Dream Recall

We were strolling along a pier. The body of water it tracked was foreign and old. Trapped in a time we no longer used. Not to say the pier was abandoned or in any way left to the ages. It was only the time that was old.

The great many other strollers enjoyed the weather. For it was nothing if not very wonderful indeed. They had all chosen white. It seems to be a habit of those who are caught strolling along piers. I say this with confidence for those who stroll with us are not only today's strollers. No. Surrounding us are those who have strolled on this pier on the very finest of their days.

There is a striking woman wearing a dress fit for Ascot with great swaths of navy cut into the belts of the bodice and hat further emphasizing that fact that she has chosen to spend her today in white. The lace drapes into a mermaid train and caresses its way down her arms, lending a softness of texture to the harsh whiteness she is enveloped in as she is strolling on this pier.

Everyone, to a man, has the very best of manners, as one does on such a pier.

Coming upon a small row of shops in which those who take pleasure in strolling along piers in white on rather fine days would find those things which are conducive to strolling, we discovered a point.

Past the parasols and fans, standing in front of a parlor dedicated to iced treats, was a small child who was quite alone.

Aside from being solitary, this child had other attributes. For instance, it was a girl, rendering it a she rather than the aforementioned it. She was also garbed in white, except, quite sensibly, for her shoes, which were very smart patent-leather Mary Janes. The white lace of her socks puffed about jauntily above them. A rather fetching, oversized bonnet-style cap served to protect her fair, young skin as well as to obscure her face from passersby. She perhaps was quite the lovely child, but certainly had dark hair. The ends of which brushed her shoulders and invited attention to her well-tended pinafore sundress, entirely white. Far too white for any unattended child standing in such close vicinity to an iced treats shop.

Asking the whereabouts of her guardian brought the extension of one slender arm along a length of pier. Holding my hand, as it is proper to do when being escorted for a child and because I was nearer the child's height than my companion. My companion led the way, keeping alert for any who may be misplaced of a child.