The faint laughter of a child disturbs my sleep and I awaken to find myself standing on the edge of a dense forest.  A dark haired girt stands on a path leading into the shadows beneath the trees, beckoning me to follow.  The boughs create a mythical tunnel over my head as I follow the child, and the path is scattered with the first leaves of autumn. The sound of water greets my ears as I make my way further, just keeping the girl within my sight.  Her simple gown flows behind her as she races down the track, and her long flowing tresses mingle with the colorful ribbons adorning the flowered crown about her head. She disappears through an archway of trees, once more turning to beckon me before racing from sight. The arch opens onto a sandy shore and I realize it is your lake.  The air is heavy and I can see a storm brewing across the water.  Black clouds heavy with rain engulf most of the lake and a distant rumble mixes with the sounds of the lapping waves.  The girl is nowhere in sight, but the discarded crown lies on the edge of the water, slowly being encroached by the waves.  A bolt of lightning hits the water pulling my eyes from the forgotten circlet. A torrential curtain of water drops from the sky, slowly making its way toward the shore.  The view of the further shore seems to disappear from existence as the storm nears and I run back to the forest in hopes of escaping the deluge.

The archway through the trees is no longer there and I find myself facing a dark stone escarpment, climbing high into the sky above.  The darkness of the coming storm and the shadow created by the stone barrier, closes off all light from the beach, and the world dims to a vague vision of ghostly images. I drop to my knees in terror, feeling like a trapped animal with no way to escape.  My eyes drift upwards at the black strip between the oncoming storm and the imposing heights of the rock wall. Millions of stars shine through the narrow gap, no longer diminished by the light of the sun.  I realize that this is my only path of escape and I leap to meet the sky.

Dearest Annalis,

It was not how I had hoped to be united, but you have returned to my dreams.  Sadly it was only you as a child and I was not able to converse with your avatar, But any contact is welcomed during this distressing time.

I have delayed as long as I can, but I must now leave the studio and travel to the next stage of our project.  There is still no update on your arrival although the scheduled date for your journey’s end has come and gone.  Your transport is now a month overdue and even the reassurance I have received from the Louvre rep of the normalcy for this type of delay has not alleviated my worry,  I have put off my departure for the remote research station to  the last moment,  hoping to hear news of your arrival, but the time has come where any more delay will jeopardize the project. The completed rendition has now been away from the full Equine influence for the allotted timeframe of two months and I must join it to continue our work.  I had so hoped to have your support during this difficult stage, but it seems not to be. I am also missing Katryna.  She still has not returned to the studio and my messages have also not been answered.  The silence from her side is as deafening and disturbing as the silence from you. There was never any set agreement between us about her continued involvement here, but I cannot help but worry that her silence is not voluntary.  If my mind was not so preoccupied with your delayed arrival and the eminent departure for the research station, I would investigate further. Even as far as making the journey to find her. Unfortunately I would not know where to start if I could.  I do not even know her family name or what region she is from.

My greatest concern now is you and the effect your absence will have on our project.  I will try and keep the worry at bay in the coming months so I do not skew the results of the research.  It will not be the same as when my emotions distorted my art after you accident, but I will have to be cautious anyway.  The neural scans will be paramount to proving the strength of the painting and you know if I am distressed, no amount of involvement from the Equine essence embedded in the work will eliminate this interference in the experiment. Your prompt arrival would alleviate these stresses, so please hurry. My imagination is creating every type of horror story it can.  The dark dream was not a comfort.  The fact that you disappeared into a black storm leaving me no escape but to leap into the stars was also not encouraging.  I only question where that leap would lead. It seems somehow to prophesize something I must conclude for myself.  If only my mind worked well enough at the moment to figure it out.

I leave first thing in the morning for the remote location.  It is not the best time to be away from the full exposure of the equine, but I do have a substitute.  Let us hope the rendition delivers on its promise and provides the full power of the Equine experience.  If I do not hear of your arrival during the trip out, I will have to wait till the first supply deliver two weeks into my stay for any news.  There is no contact at the station since the dead zone is definitive.  No type of radiation can penetrate that area.  Not even the influence of the Anomaly.

Love Victoria