I am living in a city on the edge of a jungle. It is hot and humid all the time, and the sky is always perfect blue. I live under a huge wall inlaid with 30 foot tall statues of demons in jade and turquoise, which is part of some kind of religious academy. During the day, I walk through the city, wandering through little sheltered alleyways, and terraces overlooking the canals, and tiny stores full of weird and wonderful things that seem to be mostly made of wicker, bits of precious metals, and feathers.
One afternoon, I'm lingering in a restaurant, which sells nothing but sherbert and flavored ice, talking with some friends, when a midget, not more than three inches tall, climbs up on a counter, and calls us all idlers and hateful fools. I recoil in revulsion, and spend a while wandering the city alone and brooding. Eventually I decide to leave it, and as I set out from it, the dream ends.