He had all but whispered them! How were they echoing?
"Go outside," the man said.
"Okay," Scott said, getting up. He walked outside, and into a paradise.
He gasped. It was beautiful. There was no rain, no asphalt. The sky was clear, and there were trees, grass, and other plants.
In front of him was a waterfall. It occurred to him that this was why he hadn't noticed the rain going away. The waterfall sounded like it.
He stared around. He liked it here. No, he loved it here.
It was the most beautiful place he'd ever witnessed.
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He found his attention being drawn to a stone wall behind the waterfall. He saw small windows set into the stone at regular intervals.
He was never going to learn the man's name here. He figured that the wall was the best way he could find civilization.
He looked over his shoulder, and saw only a sheer cliff, inches behind where he was standing. Looking over the cliff, he saw sharp, uninviting rocks. Those would kill him if the fall didn't.
Scott walked along the rocky edge of the water, until he reached the wall. He couldn't fit through the windows, but he could use them to lift himself.
So, he stepped into a window, and hoisted himself up to the top of the wall. He looked over the top, and saw a bustling city.
Scott frowned. How was he going to find hints as to the man's name here?
Well, you miss all the shots you never take, so he hopped over the wall. Having done that, it occurred to him that he was in a desert. The ground was sandy, and the air was hot and dry.
Scott frowned. He had expected more paradise, and considered hopping back over the wall.
Yet, when he looked back at it, he saw nothing. Just sand, going as far as the eye could see.
Scott shrugged, going into the city. He saw large buildings, and crowds. Lots of crowds.
He wandered into an open marketplace, and looked around. It was noisy here: vendors yelling about what they had, performers playing music, people talking... it was too much. He ducked into an alleyway, and saw a woman sitting in a chair off to the side. She was holding a bundle of rags.
"Do you want to see my baby?" she asked.
"Sure," Scott said.
She held out the rags, and he realized they were wrapped around a baby. An adorable baby.
"His name is Mitch," she said. "He's an angel. I hope he becomes important someday. Maybe he'll be important in your life."
"Maybe," Scott agreed, rushing through the rest of the alley.
_
Scott woke up, his heart pounding in his chest.
"That was a strange dream," he whispered to himself. Then he shrugged. "I guess I'll try to think about the man's name, but he can't possibly be a real person, so I won't stress about it."
He turned off his alarm clock, and went to get breakfast.
It was time for work.
_
Scott was a music therapist. He worked with children, especially.
He loved what he did. He loved seeing the kids improve with their speech and movement abilities. He loved knowing that it was him who had caused that effect.
He got to work at ten o'clock. He went to his room, opening the curtains and getting everything ready for his first student, a six-year-old with cerebral palsy. She was very slowly learning to talk and move more easily.
Scott was getting out the things he needed for his student when he thought of something.
This girl's name was Michelle. It was an awful lot like the name Mitch. That was the name of the baby in his dream.
"That's it," he said. "Mitch."
***
Isn't that waterfall the most beautiful thing ever? I made it my computer background. It didn't keep the full picture on the background, though.
