3
Amanda stood and stretched. Whatever spell the rock had on her was broken. The mood in the room shifted to allow the noise outside to enter once more. She had other work to do, and that involved technology, not some ancient piece of forgotten geological history. Without a look back she stepped out into the hall and closed the door behind herself. The rock was abandoned for the computer, and she got back to work studying the newspaper articles as she had done earlier. The afternoon slipped by just as the morning had vanished, but with a change to the weather.
Though the day had glowed with a promise of a perfect night of stars, heavy clouds conquered the sky. Outside people rushed through their last afternoon chores amid the threat from above. The rain started light, only a hint
