the house was lit with nothing but xmas lights. i think it was supposed to be tonight, new years eve. i had people over: my mom, my friends, plus steve burns, tom waits and wayne coyne. we were drinking and having fun. my husband was entertaining the children in the rumpus room and i was playing at being the hostess with the mostest, flitting around the room refreshing drinks, offering h'ors d'eouvres made of phyllo pastry and telling entertaining stories. the celebrities in my midst seemed bored and i was running out of ways to stimulate them. finally i took off my apron, set down the tray of food, and said, "i can do amazing things. would you like to see?"

steve burns was the most enthusiastic. "yes, i know you can do amazing things, but i still would like to see them performed." he sat down on the couch and folded his hands in his lap. wayne coyne and tom waits stood together near the tree and sipped whiskey from highball glasses filled with ice. my mother and friends were looking at one another with confusion in their eyes. i smiled knowingly at everyone, and then, with an effortless leap, lifted myself into the air, my toes pointed, my arms outstretched, and began gliding around the room. my belly filled with warmth at the feeling of weightlessness. everyone started, aghast, as i drifted through the house, my pretty party dress dangling from my legs, my bracelets tingling on my arms as i used them to propel me through the air.

there was some incredulous laughter, and as i glided past tom waits, he reached up to touch me, as if to see if i were real. i smiled down at him and evaded his hands. wayne coyne joined in the game, trying to get a hold of me. steve burns got off the couch and started following me around, making small jumps up at me. everyone was following my gently floating form through the house, trying to reach up and grab a hold of me, maybe to hitch a aerial ride along with me, but their hands would slip off, they couldn't get a good grip, and i would roll over onto my back and kick my feet lazily, as if i were swimming, and i was laughing and laughing at them. it was the funniest joke in the world.