Conditional Reality

A dragon in New Zealand rose from her slumber, saw the sun burning high over a green hill, and flapped her wings to cool her eggs. Three days later a heat wave oozed over us in Oregon. We took precautions against dehydration. The radio warned of a bad fire season and counseled us to be careful with campfires and matches. The birds screeched, even the ones who usually sang. Caterpillars metamorphosed early, turning into butterflies weeks sooner than expected. We liked seeing their fiery wings. Three days later a cold spell froze New Zealand. The dragon huddled against the frost.