two nights ago, someone broke into my dreams and i couldn’t chase him because i had to wake up and meet someone and i couldn’t be late. entire dream was whispering that it’s 5:00, i had to go. i caught glimpses of the man slipping through the crowd. i’d seen him before. i’d seen him in recent dreams before. he looked like christian. but lately, they all look like christian. and christian had looked like someone else. it’s the shaved head that triggers something. i choose to wake up. it’s 5:00, just like my dream said it was. stumble around in the dark. think about that shaved head moving through the crowd. my mind sends out a trace. china pings back.