Silky bristles brushed Luna's souls as she began to rise above the city. Peering over her curved arthritic shoulder, little Arlo was floating near by--bones and all clattering in the high atmospheric winds. Below, the conservatory became a small dimly lit orb among the solar system of Dreamwood. The bristles faded from vibrant green and blue to a dark grey, then black as the birds further lifted the pair into the sky.
Stardust faintly glittered Luna's skin and illuminated the feathers of the peacocks lifting her further into the abyss. The bones floating nearby were coated with the substance and began to move with the rhythm of the peacocks' gradual swaying as the universe grew larger before them. Luna reached forward and began consuming the stardust, giggling while staring at Arlo, providing encouraging glances as she continued to shove the sparkling chalk-like substance into her mouth--causing her cheeks to puff up.
His brittle bones started slowly mimicking Luna's, throwing the glittered dust into the space between his jaw and head. All while the dust floated through his skeleton and down to the small solar system beneath the birds.
The sudden realization of what was floating next to her caused orbs to collect in the inner corners of Luna's eyes, becoming too heavy and gliding through the dust down her swollen cheeks. The orbs left streaks of glitterless skin, exposing a dry wrinkled reality. Slowly the dust combined, creating corners and lines in the distance. "5 of Cups" appeared outlined by a large rectangle of sparkling matter. The peacocks continued to bring Luna and the corpse closer and closer to the illuminated tarot card. Luna refused to recognize the true meaning of the card, she couldn't face it, she couldn't accept the loss floating next to her.
The dust dissolved Luna's skin, leaving her brittle bones drenched in glitter, floating.
*******
Lugging the bones back into the baby stroller, Luna buckles in her baby brother and makes the descent back down the 12 flights of stairs of the conservatory. About halfway down, she picks up the stroller and chucks it down the empty space between the flights and drags Arlo behind her--creating a routine rhythm of clanking.
On the street, Luna decides to take a casual stroll around town and show Arlo the fabulous sights of Dreamwood. She begins with the carved statue of a random man in the middle of a fountain, a damp patch of cement, followed by a hot patch of cement, and continues her stroll. Passing a hospital, Luna begins to feel the effects of gravity. Her body begins to sink, ankles buckling; however, everything becomes still as she locks eyes with a woman in a distant window. Immediately Luna is struck with the feeling of emptiness, Hazel, she needs to leave, a voice inside her whispers. Giving the girl a wink, Luna begins her plot.
Minutes later, Luna found herself rolling out a velvet blanket in a nearby patch of woods. Straightening Arlo's bones up in the stroller, Luna retrieves her spiritual and vision notebook from the rack beneath the chair of the stroller and her crystal. In attempts to help the young girl escape, Luna peered deeply into the rock...occasionally jotting down findings.
Her temples began to feel a slight pressure as she looked up and dust began to fall. However, the dust which glittered the ground did not fall in a random array...the substance fell constantly until a clear sentence could be made out in the pine straw.
"Today, you should be the passenger. Stay close to a driver for a day"
Closing her notebook, Luna stared into the eyeless sockets, which glared back.
