Bones of The Moon

I went around feeling great, and eating half of Italy. I felt no hesitation in gorging myself at any time of the day or night, particularly on goodies. Da

Unlike many pregnant women, I felt fine and full of energy. I even took on more students at Berlitz and the flirting of the year before quickly disappeared when the snazzies saw I was _incinta_.

2

The first of what Da

It began with me looking out of the window of an aircraft as it circled some unknown airport. I turned and looked at a child sitting next to me, who I knew immediately was my son. His name was Pepsi. He looked like a little Irishman: curly brown hair, blue eyes full of curiosity and the devil. Instantly, I put my arm around him and pulled him over so that he could look out of the window too. I started talking as the plane began its slow descent.

«I remember when the sea was full offish with mysterious names: Mudrake, Cornsweat, Yasmuda, and there wasn't much to do in a day. Clouds moved like bows over the sky. Their music was silver and sad. Your father drove a fast little sports car that sounded like a happy bee and he drove me wherever I pleased.»

That was it. That was all that happened, or all I could remember of the dream when I woke the next morning. Da

I was proud of my unconscious accomplishment and told him he was just jealous. I got out of bed and wrote down every bit of the dream, which wasn't hard because the words and scene were still so vivid in my mind. I didn't know what any of it meant, but I didn't care. Creating Yasmuda the Fish and a son named Pepsi made me feel strange and very original.

Sometimes dreams bite like fleas and leave little itchy bumps all over your skin. But you know they're not real; you know your brain is only cleaning out its closet. . . . But that does no good. The vision, like the flea bite, raises a bump that is almost impossible to ignore. I wanted to know where the plane was landing I wanted to know more about Pepsi . . . Pepsi James?

Da

A few nights later some of the questions were answered. I had two glasses of wine with di

«Will there be snow, Mommy?»

«Yes, Pepsi, and the animals. All of the animals you'll love _and_ snow. They've been waiting for us.»

The plane – I realized only now that it was propeller-driven – was dropping quickly through the air. Its rapid descent made me uneasy and slightly ill. I looked out of the window and saw something stu

Pepsi was stretched across my lap, his face all wonder and glee.

«And you know all of them, Mommy? You know each one?»

I put one hand on his springy hair and pointed with the other. «Do you see that big dog there?»

«Yes! He's wearing a hat!»

«Well, that's Mr. Tracy. He's the guide.»

«Mr. _Tracy_? Cullen, light of my life, only one glass of wine at di

I looked at my bowl of breakfast food and nodded sheepishly. Da

«Well, maybe you're lucky, Cul. Some people dream about being chased by monsters. At least Yasmuda and Mr. Tracy are friends. But you've got to be very careful of dogs wearing hats!»

The dream came and went like the spring breezes. Most nights nothing happened; I dreamed of Da

But now and then another episode appeared on my «dream screen» and by turns I was drawn and repelled by a new world which was growing and filling out before me. I didn't know whether or not it was common for people to have continuous dreams; each night a different but contiguous part of some mysterious whole.

Everything there was unusual, somehow wonderful. The island was named Rondua. The only inhabitants I had seen so far were the big animals: Mr. Tracy, Felina the Wolf, Martio the Camel and others. I learned to set my expectations aside and be open to the waves of new stimulus that were forever washing over me. It was a lesson similar to what I had learned in my waking life with Da

Da

What I did was keep a notebook about Rondua and what happened when I was there. I kept thinking that what I saw had all the makings of a dandy children's story, but something held me back from writing anything more than a few shorthand notes to myself about the amazing – or the _more_ amazing things I encountered. There were times when I even felt frightened by the continally unfolding story, but I rationalized it by saying it was all in some way co

The landscape around the airfield in Rondua was black and surrounded by high black rolling hills. Volcanoes lived here once and had left their mark everywhere.

We stood and watched as the plane started its engines and began to move away. Just as it passed us, the pilot stuck her head out of the window and gave us a big wave.

«Good luck, Pepsi! Cullen, don't forget your book report!»

It was Mrs. Eigl, my dreadful sixth-grade teacher. I hadn't seen her fat old face in fifteen years, but I knew it in an instant as one remembers the face of an old nemesis. What the hell was _she_ doing here? She even wore one of those old-time leather flying hats with the flaps over both ears, like the Red Baron.

The plane picked up speed and gu

I turned and looked at the fu

«Where's that plane going now?»

«To the Happiness of Seals. That's in the south of the Second Stroke.»

«Oh.» I nodded and tried to look as if I knew what he was talking about. Seals? Stroke? Welcome to Rondua!

Mr. Tracy and Pepsi were already walking toward a large metal building that looked like a hangar for small planes. I walked fast to catch up, but they had already stopped at the door by the time I reached them.

«Cullen, do you want to tell Pepsi what's inside or should I?»