“Ludlow”

“At one point, however, Paz perked up and began to pay very close attention to their surroundings. Relatively small but sharp-edged and tightly contoured mounds rose up from the side of the road. They reminded her of ancient Inca ruins. The sky was a lovely shade of pastel blue. Long streamers of cloud angled down as if the gods had torn off their scarves and flung them down toward the earth. The sun flamed white like a headlight in the heavens. Puzzle-piece clouds showed fiery borders and slate-blue interiors, whose contrast gave them a three-dimensional solidity. One gigantic fringed cloud, which carried in its wake a sort of baby cloudlet, floated right toward the van, only a few hundred feet above the road. Amante began to think of it as an alien craft that would pause atop the VW and beam them up for an exploration of the cosmos.”