Flora & Ulysses

Flora was dreaming.

She was sitting on the bank of a river. William Spiver was sitting beside her. The sun was shining, and a long way off, there was a sign, a neon sign. There was a word on the sign, but Flora couldn’t read it.

“What does the sign say?” Flora asked.

“What sign?” said William Spiver. “I’m temporarily blind.”

It was comforting to have William Spiver act just as annoying in a dream as he would in real life. Flora relaxed. She stared at the river. She had never seen anything so bright.

“If I were an explorer and I discovered this river, I would call it the Incandesto,” said Flora.

“Think of the universe as an accordion,” said William Spiver.

Flora felt a prick of irritation. “What does that mean?” she said.

“Can’t you hear it?” asked William Spiver. He tilted his head to one side. He listened.

Flora listened, too. It sounded as if someone a long way off were playing a toy piano.

“Isn’t it beautiful?” said William Spiver.

“It doesn’t sound much like an accordion to me,” said Flora.

“Oh, Flora Belle,” said William Spiver, “you’re so cynical. Of course it’s an accordion.”

The sign was closer. It had moved somehow. The neon letters were blinking on and off and on and off, spelling out the words WELCOME TO BLUNDERMEECEN.

“Wow,” said Flora.

“What?” said William Spiver.

“I can read the sign.”

“What does it say?”

“Welcome to Blundermeecen,” said Flora.

The piano music got louder. William Spiver took hold of her hand. They sat together on the banks of the Incandesto River, and Flora was perfectly happy.

She thought, I don’t feel homesick at all.

She thought, William Spiver is holding my hand!

And then she thought, I wonder where Ulysses is.