Fresco fought consciousness, not knowing why staying in the dark was preferable to waking. His mind tried to pull him deeper, to submerge him in the quiet of sleep, wanting him to stay forever. He reached for the stillness and embraced it, feeling the cool and calm of it wrap him in a cocoon and shield him from harm.

But the light would not be denied. It tugged at him, coaxed him, tempted him with sounds and warmth. Until, at last, he sighed deeply and came back to the real ...