In this short scene, we get a brief description of the events that have led to the events of this chapter. We're told that the protagonist is standing outside a church in the middle of a dark night, waiting for someone to lead him into a dark place. He's not sure what's going on, but he's pretty sure that it's the protagonist's dream. The protagonist asks for directions to a hospital in Bern, Germany, where he met a young woman who died of leukemia. The young woman's name is Mariana, and she died of the same disease that killed Mariana's father. Mariana is a projection from the soul of the young woman, and the protagonist wants to play with her, but Mariana is too young for him to do so. He tells Mariana to stay away from him, because she's a projection of his own soul. He also tells her that he broke his grandfather's watch, which was a lie, because it gave him hope that he'd live long enough to see his son's first soccer ball. He says that's what makes him happy, and that he doesn't see any door anywhere else in the church. He wants to stay and talk to Mariana, but she won't let him. She tells him that they've just landed in a "surreal dream" of theirs, and they're going to have to leave. She says that the exhibits at the hospital are like the ones she'd seen in her dream. She wants to push Mariana into the door, but the protagonist says that they have to throw away