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into a cradle, safe and loved. Heaven , she thought. I am going to Heaven .
    There was a dim light some distance ahead, and she became aware of the improbability of the presence beside her, wrapped around her body, its mouth tightly clasped to hers. It seemed bizarre that she would be escorted to heaven in the embrace of an angel.
    The light grew brighter and narrowed to a thin beam. Vision began to return, and she could discern the outline of a gap ahead, a doorway perhaps. As she neared this entrance, she was filled with bliss. Thrust forward, she found herself lying on a soft, wet surface that yielded under her weight. She tried to focus her eyes in the diffuse light. She was disoriented and struggled to sit upright, like a convalescent too long in bed. Her fear grew as she surveyed her surroundings and noted the black stone walls around her, illuminated by a vaguely red florescence. The room was dank. Marissa panicked as the ache returned to her chest. In an instant, it came to her: she’d gone not to Heaven, but to Hell.
    Marissa opened her mouth to scream and someone rushed to her side. The hand that grasped hers was cool and silky, comforting. She turned toward its owner, and gazed into a pair of almond shaped eyes the color of the gray sea, iced with froth from waves that beat against the rocky surf. Before Marissa could speak, his lips were on hers. Consciousness drained away as she fell back to the ground and slipped into an ecstasy that only Heaven could contain.

 
     
     
    Ten
     
    B y midmorning, the residual elation from last night’s dream was gone, replaced by a sense of profound loss. Yesterday’s grimy jeans and sweater still hung on her as Marissa paced the floor in the tiny room. Hewas swimming in that watery paradise, longing for her. Why else would he have rescued her? Maybe she was destined to become his wife, like the girl in the Indian legend.
    On the dresser, her phone began vibrating and she lunged to pick it up before it transferred to voicemail. Kelly’s number was on the display. “Hi Kels! Wow, I’ve missed you! What are you doing today?” Her words tumbled out like river rapids cascading over a cliff.
    “Hell, Issa,” she said, “how come you didn’t call to let me know you were going to be at your mom’s for Christmas? I called your apartment in Corvallis when you didn’t answer your phone—Erin told me.”
    Marissa ignored the peevish reproach. Her sadness at the fading of her dream was gone. Now she was thrilled, dying to tell her friend, but decided to wait and tell her in person so she could see the surprise on her face. “Sorry. Phone was off, didn’t want it to wake Mom. So, when are you coming over?”
    “There’s no way I’m coming to your mom’s place. Jeez, Marissa. Meet me for coffee at our usual. How soon can you get your butt there?”
    Marissa glanced down and realized for the first time that her clothes were filthy. She caught her reflection in the dresser mirror across the room. Holy Crap, she thought, I look awful.“Um, I’m moving kind of slow today, slept in late,” she said. “Give me an hour or so to shower. Eleven good?”
    Hanging up the phone, Marissa stared at herself in the mirror. She hardly recognized the girl. Her long auburn hair, streaked with cobalt, was starting to clump together; a few weeks more like this and she would  wind up with dreadlocks. Her face looked tired, haggard. And the eyes. Kind of crazed or something. All together, she looked wild. No wonder her mother acted like she’d seen a circus freak when she saw her yesterday.
    Marissa recoiled from the memory of last night’s encounter with her mother and that new man in her life. Seriously. Even her mother could do better than some old dude like George.She stole through the hall to the shower, making as little noise as possible. With any luck, she could make it out of there before her mother woke up.
     
      
    Marissa admired the swirl of brown in the foam topping her