Peter walked past the room his wife had turned into a home office and backtracked. Movement had caught his eye. “June?”
A blonde head poked up from what could only be described as a nest covering the floor. Books were no longer on the shelves but instead surrounded her in varied stacks, with old mugs — some exuding the distinct odor of stale coffee — balanced precariously atop several. Three pens were wedged through her braid, and a smudge of green ink was smeared across her left cheek.
“June,” he started carefully. “How long have you been sitting on the floor?”
A flannel-clad arm swung wildly and scattered several pens as her hand smacked an open notebook. “Somewhere, it all went wrong,” she said gloomily. “Somewhere, I made a wrong turn and ended up heading in a completely wrong direction.”
“Why don’t you take a break? A new perspective oft’n helps.” The lilt came stronger into his voice as he studied the shadows under her eyes. “Why don’t we head to the diner and grab some food?”
“Sure, sure,” she muttered, and cast her gaze around as if looking for sufficient room to leverage herself physically upward. “I just don’t understand why all of these sources point to a cavern under the university. It’s built upon solid granite.”
***
Prompt trade with Leigh Kimmel this week! I received a turn in the wrong direction, and can’t wait to see what she does with the discount napalm. Want more? Check out MOTE!
