The little shadow that runs through the grass

There is another explosion, deep down in the lower decks—a shower of sparks, a crackle and fizzle—and the lights flicker. 

She can’t do this anymore. She can’t stay awake any longer.

Messy doesn’t even have the energy to materialize. There’s little wisps of gold here and there, like fireflies just out of sight. But she manages to pull it together just long enough to land (somewhere, anywhere, it doesn’t matter).

And then the power cuts out entirely—completely blackness, all extra dimensions gone, no engines. She’s lifeless.

And inside, she’s falling down through the depths, sinking, drowning, the light fading away before her head as something slithers across it…