She didn't want to go into the Dreaming alone. She could lose herself here, walking out of her meadow and into the forest, following winding paths with no anchor to haul her back into the real world.

But she didn't come here on purpose. Sometimes sleep steals her away, plunks her down in the middle of the meadow, and this time there are no shadows in the trees. Del sees clearly, the paths reaching away from her, beckoning to her, begging for her to explore.

She starts down one path, and in the distance she sees lights flickering. They dance joyfully, and she skips along the path in time with the flickers, twirling and shouting, singing a bright tune that echoes the motion of the lights.

When she reaches the small clearing, there are no more paths, but the lights still flicker in the distance, still beg for her to come play.

Never step off the path. She knows this, remembers this even in the dreamfog that slips through the cracks in her mind, filling her with joy and pleasure. She has to reach those lights.

She steps between the trees, and begins dancing again, whistling as she skips.

She never sees the shadows coalescing behind her, never sees the darkness that swallows the way back to sanity and home.