Hannah might as well have been pulling a husk. Zoe was very much torn out. She drifted behind boneless. But as they went through she stopped being pulled and began to float. A smidge lighter. Then a smudge higher. She came along like chiffon being pulled by a breeze.
Zoe could literally feel gravity start to lessen. Could feel the lamplight on her skin. Iridescent lightbulbs charmed the dark.
As they moved past, Zoe could see the forms and figures, sopped them up in her brain. She couldn't recall a single one if you asked her and wouldn't until later that night when she drifted into dreams.
In the Tent, Zoe was at once overwhelmed and mesmerized by the gigantic space. It was a Matisse in motion. Colors shouted and sounds became white. Things really felt alive here. As if this part of the world breathed a little easier than the rest.
And maybe for the first time, her smile gathered until it was something you wanted to take home. Zoe nodded serenely and said, "It's more beautiful than anything I've seen for a long time."