
It happened one night
In that beautiful imprecise light in which dreams come, it
is never clear to Pakuh Maddi whether it’s morning or evening, but Balai, her
son, is home. He does not speak—they were not in the habit of speaking much,
mother and son. He is waiting, perhaps, to eat his rice before going to the
fields or resting a little after work, but he looks content. Her grandson is
there too, curling up around his father.
Not much happens in the dream, but they are al