I immigrated to Massachusetts from France when I was sixteen. I didn’t plan to do this, I didn’t have any relatives or friends in America to stay with. It was a cold day, some time in late fall—and for reasons I shouldn’t get into—I was alone with a large sum of money in my pockets. It was raining, and I was lost in a crowd of people much taller than I was. I was unbearably dizzy, and my clothes were soaked in a mixture of water and sweat. I didn’t know where I was heading, but I kept hobbling forward through the horde. I noticed something unusual away from the crowd, something trying to get my attention. A tall, cloaked figure, waving for me to come over. Having nowhere better to go, I obliged.

He (or she, I never found out.) led me away from the city. I’d been heavily sheltered all my life, and this was one of the only times I’d been free to roam outside. On the walk I saw birds, rabbits, insects and flowers. I stopped a couple of times to marvel at these things, my chaperone didn’t mind.

We’d finished walking, and arrived at another place that was new to me; the seashore. Of course, I knew what a beach was, but I’d never visited one. Even in the rain, it looked beautiful. A small rowboat was sitting by the waves, and the hooded thing guided me to it. As we got into the boat, I saw how the sky had become completely engulfed by clouds. Though it was only the afternoon, things were remarkably dim. I’d only noticed then that hooded man’s body cast no shadows. We sat down, and he took the oars.

Not long after we’d taken to the water, a thick fog had built up from all the rain. I could hardly see anything, I don’t know how he could navigate to wherever it was we were going. I asked no questions, I was too tired. It was a long, silent ride. The quiet allowed the unpleasant things rattling in my mind to seep back in, instead I focused on all the places we might end up in. I’d sat there for as long as I could, it felt like a few hours, when I couldn’t take the drowsiness anymore. I curled up and rest my head on the wooden seat. Slowly, the waves rocked me to sleep.

I opened my eyes to see a clear sky full of stars. The first thing I noticed as I woke up was a feint burning feeling across my entire body. My head felt numb, I was dazed and groggy. The boat was at shore, and I was alone in it. A warm blanket was covering me. I sat up slowly, still disoriented, and I remembered to pat my pockets for all of the money I’d been carrying. I sat and counted it, none missing. Also in my pocket was something I’d never put there: an apartment key, marked “111.” How that boat had traveled so far, I can’t tell you, and who the captain was will never be known.