In Egypt

i dreamed my son and I were attending a birthday party for one of his chums, who is of Egyptian extraction. The family had invited everyone to Egypt for the party. We scrambled among ancient ruins that were not unlike a kids' playground with the lads climbing and tumbling everywhere, heedless of the history. From the top of one of the ruins I could look out across the desert and spy the sea in the distance. I called down to my son to come and join me, to look at the view. "From up here you can see the sea, and on the other side, someplace, is where Zio and your cousins live." At just that moment, I looked down: my son was standing in a shady place beneath us with some other kids, and an asp suddenly appeared and slithered up to him, biting him on the legs.

I dropped down into the sand, scooped him up, and ran to get help. The serpent returned into the shadows.