Excerpt
An east wind howled and moaned in turns around the corners of the house, and sent slivers of sleet crashing against the window in Moe’s guest room. Tyne, lying in one of the single beds, came to consciousness with a start. For a moment she could not distinguish between the eerie noises and her dream. But when she opened her eyes, she could see by the faint light coming through the dripping panes that the sounds which had roused her were the reality. It looked to be almost night; she must have slept for hours.
Throwing the covers aside, she sat up and looked at the bedside clock. Surprised to see that it was only a little before noon, she lay back again and closed her eyes. The welcome aroma of coffee suggested that Moe was still here, probably ready with a meal whenever Tyne woke up. She should have known that her friend, who had even requested a leave-of-absence to be with her, wouldn’t leave her alone in the house. She really should get up; there was no point in lying in bed when sleep, as it had for three days until this morning, eluded her.
But Aunt Millie was on hospital duty, and would be upset if Tyne hurried back. They had finally convinced her – ganged up on her, really – to go back to the Halls’ house where she could sleep much more comfortably in bed than in a chair in a visitor’s waiting room at the Holy Cross.
Manolis Aligizakis 