Inside a house I stand, packed so tightly that barely an arm can extend. I turn to my left to witness a well-dress man. His robes mimic the style of Japanese Samurai. Two swords dangle about the front of his waist. He's holding his belt like a cowboy. To his belt the sheaths are fastened. They are flat and curved like a scimitar. They are made of gold. On the handles, thick-braided ropes are seamlessly attached so one cannot see where the hilt ends and where the rope begins.

As he unsheathes his blades, I notice the hilts are flat too. He holds the swords delicately by the tips of his fingers, almost praying-mantis style. The swords hang below his hands as he demonstrates the beauty of their martial design, their delicate grace, their quick temper. Upon completing his final thrust, the right blade seems to slip from his hand, only to be caught by the tail and smoothly pulled back again.

I am delighted when he offers them to me. Attempting his thrust release, I accidentally thrust the right sword's curved tip through my left hand. It barely protrudes from the back. I don't remember feeling any pain. Instead of making a smooth, straight slice, when I pulled it out it makes a popping noise and stretches the skin a little, as though it were elastic.

I remember thinking this was very odd, and even said so to the man.

After giving the man his swords back, I turn around to head outside the house to my car, which holds the medical gauze I need to cover up my stigmata. Before I can even make it to my car, I see a bunch of children playing in the street. A ball drops and a couple of kids run after it. I was content to let them play until I saw cars headed in their direction. There weren't paying attention at all.

I run towards them. It's not fast enough. A pulse moves through my body as I slow down time. I drop to all fours. Leaping forward, I grab a hold of tree limbs to propel myself further.

"Hhhhooolllyyy ssshhhhhhhiiiiiiiit," I could hear someone saying in slow motion as I passed.

I reach the children in time, pull them out of the road, and presumably wake up.