Melody presented herself as some kind of adept, like a guru of OBEs. He considered the possibility that she was—even though he’d run into her on successive nights—just a dream, along with the rest of his sleeping adventures. But he had to admit everything about the experiences seemed utterly real. He felt that he needed to check something he’d witnessed only in the night world against the reality of the waking world. The first thing he thought of was that he’d been to Helen Roan’s grave as a sleeper but not when awake. He would go to the cemetery after work and see if there was a tree with ribbons and deflated balloons near her grave. If it turned out to be so, then he would have some kind of verification that the night world was legitimate. It was Saturday and the library closed early at three o’clock, so he’d have time to walk over before dark.

On his way to work that morning, he went through all Melody had told him about the night world. He had a fleeting thought as to whether he should trust her. Who was to say that she was not some evil entity drawing him into a situation from which he’d never return? He weighed what he knew. It was the reason he was trying to see the details of her face. He trusted his ability to read whether people were good or not. From what he’d seen, he had no reason to doubt her. As he was walking along, lost in his thoughts, he came up short at the very last second before running into someone.

The neighbor whose house he was in the previous night, the man with the ailing wife, stood before him. The fellow was dragging his garbage can to the curb. In an unguarded moment, Owen blurted out, “Hello. How’s your wife doing?” and instantly regretted opening his mouth. The man’s stony expression melted, his glaring eyes went soft, and he said, “As good as can be expected.” Surprised he’d gotten a response, Owen moved quickly around him and down the sidewalk before he could make another blunder. He turned and said to his neighbor, “Have a good day,” and the fellow lifted a hand to wave and smiled. Only then did Owen realize he was trembling. A few more feet farther down the sidewalk, and he wondered if this was the proof he was contemplating at breakfast. Something verified from the night world to the waking world.