You walk the narrow hallway. But it’s been painted, you see, painted to look like a huge dancefloor. The people have been painted with their own shaded silhouettes on either side of them on layered cutouts stuck to the wall so it looks like they have depth. The strobes and flames are made of reflectors so it looks like the painted walls actually have lights in them. You love walking down the hallway with all the people dancing around you. You smile and the music has a loud beat and you start to dance. You go crazy! You kick your leg out, fling your arms, shake your shoulders, and slide your hips, this is a dance, and I’m going to dance! You dance for hours but you tossed off your high heels long ago. You get sweaty from all the dancing, jumping, and running, and you feel your makeup smear for the seventh time. Panting and shaking you fall against the wall and slump down between two cutouts. Catching your breath, you look yourself over. Your feet are dirty and sore, and your hair isn’t perfectly curly anymore and it’s not even pinned up anymore from all the head banging you’ve done. You slip your phone out of your bra (because you don’t have a purse or pockets) to check your makeup and it’s nasty and smeared, the phone is too. “Oh yuck, I need a shower.” You brace your knees together and push up against the wall and stand, but not without your hip popping or your knees creaking. You find your heels in the dim hallway with cutout figures and shiny foil on the wall and walk out to your car.

Not even an hour after leaving and you’ve made it back home with your hair down and fingered through, your makeup comes cleanly off, and your white, fresh face is countered by your little red dress. You look at your smeary phone. “5 o’clock…” You roll your neck then look at yourself in the mirror. “You’re a country girl anyway, might as well stay up.” You say with a nod of your head to your reflection in the vanity mirror. Bare feet and bare arms, you walk out to the dock in your little red dress and sit and breathe.

The stars, distant and cold, faded away into the deep, indigo expanse of the night sky. As the sun approached the horizon, a gentle appearance of a gray stillness made the sky and the treetops were once again discernible. The ombre grew from this into a metallic blue and silver, stretching a hand’s reach into the sky. Then, as if it had always been there, a dome of light crested the greenish silhouetted trees, shining out gold, cherry, and lavender. The sun’s reflection shone in the deep and dark lake in a dazzle of ice, clear blue.