High Alert

We had just returned from a late night romp at the local "Central Bark" - a puppy playground sans leash for those of the canine persuasion. Nightfall had arrived, creeping in through the windows, staring at us blankly. Slipping off my jacket, the lights began to flicker.

"That's strange." I thought to myself. It was the first time since arriving in the Golden State that any electrical event had happened in our little apartment.

Soon forgotten, a load of laundry later, and just before Keller's bedtime, Israel begged that we go to the hot tub. Compliant, we all changed into our swimming suits, and stepped out into the frigid night air. The breeze tickled our faces, as we hurried to the warmth of the heated water. The moon was brilliant above, beaming down on us, cold and silver in the sky. Framing its' glory, and closer in proximity, the treetops danced, taken by the upper level winds that sprayed their leafy fingers out like a gnarled hand, grasping for that which is just out of reach.

Without warning, the pool area was suddenly black, the lampposts no longer giving light nor direction. Outside of the fenced area, however, we could see a host of light, coming from different apartments, dotting the horizon. Curious, we thought, affected by the eerie feel the darkness produced.

The lamps returned to their former brilliance. Three times in the course of 20 minutes, the lamps would fail to give their light. Finally, sufficiently heated through, and snuggled into towels, we returned home.

"Mom, I have a funny feeling about tonight." Israel offered.

"Yeah?" I asked. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know . . .I just feel like something is going to happen. Something not good."

*****
The children had inexplicably gone to bed, and were actually sleeping when I made my way back to the bedroom to call it a day myself.

I settled in under the covers, still feeling the chill that had begun my day, and curled myself up, hoping to generate enough body heat to hold me without another blanket.

Dell's head popped up in the darkness, silhouetted against the window frame, with a start, ears on high alert, and my heart pounded with the same quickness and agility he had displayed when we heard the noise, simultaneously.

What was that? It was eerie, and came from above us - no, from outside the sliding glass door - no! It came from the north side of the building . . . no ~

It was everywhere, an unidentifiable sound that gripped me in the dark. Almost immediately, the "thwap, thwap, thwap" of helicopter blades filled the air. Sirens sounded in the distance. The roar of a large vehicle engine, like a dump truck, or - an army vehicle drove past my window. And another. And another.

Silence.

I chided myself. My imagination was working overtime, it was evident. I lifted up a prayer in the night, and drifted fitfully off to sleep.

******
Morning dawned, and the light celebrated its' arrival by stirring me awake. "So, all is well." I thought to myself.

Sitting at my computer console, I turned to the news.

"HIGH ALERT!" The headline read. "For [my zip code], HIGH WIND WARNING throughout today and into tomorrow."

Hmph. Wind.

Is that all it is? This *unpredictable* California weather??

Spooked by our first encounter with the Santa Ana Winds.
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*Further headlines detail the initiation of a deadly fire just north of us. Prayers for those in the path of the blaze, and those attempting to squelch it.