As she walked  , meandering a bit  at first , then remembering a dream from the night before

she quickened her pace .  The feeling of it remained  like a layer of fog and complemented by a

vague sense of worry.

Usually she took pleasure in remembering  her dreams .  It was fun to

assign meaning to characters  in this other world .  And often they for inspiration for a laugh or

two.  But this one …well , this  one was poking her the way her younger cousin used to do .  It

was irksome  and sporadic .  Then there was a sudden rustling .  Startling her so that she

gasped for a breath .  She shook her head .  Nothing to be concerned about  . Still she looked

carefully about before continuing onward .

Each step down the hall was light so that the cold floor just barely teased her bare feet .

Warm cup of tea in hand she headed towards a sweater .  The raucous sounds of the winds

had quieted a bit now and the tension in the air had dissipated .

She began humming nothing in particular and it was , after all , absentminded .

The preparations for an outing continued .  The anticipation for having an adventure  was

revealing itself in the beats of her heart .  The well worn softness of her favorite sweater being

pulled down over her head was comforting and brought a smile to her face . “Mmmmm….” as

she stretched .  A light heartedness came over her and her thoughts became  most optimistic .

Pausing at the window nearest  to her bed …” how are the birds doing in all of this wind…