The stars hung like a curtain over her head. Penny was standing in a field wearing a puffy white gown that bounced around her knees. A lace collar crept up toward her neck and then down over her shoulders, all the way to her wrists. The lace flared outward in a neat circle, covering most of her hands. Painted nails touched lightly at the satin that spilled out from beneath the layered lace pattern. She twirled once – and why not? This was the kind of gown meant for twirling.

One circle became two, and then two became three as she whirled in circle after circle. There was lightness in her chest. She felt like a balloon drifting in a breeze. As soon as the thought entered her head, Penny felt her toe push off against the lush grass, catapulting her skyward as she danced. Her arms splayed out to her sides. She tossed her head back, laughing up at the moon. Penny had never been much of a dancer, but in the starry night, she moved like a prima ballerina, leaping and gliding with ease from one bright cloud to the next.

A hand reached out and took hold of hers. She turned slowly. Familiar warm eyes glanced back at her, a creeping smile spreading wider and wider. Kurma was not dressed in the cream outfit that she had met him in weeks ago. Instead, he wore a black tuxedo with long tails. His strange orb floated in the air beside him, bobbing along with each move he made. Kurma said nothing. He simply pulled Penny in toward him. She spun in a tight circle up the length of his arm, stopping when her back pressed up against his chest.

There was no hesitation in her limbs. He pulled her to one side, and she swayed with him. In the distance, a tune she didn’t recognize buzzed to life. It felt like Sinatra to her. Kurma twirled her back out, and Penny laughed, spinning in another circle. He moved back towards her, placing a hand on her hip. For her sister’s wedding, Penny had spent the majority of the night stomping on the best man’s feet, but with Kurma, she moved as if they were made to move together. Each step led to another step, each one quicker than the next, as they crossed from one corner of the sky to another.

Destiny City was their dance floor; they ruled time and space.

Kurma lifted an arm and encouraged Penny to give it another spin. So she did, lipstick-stained lips bending upwards with a full laugh, the pair of them bending and twirling around each other, soaring higher and higher until they danced among the stars out in space. When her knees grew tired and her throat hurt from laughing, he pulled her close to him, draping both arms around her waist. His lips brushed the side of her neck and buzzed, humming some old sound from a life she couldn’t remember. They rocked back and forth together, his breath warm on her ear, the stars twinkling for them, and them alone.

When she woke up, Penny found herself draped under her heavy comforter. A cold cup of tea sat half-consumed by her bed. Rosencrantz had snuggled up to her chest and was fast asleep, one paw draped over her shoulder. She peeked down at her feet and saw her other cat, Guildenstern, staring back at her. Penny relaxed back in bed, touching her forehead with her hand. She had dreamed of a man she barely knew, and she had no idea why – worse still, Penny found herself dipping toward sadness to find that beautiful picture in her mind had been just that: an ephemeral dream.