The storm

Raining cats and dogs

I am in an upstairs bedroom, it all feels very cosy and safe. There is a wicker pet basket with a hood next to me, a ginger cat has been asleep in it. She stretches and steps out then a small dog leaps into her warm space.

I laugh and say "oh you were waiting were you, little one!" The cat is pissed off and tries to climb back in with him. Then they both compete to climb into bed with me, I am laughing out loud by now at their antics.

There must be a TV on in the background and I hear an urgent voice saying "get under a table immediately, its the safest place!" Simultaneously I see light behind the curtains which have started to blow, the room starts to shake.

I run to the window and see the most incredible storm racing across the cityscape towards me. If you were to take the image attached and multiply the lightening forks by about x20 making them all bigger too, then you would see what I did.

I watch for a time utterly mesmerised, it really is incredible ...

I snap alert and see there is a terrified teenage girl (my daughter) in the room with me. I see a low rectangular coffee table and make her safe under it first, then lie behind shielding her with my body.

I asses our safety, the table is sold hardwood with glass on top "she will survive". There is not sufficient space for us both so my own shelter is quite pitiable "and I will probably not, I wonder how it will feel?"

The storm is right close by and am suspended in waiting, wishing it to end and hoping it will not ...

The morning:
The dream table was in my living room growing up. It was low rectangular hardwood with a world map on top. I SO loved to look at it! At the earliest opportunity aged 19 I left to see the world. I wonder how much this movement was motivated by hours spent pondering that table top.

I wonder about the symbolism of the table. I realise lightening would still "strike the earth" only it would strike the image of the earth on the table top. In the dawn hours there feels some significance in that I can't quite grasp.