18
What a SurpriseWhen I returned to the cottage a couple of hours later, it was exactly as Adwin and I had left it, albeit a little crisper. Accelerating winds, which been fairly escalated before, hadn’t yet thrust the new makeshift window aside; they were too busy assaulting shrubbery, trees, and any living entities foolish enough to be outside. They’d also chilled my face several painful degrees as I’d made a lengthy slippy-slide dash from the house to the cottage. I ran a gloved hand across my forehead. Surprising. There was no mask of rime.
Ensuring the heavy front door was locked and the blinds still secure, I removed the raincoat and hooked it on one of two fat pegs on the back of the door. Turning on the faux Rayo lamp, I peeked under a sheet before sitting on the edge of a snug
