Chapter 19 – Perturbations
Jerry dreamed he was running through a recently harvested field. Strands of golden brown brushed his legs, the remnants of whatever crop had been reaped. The safety of the Chakros River lay ahead.
He was enveloped in a cloud of birds and bees. They pecked and clawed and stung. His eyes watered and his nose ran, and the nerves in his skin were aflame.
The river seemed further away now, as if receding from him faster than he could move towards it. It was tantalizing, a sort of cruel teasing, like a beautiful woman toying with a man's affections. Jerry despaired, yet kept running, pumping his legs ever harder.
The scene shifted, the river disappeared altogether, and he found himself in the middle of an endless field. There was no sight of Locus. Even the mountai
