Like a Dream
The summer air was still and balmy. It lingered with an encompassing warmth that brought a subtle sheen to the skin of those basking within it. The golden light that streamed through the large clear glass windows refracted into a soft rainbow that lay across the wooden floorboards. It was the unique and precious light of the precise moment of a day caught between afternoon and dusk; where the earth is bathed in an ethereal glow, and the sky is washed with shades of delicate blue, with only a whisper of the vibrant pinks and bright oranges that the sunset will bring. Sunset would not come for a while yet, and its delay held the bruised and sombre sky of twilight at bay. The nymphs tightened the dress around the woman’s waist, tugging firmly on the lace strings of the corseted back. Their laughter chimed around the room like delicate bells, soft and tinkling, and the scent of their perfume oil was heavy in the summer air. It was lavender, rose, and sweet orange, and it bathed the air in vibrant violets, oranges, and pinks. The nymphs wove blue violets and rosemary through her hair; violets for adoring love, and rosemary for enduring grief. The earthy scent of the rosemary coloured the air with a tone that was just a little bit deeper. The hem of her dress dusted the tops of her feet, and its train flowed breezily behind her. The lace lay soft upon her shoulders, and dipped down gracefully across her back and chest. It was a soft cream colour, but in the beautiful sunlight it glowed golden yellow.
