Chapter 9
The dream
Sun-jin had a dream she saw the mouth of the cave in it an invisible wall rippled and she saw Li standing near to a fire She heard his voice she reaches for him seeing a woman smiling a mirror of her And with contraction and a strong kick from little Li her son signaling that he be born very soon seeing this she wakes from her dream wonders what it means began to whisper a song in Japanese praying and praising God
The moonlight, usually a comforting caress, felt restless tonight, painting the familiar rice paddies in shifting, ethereal hues. Sun-jin stirred, a low groan escaping her lips as a wave of discomfort washed over her. Her belly, swollen and taut with the life within, felt like a drum about to burst. She’d been dreaming, a vivid tapestry woven with moonlight and whispers. In it, she stood at the mouth of the hidden cave, the one Li had spoken of with such wonder. There, an invisible wall shimmered, like heat rising from a summer road, and through it, she saw him. Li. He stood by a fire, his familiar silhouette etched against the flames. She heard his voice, a melody she’d longed for, and reached out, her fingers brushing against the unseen barrier. Then, a woman appeared, her face a mirror of Sun-jin’s own, a gentle smile playing on her lips. Before Sun-jin could comprehend, a powerful kick, a surge of life from her son, jolted her awake. The dream’s images clung to her, a riddle spun from starlight and longing. Her breath hitched as another, more insistent contraction tightened her womb. He was coming, her son, Li’s son. She whispered a song, a prayer in the language of her ancestors, a melody of hope and devotion, her voice a fragile thread in the vast, silent night.