Conditional Reality

Pokerface Spiderbite lived in the desert but dreamed of the sea. When she retired from her job as a card dealer in Las Vegas, she bought a motor home and made the journey to the Oregon coast. She parked near a beach and walked down to the sand. The tide was low. Pokerface walked out to towering exposed rocks covered with barnacles and anemones. She sat near a stand of kelp, closed her eyes, and fell asleep. As the tide rose—turning her rock back into an island—waves lapped at her feet. Pokerface dreamed of scorpions biting her ankles.