I set off down the sidewalk in a warm, light rain. I had no umbrella. The rain felt good on my face. The sidewalk ended at a busy road. Across the road was a flooded field. Before my eyes, there materialized a rising river. To the west lay higher ground. To the east, the road followed a downward slope. The river crashed onto the pavement in great waves. I thought it might alter the course of the road. A young couple approached. The husband was much taller than his wife. As if we’d known each other all our lives, he said, “I hear there’s trouble by the gates.” And I replied, “Yes, in that distant realm.”