In the kitchen, she poured herself a glass of cold water. As it rolled down her throat, the dream reasserted itself.

Water surrounded her--cold water. No light from either of the planet's two suns penetrated to this depth. The Empyrean soldiers would be fools to bring their vessels this far down. They would soon learn to fear the creatures of Nedamla's seas, as much as they feared their Empyror. A wicked smile crossed her face at the thought of Empyrean soldiers being killed by a Nalath from the depths of Nedamla's Utoch Sea. She knew as long as she shone no lights into the depths to disturb the Nalath, she was safe. Bright lights would bring the wrath of the large sea lizard.

Deanna shook her head to clear her mind of the disturbing images and thoughts. She started to take another swallow of water, but as the wetness touched her lips, she could feel the dream trying to dominate her consciousness. She placed the glass on the counter and spoke aloud, "No!" Instinctively, she put her hand to her lips to silence herself, fearing she would wake her mother. Then, she remembered that her mother was dead.

Deanna needed fresh air. She crossed the living room and unlocked the sliding glass door to the deck.

It was a clear night. The sky was full of stars and the sea breeze had lowered the temperature to where it was comfortable. She inhaled the damp ocean air, so heavy with salt, she could taste it. She closed her eyes and tried to relax. Within seconds, the disturbing dream images filled her mind: a lush tropical jungle with plants never seen on Earth, and a sky the wrong shade of blue, in which hung twin suns.

She opened her eyes to the darkness of night on Earth. Anger and fear mingled within her. She wondered if she was losing her mind--if someone was playing an elaborate hoax on her, some kind of Gaslight Treatment. But why? And how?

This was the third night in a row she had asked these questions and she was no closer to an answer now, than she had been when the dreams first began. What she was closer to was a nervous breakdown. Even if the images weren't so violent and disturbing, the lack of sleep alone would do her in--soon.

Pacing the deck, she thought about the images she had been experiencing. Realizing they seemed to center around water, she decided to concentrate on drier thoughts.

Focusing her mind on the Sahara Desert, she paced the deck like the captain of a ship. The cool breeze billowed her T-shirt and her mind strayed from thoughts of the Sahara...

Swimming rapidly toward safety. The water became colder as she went deeper. She was scared--but her fear was more for her child than for herself. Had she gone undetected when she slipped out of the city? Or had an Empyrean soldier seen her enter the Utoch Sea? There were lights behind her that reinforced her fear. Hiding behind a large outcropping of a coral-like rock, she watched as the Empyrean vessel passed their hiding place.

Deanna slapped herself hard across the face. Damn it! She knew she had to keep her mind focused on deserts...the Gobi, the Sahara, the Kalahari-Arakis. The thought occurred to her that the whole planet in the book Dune was a desert.

With her plan in mind, Deanna headed back to her bed. She lay down and began to concentrate on remembering every detail she could about the book by Frank Herbert. Soon she was asleep. The rest of the night passed fitfully.

The alarm clock woke her. She was far from rested, but to stay home today would be impossible. She was to testify in court.

She stretched, rose from the bed, and padded to the bathroom. Groggy from not enough sleep, her concentration easily slipped from thoughts of the desert planet. As she brushed her teeth, the sound of the running water took her back to the planet of two suns.

Ships like jet fighters, only not quite the same, filled the sky. They fired pulses of energy. Buildings exploded and burst into flames. People ran through the streets screaming. Everywhere she looked were the dead and the dying.

As quickly as they had come, the images were gone. Deanna stood in the bathroom, her mouth full of toothpaste--staring at herself in the mirror, her toothbrush in her hand, held like a weapon.

She shut off the water and looked--from her image in the mirror, to the toothbrush in her hand, to the sink. The realization struck her: she was terrified to turn the water back on.

As she forced herself to reach out and open the faucet, she admonished herself for how silly it was to be afraid of running water.

Rinsing her mouth and her toothbrush, she concentrated on the desert planet, and like a mantra continuously said one word. Arakis. Arakis. Arakis.

Before she was finally ready to leave for court, she pulled her copy of Dune from the bookshelf and took it with her.

While waiting to be called to testify, Deanna usually did the paperwork for whatever case she was currently working. Today, she didn't even trust herself to fill out a mileage form properly, so when she wasn't mentally reviewing her testimony, she read Dune.

Court broke for lunch and Deanna headed downtown for a sandwich. Using the footbridge across the river, she could feel the dream images trying to intrude. With an effort, she pushed them away.

Eating alone dulled her appetite, so she only ate half of the chicken salad sandwich. She washed her last bite down with the coffee that was growing cold.

Outside, the Florida sky began to turn threatening. She smiled as she watched different people react to the building thunderheads. It was easy to spot the locals--they barely noticed the growing threat. The tourists looked skyward with everything from idle curiosity to fear.

The miniature study of the psychological effects of an afternoon thunderstorm brought Kate to mind. She pulled her cell phone from her pocket and dialed. "Hi, gorgeous."

"Hi yourself. How've you been? Haven't heard from you for a while."

Deanna laughed and replied, "Ditto. Did you forget phones work both ways or did you lose my number?"

"Sweetie, I've had your number for years."

"Very amusing."

Kate went on in a more serious tone. "Actually, I thought it might be a good idea to let you have some time to yourself."

Deanna sighed. "Look, Kate, we've known each other too long to play this etiquette game. I know you've stayed away so I could get used to being alone, now that my mother's gone. Gone, hell! She's dead! She's not gone, like you go on a trip you'll come back from. She's dead." Deanna stopped and drew a deep breath to calm herself. Before Kate could say anything, she continued, "Look, could you come over this evening? I'll grill up a couple of steaks, order a pizza, whatever you want. I just really need to talk to a friend."

Kate answered without hesitation, "Sure thing. I haven't had a pizza in a while. I'll stop on my way and grab a six pack of soda. I can be there by about 6:15. How's that?"

A smile spread across Deanna's face as she answered, "That's great! See ya then." She felt as if a great weight had just been lifted off of her.

The sun had set while the two friends consumed most of a large pizza. With their appetites satisfied, they sat in relaxed silence for a few minutes.

Kate loved sitting here, watching the ocean. She found the sounds of the sea relaxing and it brought back memories of when they were kids. Kate smiled at the memory of summertime sleepovers at Deanna's house. Deanna's mother would let them sleep outside on the deck in hammocks.

Kate looked at Deanna and wondered what was bothering her. Mickey's death had shaken Deanna badly. It had happened so unexpectedly and mother and daughter had been very close. Kate had thought that perhaps Tracie would be able to help Deanna through this transitional time, but there was no sign that Tracie was staying in the house anymore.

"By the way, what happened to Tracie?"

"She left." Deanna offered no explanation of the statement.

"So, D, what is it that you wanted to talk about?"

Deanna straightened up in her chair and cleared her throat. She started to speak and then stopped as she considered what words to use. What were the right words to use when telling your friend, who also happens to be a shrink, that you believe you're from another planet, or that someone from another planet has planted thoughts in your head? How should she tell her--especially when she wasn't even sure that's what she believed?

Kate patiently waited.

Deanna took a couple of deep breaths and then without thinking about what she was saying, she began, "Kate, I'm beginning to doubt my sanity."

"Oh, what's her name?"

Deanna barely smiled at her friend's joke.

Her reaction to the question made it clear to Kate that this was a very serious issue to Deanna. With hardly a pause, Kate changed her tack. "Okay, so this has nothing to do with a new love interest. How about being a little more specific?"

"I've been having dreams lately--very disturbing dreams. They're more like memories. I wake up in a cold sweat, scared half to death. I stay up for at least a half hour so that when I go back to sleep, hopefully, I won't go back to that same dream."

"What specifically is it about these dreams that's so disturbing?"

Deanna took a drink of her soda, drew a deep breath, and released it as a heavy sigh.

The deep-breath-sigh habit of Deanna's was Kate's first physical clue that Deanna was seriously stressed.

"I'm not sure how to describe them." She paused. "It's like being caught up in a surreal science fiction movie. I'm swimming underwater, breathing through gills. They're on my sides, almost under my arms."

Deanna was unaware that she reached up and felt her sides.

"This is not a leisurely swim. There are soldiers after me."

She rose from her chair and began pacing the deck, as she continued, "There is another one where I'm running through city streets. The city is under attack by some kind of aircraft. Similar to jet fighters, only not jet fighters. This craft shoots some kind of energy pulse. Buildings are exploding and catching fire all around me. People lay dead or dying everywhere I turn."

Deanna took a deep breath before she continued, "The one where I'm being chased underwater woke me last night. I finally managed to get back to sleep by concentrating on the planet Arakis. You know, from Dune."

Kate acknowledged her familiarity with the book.

Deanna turned her back to Kate. Resting her weight on her hands against the deck railing, she stared at the ocean.

Kate waited--she knew that Deanna wasn't finished.

Deanna straightened up and standing at her full height, she squared her shoulders and turned to Kate. "Don't ask me how I know, but I know that everything I've described to you actually happened. Not to me. But to my mother. Somehow I have her memories of something that happened a long time ago."

"Could they be memories of being caught in a riot?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Perhaps, Mickey was in a war zone during Vietnam?"

Deanna looked into her friend's eyes and said, "Not unless Vietnam was fought on a planet with twin suns. A planet that has a tropical plant with purple leaves that taste like peppermint."

"All right. Let's try another approach. You say that in one of these dreams you're swimming underwater and breathing with gills?"

"Uh huh."

"Do you have gills?"

Deanna hesitated before answering, "No."

Kate stood and walked over to stand directly in front of Deanna. "Prove it!"

After a moments hesitation, Deanna lifted her shirt.

Kate couldn't help but smile at the view of Deanna's breasts that the raised shirt afforded her . She moved her eyes to Deanna's torso. "No, you don't have gills."

Deanna's relief at her statement was obvious.

Still smiling, Kate lowered Deanna's shirt. "As beautiful as your body is and as much as I enjoy looking at it, I don't think you want your neighbors calling the cops."

Deanna quickly looked around to make sure none of her neighbors were watching them.

"Did your mother have gills?"

"I don't know." Deanna's reply was enunciated carefully. She wanted there to be no question about her answer.

Kate had been headed back to her seat, but now she spun around. Facing Deanna, she studied her friend's face. "You're kidding me, right?"

The expression on Deanna's face told Kate she wasn't kidding.

"What do you mean you 'don't know'? Are you telling me that you, never once, saw your mother without a shirt?"

Deanna inhaled deeply and said, "That's exactly what I'm telling you. Believe me, the question occurred to me long before I started this conversation with you." Deanna ran her hands through her hair. "I've spent the past three days and nights, wracking my brain, trying to remember any time I might have seen my mother shirtless. I can't recall a single time."

Unconsciously, Kate used the thumb of each hand to bend down her fingers, popping each knuckle as she wandered aimlessly about the deck. Suddenly, she stopped, snapped her fingers, and pointed at Deanna. "The coroner's report would surely have mentioned something like when they did the autopsy."

It had been six months, yet Deanna still found that the words caused her throat to tighten and her eyes to grow moist.

"Her body was burned so badly, she could have had two heads and they would have been hard pressed to prove it. She was identified through her dental records."

Deanna sat back down in her chair and kicked another chair out in front of her to use as a footrest.

Both women were silent for a few moments, each lost in her own thoughts.

"You know, it's funny. My mother never went to the doctor for anything. She went to a dentist one time and then only because the pain was unbearable. She'd bitten a small pebble in some food at a restaurant and cracked a tooth. The police kept asking me for something they could use to identify her body. Finally, I remembered she had been to that dentist." Deanna looked at Kate and asked, "Doesn't it seem strange to you? A woman in her fifties and she'd never been to a doctor."

Kate mulled this information over and then turned to Deanna and asked, "When was the last time you saw a doctor?"

"Last night."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, they were showing some old reruns of Marcus Welby, M.D."

"Smart ass. When was the last time you were examined by a doctor?"

"To the best of my knowledge, I've never been to a doctor."

This time it was Kate who took a deep breath. "You're twenty-nine years old and you've never been to a doctor?"

"Not that I can remember."

"Well, then maybe I should set you up for a complete physical exam. A friend of mine is a doctor."

A wave of terror such as she had never known before, washed over Deanna. She swallowed hard and asked, "What if--what if he finds something, uh, alien?"

There was no mistaking the fear in Deanna's eyes. No matter how irrational that fear seemed to Kate, she didn't dare appear patronizing. "Jason is trustworthy. I'm sure I can persuade him to do all the tests himself. The results will be known only to you and to him. How does that sound?"

Deanna had risen and resumed her pacing. "Terrifying. But I can't go on like this. I'm not sleeping. And today, shortly before I called you, I had a waking dream. It's starting to affect my work." She paused. "Can you call him now and make an appointment?"

"I can try."

As Kate picked up the phone, she hoped Jason had meant it when he said he owed her.

Deanna reached out and stopped Kate from dialing.

"Kate, if we don't do this exam right away, I'll most likely chicken out. I know me well enough to know that I'll find some reason not to go. Would it be possible for your friend to meet us at his office tonight?"

"Let's find out." Kate patted Deanna's hand in a reassuring manner.

After a brief conversation, Kate terminated the connection.

"Let's go. Jason will meet us at his office in a half-hour. It'll take us almost that long to get there from here."

Deanna hesitated.

Kate waited while Deanna spoke quietly with her mother.

"Mom, the ocean you taught me to love is now the catalyst for nightmares. I want to feel the joy the sound of waves rolling ashore once brought me. I have to know what's happening to me. Was there something you were going to tell me when the time was right? You probably thought you had all the time in the world to tell me everything I need to know. Something tells me there's a reason I've never been to a doctor. I wish you were here, Mom. I miss you."

With one last glance to the stars and the sea, Deanna turned and walked into the house.