the
bathroom, barely missing the door frame. Looking into the mirror, she groaned.
Short, jet-black hair jutting out in all directions, violet eyes with angry red
veins streaked through the whites, long black eyelashes mashed crooked from
sleeping with her face buried in the pillow, and blue-black shadows under her
eyes contrasted with a pale white face. Purple lipstick outlining pink lips
remained on a mouth that grimaced back at her.
"Way too many margaritas last night...look like
I've been hit by a Mack truck and dragged along I-75 for thirty miles or
so...death warmed over one time too many. You woke me up for this, Merlin? You're
a cruel, sadistic cat."
Merlin rubbed up against her leg, purring.
"I gotta pee like a racehorse, whatever that
means. Do you know what that means? I always heard that saying, but I have no
idea how racehorses pee. Go on, scram," she said, gently pushing the cat out
the bathroom door with her foot.
Cape Fair, Mrs. Philpott's House
Mrs. Philpott stretched and sat back from the
computer. The dream was similar to her earthquake dream in that she felt she
had lived through the experience--only this time it was a hurricane, not an
earthquake.
"I wonder if I'm overreacting," she said to
Perceval as she gently scratched behind his ears. The sound of purring was a
relaxing accompaniment to her voice speaking quietly of things she wished she
didn't know. "If I'm right, that hurricane is going to happen, and happen soon--and
a lot of people are going to die. Is it because of the oil refineries along the
Gulf Coast and the oil rigs out there in the water? One thing's for sure, those
rigs are going down if my dream was accurate. But isn't there any way that
people could be warned so that all of them wouldn't have to die?"
The Siamese looked straight into her eyes and
Mrs. Philpott sighed, and then continued. "I know. It is going to take a lot of
death and destruction to get the attention of such a large population. Where
will it all end, I wonder? Is humanity ready to listen, will anything get them
to listen and change their behavior? If my years with the government taught me
anything, it is that people will go to amazing lengths to satisfy their own
desires, their own greed. Usually to the detriment of others. Our culture's
story tells us we are the superior end to evolution, the ultimate creation. We
expect the planet to provide for us and bend to our will, no matter what the
cost, no matter what level of damage we inflict. Well, now I guess it's payback
time. And payback's a bitch. Now that's a phrase I haven't used in about twenty
years!" She sighed. "Lots of changes ahead, my friend."
The cat rubbed his head against her hand and
arm, knowing she was scared. Then he jumped up to the computer keyboard and
slowly pushed the keys with his nose. His message was printed on the monitor
for Mrs. Philpott to read:
TIME TO TELL J AND J ABOUT DREAMS
HURRICANE
WILL BELIEVE WHEN COMES TRUE.
"Of course. You're right. This is the perfect
chance to open their minds to what is going on. And we'll need them believing
soon, to prepare for what is to come. Decisions will have to be made. And
tomorrow--rather, today--the sun's up--I'm going to Springfield to that new
computer store. There's got to be an easier way for you to use the keyboard. I'm
sure I read somewhere about accessories developed for people with disabilities."
She stood up from the desk and turned to leave the room, saying, "Come on, let's
go raid the refrigerator. How about leftover roasted chicken for you and
vanilla fudge ripple ice cream for me. Could be the last of the ice cream, you
know. Hmm, need to check in the attic and see if I still have that old ice
cream maker you turn by hand."
The cat followed a muttering Mrs. Philpott into
the blue and white kitchen, bemused that she still wasn't thinking big enough.
Ice cream would be the least of their worries.
Fort Walton Beach, Florida
Stumbling into the kitchen, Lisanne didn't look
any
bathroom, barely missing the door frame. Looking into the mirror, she groaned.
Short, jet-black hair jutting out in all directions, violet eyes with angry red
veins streaked through the whites, long black eyelashes mashed crooked from
sleeping with her face buried in the pillow, and blue-black shadows under her
eyes contrasted with a pale white face. Purple lipstick outlining pink lips
remained on a mouth that grimaced back at her.
"Way too many margaritas last night...look like
I've been hit by a Mack truck and dragged along I-75 for thirty miles or
so...death warmed over one time too many. You woke me up for this, Merlin? You're
a cruel, sadistic cat."
Merlin rubbed up against her leg, purring.
"I gotta pee like a racehorse, whatever that
means. Do you know what that means? I always heard that saying, but I have no
idea how racehorses pee. Go on, scram," she said, gently pushing the cat out
the bathroom door with her foot.
Cape Fair, Mrs. Philpott's House
Mrs. Philpott stretched and sat back from the
computer. The dream was similar to her earthquake dream in that she felt she
had lived through the experience--only this time it was a hurricane, not an
earthquake.
"I wonder if I'm overreacting," she said to
Perceval as she gently scratched behind his ears. The sound of purring was a
relaxing accompaniment to her voice speaking quietly of things she wished she
didn't know. "If I'm right, that hurricane is going to happen, and happen soon--and
a lot of people are going to die. Is it because of the oil refineries along the
Gulf Coast and the oil rigs out there in the water? One thing's for sure, those
rigs are going down if my dream was accurate. But isn't there any way that
people could be warned so that all of them wouldn't have to die?"
The Siamese looked straight into her eyes and
Mrs. Philpott sighed, and then continued. "I know. It is going to take a lot of
death and destruction to get the attention of such a large population. Where
will it all end, I wonder? Is humanity ready to listen, will anything get them
to listen and change their behavior? If my years with the government taught me
anything, it is that people will go to amazing lengths to satisfy their own
desires, their own greed. Usually to the detriment of others. Our culture's
story tells us we are the superior end to evolution, the ultimate creation. We
expect the planet to provide for us and bend to our will, no matter what the
cost, no matter what level of damage we inflict. Well, now I guess it's payback
time. And payback's a bitch. Now that's a phrase I haven't used in about twenty
years!" She sighed. "Lots of changes ahead, my friend."
The cat rubbed his head against her hand and
arm, knowing she was scared. Then he jumped up to the computer keyboard and
slowly pushed the keys with his nose. His message was printed on the monitor
for Mrs. Philpott to read:
TIME TO TELL J AND J ABOUT DREAMS
HURRICANE
WILL BELIEVE WHEN COMES TRUE.
"Of course. You're right. This is the perfect
chance to open their minds to what is going on. And we'll need them believing
soon, to prepare for what is to come. Decisions will have to be made. And
tomorrow--rather, today--the sun's up--I'm going to Springfield to that new
computer store. There's got to be an easier way for you to use the keyboard. I'm
sure I read somewhere about accessories developed for people with disabilities."
She stood up from the desk and turned to leave the room, saying, "Come on, let's
go raid the refrigerator. How about leftover roasted chicken for you and
vanilla fudge ripple ice cream for me. Could be the last of the ice cream, you
know. Hmm, need to check in the attic and see if I still have that old ice
cream maker you turn by hand."
The cat followed a muttering Mrs. Philpott into
the blue and white kitchen, bemused that she still wasn't thinking big enough.
Ice cream would be the least of their worries.
Fort Walton Beach, Florida
Stumbling into the kitchen, Lisanne didn't look
any
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