I drifted outside, dreamlike, not bothering to use the door, clutching the toy rabbit to my chest like a lifeline. worlds floated past like silk, slipping through each other with a rush of rustling paper. the sound swept past my ears, brushed through my hair, settled in violet ripples on the anchor in my hands. I pulled him closer, stroking his velvet ears. memories fluttered at the edges of my mind, there for an instant, then gone, snared by the stream of light and ink. I had a job to do. I pushed on, sliding easily through worlds, my rabbit casting an unsteady glow around me. words swirled on the edges of pages, words I could barely make out, twisting and curling in a vivid dance. I had a job to do. just keep to the path and never let go. never let go. too late. a dark shape formed before me, an inky blot with needle-claws and burning eyes. it lashed out at me, screaming with a sound like lightning. I leaped aside but it was ready, it caught my shoulder, blood streaming from an open gash. I fell, and it took the chance. my rabbit was ripped from my hands and I felt the link being severed, like a tear in my heart. the darkness closed in and I knew what had happened. I knew I wasn’t going back. no one does.
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