Can you come pick me up?

I’m somewhere by the beach. At the park. I can hear the sea.

OCEAN’S EDGE BY CHRISTINA OI YING NIP 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 12

The phone’s buzzing woke Milly up. “Milly, are you awake?” Rachel’s voice was muffled and thin. It sounded like it was coming from across an ocean, or like it was rising from deep under the ground.

“Now I am. What are you thinking?” Milly said, rolling over to her side.

“Can you come pick me up?” Rachel said.

Milly could hear the sound of crickets in the background. They hummed and screeched.

“Where are you?”

“I’m not sure where I am. I lost my car.”

Milly sat up. The room spun as she fumbled for the light switch. She ran her hand over the wall. It was smoother than she remembered. Her fingers glided over the smooth, cold wall until they hit the light switch and in her dream-fused mind, she thought that she was touching the marble counter at the sandwich place where she worked.

“Milly?”

“Yeah Rachel.” Milly reached for her glasses on the bedside table. “I’m coming. Where exactly are you?”

“I’m somewhere by the beach. At the park. I can hear the sea.”

“I need better directions. Tell me the cross streets.”

Milly heard Rachel breathing into the speaker. “I’m inside Golden Gate park.”

“You’re at the Golden Gate Park? How did you get there?”

“I walked.” Rachel huffed into the phone. “I was walking around.”

“All right. Stay there.” Milly heard herself say, her voice sounding like it was a stranger’s. “I’m on my way.”