Rhine. The river that, somewhere out there, has broken free.

But I know all the things you're too sweet to know.

I start trying to stay unconscious. The problem with this is that no amount of willpower can change the reality.

But instead of tears, when I press my face against the pillow, a horrible, primal scream comes out of me. It's unlike anything I thought myself capable of. Rage, unlike anything I've ever known.

Real’ is a dirty word in this place.

I've done it all before, I tell myself, and I can do it again. Trust is the strongest weapon.

They never exhale, the trees; on a very windy day, they rustle and inhale, and then the leaves and the branches all tremble as though something means to strangle the life from them. The sky watches on. The world is filled with anticipation, as if to wonder if this day will be a great day, or a horrible day, or the last day.