Song of the Day Seventeen, Village in the Clouds

The hero opens his eyes and sees a golden light suffusing the mists about him. He rises, groggily, and attempts to recall the events of the past evening. Failing he shrugs and replaces his hat, which had fallen to the soft ground at some point during the night. He rubs his eyes and squints. The morning would be painfully bright if not for the fog, which hung draped in the air like lace. Light dances through each droplet, sending colorless rainbows across every surface. He ventures toward the rising sun, acutely aware that anything could approach him now, and he'd never see it. Within a minute of starting, he sees a mountain peak to what he assumes to be the south-east. He makes that his target and heads to it. It seems to grow too quickly as he approaches it, and soon he sees it's a clock tower, jutting into the sky. He glances down for a moment, but the fog is so deep he can't make out the ground. He manages to reach the edifice without incident, and when no one answers his knocking, enters. He searches for life, climbing the almost eerily empty structure. He reaches the highest room, and can see the clock face from behind. He heads to a door that he assumes leads to a small balcony or something of the sort when a cough sounds from behind him. The Queen stands there, robed in her glory. She walks silently past the hero, and motions with her hands. The clock face becomes transparent, and a burning light sears the Hero's eyes. The Queen passes a hand across his face and his sight is restored and his vision cleared. He views the village below the clock, uncomprehending for a moment. Suddenly he realizes the source of the mists and why the sun had such intensity. He stands above the clouds.