At four in the morning, I finally tell him about Ellen. Ben holds me close as I continue to cry and he comforts me kindly as the tears finally dwindle. Having exhausted myself, I eventually fall asleep without a trace of the dream appearing in my mind. I awaken feeling so refreshed that even the thought of my sister cannot summon up sadness. Perhaps the grief has passed and Im free of the haunting.
It is several days before I hear from Dr. Astin again and Ive almost forgotten the absurd instructions that ended our session in his office. Yet, those instructions are so close in my consciousness that when I hear his gravelly voice on the phone, my body is instantly aroused with expectation as the images play again through my thoughts. As repugnant as the instructions are, I find myself hun
