As the two barreled down the highway, the view was much different, both internally and externally. Within Juniper, she was somehow everywhere at once, Daniel’s presence like some crescent wrench squeezing down on her mind, his thumb rolling the dial, just as the crescent moon dimmed the hidden fields. Her thoughts twisted and turned, one moment focused on the road ahead, the next consumed by the man beside her, an endless loop of what-ifs and maybes.

Outside, the journey was much different, like some sort of spell cast over the arena. Only the light emanating from the well pumps giving life to the aquifers scattered through the fields could be seen, enhancing the moonlit landscape. Like spires of light in the desolate void. The gentle sway of the tall grass in the breeze created an almost hypnotic effect, a sea of silver undulating beneath the starry sky.

The smell of a mountain of sweet potatoes on fire raging along the west side exit acted as some sort of beacon of where they were… such a poised asymmetry to the city she was growing to love.