The children of Heaven

I wander through the bright and clean streets of a country I don't know: the air is warm and transparent, an invisible speaker spreads the notes of Diamond Day by Vashti Bunyan. I reach the country road where the wooden house we recently moved into stands. I liked it at first sight: it is simple, solid and very comfortable.
I have to prepare everything I need for the summer camp: I have been given a package containing the forms to fill out. I lean against a brick wall and open the envelope: it contains the releases that I need to photocopy and the mysterious J24 form. Disconsolate, I realize that it is a very long papyrus of those with little holes on both sides, at least ten pages, with lots of little boxes to fill in. I fold it up and put it away, intending to think about it later. I set off again through the streets of the village: it is a beautiful day, sunny and mild. Suddenly my dog crosses the road: he is running happily with his ears in the wind. He has become longer and thinner, he is yellow and glitters in the sun; I bend down to caress him: a few gold shards remain stuck to the palm of my hand. I put them in my pocket and continue on my way.
I call Arabella and ask her if it is really necessary to fill out the J24 form and she says yes, because without it it would not be possible to let the children into a closed room in case of rain; I object that there is a porch and that they could take shelter under it, but she replies that they would be too cramped. I hang up and resign myself.
In the meantime, walking, I have arrived at the shore of a strange and wonderful sea: a sort of natural pool surrounded by perfectly smooth white rocks, with water so incredibly transparent that it is not even blue. The call of that place is irresistible: I immediately undress and dive in. The sensation is wonderful, the joy of contact with that pure and fresh water indescribable. I swim towards a group of people who are bathing at the bottom of the bay. I reach two ladies, a mother and daughter, who are at a point where you can touch the bottom and the water only reaches their waist. The older lady explains to me smilingly that she cannot swim because the top of her swimsuit, when soaked, tends to open forward. I thank her for the explanation and continue swimming, until I reach a small island on which stands a wonderful apple tree with rich foliage of a bright light green. The branches of the tree bend down to touch the water: I swim with the perfect joy of a fish under the dome of leaves that brush my face and I notice that the apple tree is loaded with fruit within reach: not only large green and red apples, but also white cherries, slightly streaked with pink. I can't resist the temptation and try a cherry: it's very sweet, it has the flavor of mulberries. I also pick an apple from a branch and start munching on it while I continue swimming. Suddenly my cell phone, which I carry in my pocket even though I'm completely naked, starts ringing: it's Arabella asking me where I've ended up. I tell her that I'm swimming in the sea in a beautiful place; she objects that it's late November, I tell her that I'm fine and everything is perfect, promising her that I'll be on time. She points out that you don't talk with your mouth full: I give up on finishing my apple and start listening. She tells me that Tieste has arrived in the meantime and asks me if I should have him sign in. I tell her yes and hang up. I put my cell phone and half an apple back in my pocket.
Reluctantly I get out of the water, get dressed and set off along the grassy bank. As I enter a grove I see a very small girl walking under the trees, little bigger than a doll, with long dark red hair and a checked flannel apron. She comes towards me, takes something out of her pocket and hands it to me saying: "I have the other half of your apple". I compare the two halves and indeed they match. The girl continues on her way without waiting for my thanks. Suddenly she disappears swallowed up by the grass and calls for help: I hurry to reach her and I notice that she has fallen into an orange wastepaper basket irrationally placed in the grass, so high as to hide it completely. I pull her out and she starts walking again, but almost immediately she sinks into a hole in the grass, where another treacherous yellow basket is hiding. I grab her by the arm and pull her out again, telling her to be more careful. The little girl continues her walk and suddenly disappears with a scream inside an underground pipe. I guess she has ended up in the drain of a swimming pool. I hear the little girl's moan coming from inside a closed room, which is probably the one intended for the purification plant, saturated with lethal chlorine vapors. I realize with resignation that I can no longer do anything for her.
I wake up.
Aside from the ending, it was a wonderful dream: it is sad and disheartening to return to reality. I wonder what I dreamed, what place that was. Then I realize that the answer is easy: I dreamed of Heaven.