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The Angel in my Backyard

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        He was in a deep auburn sea which washed around him, enveloping him and his senses, suspended. Individual strands of color caressed his face and body, warming his naked skin. The sea creased in front of him as she came forward, pale, almost glowing and she touched his lips with her finger tip. She swayed and the sea moved, her pearly skin picking up more and more of the red hue that surrounded and carried them.

        Gabriel.

        The word came from nowhere and everywhere but her gray eyes were fixed on his, Gabe's eyes, and she was speaking to him, this angel of fire. Her lips parted and she breathed honey-sweet breath that fogged up the glasses that now appeared on his face. He tried to reach up to wipe away the moisture but his arms weighed too much. The auburn sea receded and swept the woman away with it as Gabe struggled to move, feeling damp and heavy and constricted. His name echoed through the empty world, carrying a hint of honey now tinged with decay and he screamed.

        Gabe found himself in bed, his soaked sheets twisted tightly around him, a faint odor of ammonia rising from the bedding. He unraveled himself from the wet cocoon, wincing from the smell and shame. He brought the sheets downstairs to the laundry room and set the machine to do its job, knowing that he'd likely face the same ordeal the next morning.

        He stepped into his white tiled shower and turned the water on as hot as he could stand and the hot water and steam made his skin turn a bright red as he scrubbed himself thoroughly with an orange luffa. The white tile in the bathroom fogged up as he bathed and he wiped at it absently. And as he finished and began to brush his teeth, Gabe thought of the woman in his dream and smiled, white foam obscuring his teeth. Today was Saturday. He would see her again tonight, this time for real.