She tumbled into her house at about 9 p.m. She was just getting home from work. There was something different about this day, though. It was her first night in a new house.

She ran her own business, interior decorating. It had taken her years of hard work to build it up and make it really thriving and profitable, but she’d done it. Now she could finally afford to enjoy some of the things she’d always longed for. She had just finished building her dream house.

She laid her purse and keys wearily on the tall table inside the door. As usual it had been a long day. She walked up the stairs and across the dark living room, sparsely furnished, to the big bay window at the back of the house. There was enough moonlight to see the yard and the trees beyond it.

Sod had already been installed. The lawn looked lush even in the darkness. The trees at the edge of it were thick, thin trunks, but some were twisted or gnarled. Creating a beautiful tangled look.

The land had been affordable because of those trees. She had bought land outside of town, in an area that no one wanted to build in. Not because it wasn’t a beautiful place, but because no one wanted to have to cut down all the trees, and dig up the roots, just to build there.

But she hadn’t minded. She liked the seclusion of the woods. After days spent mollycoddling clients and solving problems, she loved the solitude. She didn’t even have neighbors. It was perfect.

Her friends and employees had wanted her to have a house warming party, but she’d declined. It seemed like a weird way to celebrate her seclusion. Inviting a bunch of people over.

She peeled off her jacket and left it on the couch. It was early spring. Soon it would be warm enough to go without a jacket, but not quite yet.

She kicked her shoes off and left them in the living room. As she walked down the hallway she took off her tiny earrings, her delicate bracelet and placed them in a clay bowl on her dresser in her bedroom.

She carefully removed her clothes, her fancy work clothes, and put them in the hamper. Freedom. She always felt better in pajamas. But not time for that yet. She wandered back down the hall and into her beautiful new bathroom. It had a giant jet stream tub, and near that a big shower with pretty gray and brown stone tiles, and a shower head that was wide and directly above her so it dropped water onto her like a rainstorm.

She stood under the water now and let the warmth carry her away from her stressful day. A client had actually wanted her to install a waterfall in his living room with the water flowing upwards. God.

After her shower she put on comfy pajamas and climbed right into bed. It was a king sized bed. She’d never had one before, but she’d figured why not? The master bedroom was huge. Big enough to fit one. The bed felt a bit roomy, though.

From her bed she could still see the yard and the trees in the back of the house. None of her windows had curtains. That had been a detail she hadn’t wanted to bother with yet. Carpet and paint colors were as far as she was willing to go. She may be an interior designer, but she hated to work at home.

She gazed at the trees for a moment, then let her eyes close and fell into a welcomed sleep. She felt herself being pulled into a dream that was so vivid it almost felt like waking again, but somewhere else. Not her house, maybe not even Earth. The sun was warm and high and she was in a beautiful wood, in a clearing. There were a lot of willow trees and other dainty trees. Different than the ones outside her home, less foreboding.

Birds were singing quietly. A deer trotted by in the trees. She glanced down at herself and saw she was wearing an old-fashioned dress. It looked like it was from the Renaissance era.

She felt and saw all of this vividly, not hazy like a dream. She wondered if this was a lucid dream. Is this what lucid dreams were like? She decided it must be, since she was even aware at all that she was dreaming.

She began to walk through the trees. She felt relaxed and happy. She put her hands on the tree trunks as she passed them. She heard the rush of water and followed the sound. It was a river splashing through a path it had cut itself between the trees. It was only about 10 feet wide, and she stood at the edge of it, watching the flicks of daylight dancing on the fast moving water. And suddenly she became aware that she was not alone. She looked up.

She was a little startled. A man stood on the other side of the river, across from her. She hadn’t heard him approach. He looked just as surprised to see her. He was kind of… beautiful, like he belonged to the woods. This world.

He was about her age. He wore some kind of rough brown material, a sleeveless shirt, that showed off his muscles. And darker brown pants, and dark boots. He also was dressed out of another time. Maybe the frontier west. His hair was reddish blond, eyes were light, maybe blue. He was tan and glowed, like he’d just been working hard at something. He was tall and bulky, in a muscular way. He was quiet and unmoving, like a deer blending in with its environment.

She felt her cheeks burn when she realized he was taking in her appearance too. She glanced down at herself again. Making sure she wasn’t scantily clad or something. He seemed to like what he saw. Enough to make her blush.

When she looked back up, he was gone. She hadn’t even heard him leave.

Then she woke up, to morning sunlight streaming through the curtainless windows. She had a moment of panic thinking she was late for work, then woke up enough to realize it was Saturday. Thank God. She threw the blanket over her head to block out the light and try to doze.

Nice dream, she thought, and smiled under the blanket.

* * *