Chap. 8
Is It Winter Where You Are
Sweet Pea awoke suddenly from a dream. Her bedroom window glowed faintly with the first grey light of morning. The farm was deathly silent. The cows and chickens were gone - sold at auction the day before. Instinctively, she knew something was wrong. Quickly, she got up, put on her robe, and went downstairs with bare feet. There was no life. She went into the dark kitchen.
Her mother was sitting at the table, in Rocket's chair. Sitting in the dark. She put a hand on the old woman's shoulder. The body slowly slumped forward, and the head hit the table with a loud thunk. A stake driven through Sweet Pea's heart.
Sweet Pea went out the backdoor and down the pair of steps. Beneath her bare feet, the flagstone was smooth, hard, and cold like a tombstone. The sun was smoldering in the eastern sky. The clouds were glowing like coals in a hearth. A new day was being born. Soon it would snow.
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Special thanks to Famaniel for the reviews and encouragement, and of course for Sinéad!