The Garden of the Night
Our protagonist starts in the middle of an ocean on a small sail boat. He doesn’t know how he got there, but he knows he’s alone.
Half starved, the cold wind cuts into him. He takes down his sail and uses it as a blanket. Attaching his lamp to the mast, the blackness of his surroundings are held at bay. For now. Finding a small amount of comfort he falls into an uneasy sleep.
He’s aware of being in a lush paradise. People! There are happy, friendly people here. He meets, he takes fanciful trips around the gardens. He falls in love.
One by one, his friends fall asleep. Everyone is asleep, but he is still awake, afraid to drift off. Even in this dream land he finds loneliness.
Crash! A heavy wave slaps the side of the boat and he’s awake. Back adrift in the ocean. Back in his boat. Back being alone.
