn’t run fast enough. The momentum down the sand hill wasn’t sufficient to get me to the top of the next dune fast enough. The sand kicked up all around me. I wasn’t sure if I was getting any closer. My legs started to burn along with my lungs longing for some low and steady breaths. I couldn’t surrender to my discomfort. I had to see Mom and Gram, together no less.
    Dune after dune, the closer I got, the more my nose filled with the earthy scented oils Gram always dabbed here or there, usually for some kind of medicinal or spiritual reason. One more dune should’ve done it. Finally, I was close enough I could see Gram’s long silver hair lifted in the wind. Mother’s hair hung heavy in one long braid down the center of her back.
    Running so fast with my eyes locked on the only family I’d ever known, I never thought to look down. My foot caught on something and my body, in what felt like slow motion, flew through the air. As I slammed face first into the sand at their feet, things went black again.
     

     
    I WASN’T SURE how long I lay there with my face pressed into the sand that filled my mouth, nose, and eyes. Waves of static crashed against my eardrums. Pressing up to a sitting position, I wiped the sand from my eyes and spit what I could out of my mouth. I feared I would be crunching on sand for a while.
    With my eyes cleared of debris, I looked up to greet Mom and Gram. The sun shone so bright into my eyes, there was no mistake they were gone.
    The sand beneath me wasn’t quite as white and it was hot to the touch. The loud static sounds I heard were actually waves breaking on the shore only a few feet from where I stood. The sun hung low and the sky looked like rainbow sherbet. It was scorching hot, but not like the desert heat. There was moisture on my skin, a