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Ariela knows there are some things she is not meant to understand: why the Ouija board always slides to "YES" when Selene and Irena ask about the meaning of life, the perfection and fragility of the human body, and the allure of butterflies.
So it is on this warm April afternoon that Ariela finds herself perched in the courtyard of her sister's California desert home. Selene has rolled her into a sunny spot and for the first time in months, she is warm. "Thanks. I need this," she says with a satisfied sigh.
"I knew you would love this patch of serenity. I'll leave you to your thoughts," Selene says as she strokes her sister's hair, then returns to the cool adobe house.
Now alone in the courtyard except for a comatose cat, Ariela's thoughts turn to the past two years and how her life changed in the flutter of a wing. One moment she felt the brisk seawater surrounding her agile body — the next, she lay shrouded in sheets, unable to move. She wanted to die.
That was then. Somewhere along the way, she shifted into survival mode instead of slipping through the keyhole. Though she knows her recovery is far in the future, she is determined it will come.
As the sun wraps around her mind, at once providing energy and lethargy, she watches two silvery lizards frolic through the groundcover. Ariela dreams she's romping with them, moving freely, twisting and turning over rocks and sparse foliage to find that perfect spot — if only for a moment. The lizards stop atop a barrel-sized boulder to bask in the heat of the day and dream of butterflies. In unison, they invite Ariela to join them in their reverie. She hears their song and eagerly leaps from her chair, leaving her body in her mind's wake. She's free, and flowing through the warm air lifts her toward new possibilities. Now poised upon the boulder between the two lizards, Ariela dreams of butterflies too — of their velvety elegance as they flutter here and there, carefree. She understands that someday she will be a butterfly.
In the meantime, Ariela ponders life from the boulder — from the rock that is her world. Though it warms her belly now, the rock will chill as the sad, dark days of winter descend upon the desert. Knowing this allows Ariela to savor the moment, to treasure the grace by which it has been given.
Without warning, Ariela's courtyard is no longer her private sanctuary. The noisy arrival of Selene's three children transports her back into her chair. There will be no escape through the keyhole this time. Dreamily, she struggles to face this new reality while the lounging lizards scamper into the brush.
"Mmmm…hi, guys. What's all the commotion?" she asks.
"We're chasing a snake!" the boys shout at once.
"What kind of snake? Better not be a rattler," she says.
"Nah, it's just a rosy boa. Look. We found its skin." With a proud smile, Irena holds up the two-foot long, translucent skin for Ariela to admire.
"Good find," she says as Irena places the ghostly parchment on her lap. "It's a real beaut."
"Can we keep it, Aunt Ari?" Robbie asks.
"What are you going to do with it? Hide it away somewhere? Let's leave it out for the birds. It's good nesting material. Remember — recycle, recycle."
The frowny-faced children agree to leave the skin in the yard. After placing it on a corner patch of pebbles, Irena says, "Anybody want some lemonade? How 'bout you, Aunt Ari?"
"No thanks, but would you please roll me into the shade?"
The three children struggle to push their aunt into the shadow of the eave. Now thirsty and tired of the snake chase, they retreat inside for lemonade. And the snake breathes a sigh of relief.
Ariela drifts off, only to find she is slithering alongside the snake, in search of a safe spot. The boulder again becomes her refuge — this time, in the shade of the rock. She dozes, and dreams of shedding her skin, of leaving a ghost of herself behind and moving on with a dewy, new iridescence. Ariela ponders the elusiveness of being comfortable in her own skin. It's a battle between strength and vulnerability, yet she knows the fragile moments will pass.
Resting in the rock's shade, the snake-skinned Ariela catches a glimpse of the cat slinking toward her. Penetrating amber eyes and a killer instinct guide its sleek black body. Fear paralyzes Ariela's mind, leaving her body naked to the feline's desires. Butterflies flutter by and the cat chases them out of the courtyard. Ariela breathes a sigh of relief. There is no keyhole in sight.
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