Consciousness leaks in slowly, like droplets dripping off the tips of leaves after rainfall. My senses flutter awake, hyper-aware of my body embraced in comfort, lying on something feather-soft like a bed of cotton clouds. And if I make any sudden movements. I might sink to obscurity.
I peel my eyes open, the intense light wanes, receding to the corners. I bolt upright. I gawk at the enormous canopy bed beneath me with a gaudy, gilded frame walled by ornate columns that hold up the roof. My legs are veiled over by silky sheets, and an abundance of embroidered pillows surround me.
I fling it off, the satin wave rippling from my body, scrambling out of the bed. My feet meet with the cold glazed floor that's like varnished gold, elevated on a platform with a short staircase. I brush past the cream drooping drapes that are tied to each of the four bedposts. The bedchamber is extravagant and excessive in size with an elaborate vanity set decorated with bizarre objects.
