The moon is beautiful, isn't it?" she said."I imagine the moon would be a thing of beauty on a night like this. But I prefer what I'm looking at now." His eyes remained focused on Mariko as he spoke.

A warmth settled upon her. All Shahrzad wanted was before her. All Shahrzad needed was within her. She woke to each dawn with a grateful heart.

She slipped both hands into the water. Her skin looked pale and creamy below its surface. Not its usual warm bronze color. She fixed her gaze on the place where the water met the air, on the strange bend that made it seem as though her hands were in a different world beneath the water—A world that moved more slowly and told stories. The water lies.