Pike finds himself in an illusory landscape—the valley of his home in Montana. Vina appears with him, as Vivian, his fiancée who perished years ago. Pike hesitates, and then seems to warm slightly to the idea of living out the illusion. Just as Vina’s hopes seem to rise, he scorns her, and demands that she recognize the futility of it all—a life and a fantasy partner constructed from his desires rather than from reality. But Vina insists that she is real, and that he is as much a part of her fantasy, as she is of his: “They read my thoughts… my dreams of what would be the perfect man. That’s why they picked you.”
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