He had a dream, a dream where he was running through the fields of his hometown, the voices of his childhood companions echoing around him. He saw his own clothes, dirty and ragged, holding tight to a frog he had just caught, its mouth wide open, croaking "ribbit ribbit ribbit."
Looking up, he saw several friends not far away, digging through the muddy soil of the fields in search of eel. In the dream, he forgot where he had been before, nor did he realize he was dreaming. Even if he had known, he would have wanted nothing more than to immerse himself entirely in that false world, willing never to wake again.
But the dream did not last long. Soon, a wind blew in, carrying the scent of summer within the illusion yet brushing against his soul with an icy chill, stealing all warmth away.
