he feel? Not one bit. He sat down and began to groom himself.
Whereas I stared mournfully at my squashed masterpiece. The good news was I could reuse the clay, and even better, I could do this. It would just take some practice.
I stood from my stool and stretched. More things cracked and popped than I liked. A few of them rather alarmingly. I didn’t fall to pieces, but I remained a bit stiff and really should move.
Wandering to the front, I realized just how late it had gotten. Night had fallen while I worked—or was that played—with my mud. That was enough for one day.
I removed my apron and cleaned up before collecting my cat, who sulked as I put him back into the carrier. We exited the shop at the rear, the alley only dimly lit by one bulb. My car was the only one parked. The other storefronts flanking mine had been bought by Airgeadsféar but not yet revived.
I doubted that would last long. Soon I’d have competition, meaning I really had to get my business off the ground and establish a clientele. And what did I do most of the day?
Made mud pies.
I didn’t regret one minute of it. That would come later with the guilt and anxiety. Then I’d start eyeing the cupboards, wondering what I had to eat.
Knowing it was coming meant I could control it. I would not give in to my anxious self. Or eat everything. And if I did start shoving things into my face, please let it be low carb. I could handle a day with a few more than usual, but if I started eating real sugar or gluten… I wouldn’t be going anywhere tomorrow.
I set the cage on the ground as I fumbled for my keys.
“Grrrr.” My cat growled, standing with his hackles raised.
I cast a glance over my shoulder. I saw nothing, just a dumpster with its lid closed.
“Are the mice out tonight, Grisou?” I hoped it wasn’t rats. They could get rather large and scary in the city. Not that I’d ever actually seen one. Didn’t matter, the fear was real. I also had no interest in running into any raccoons. Wily buggers had the ability to get into any garbage can and, if confronted, could get scary.
My cat continued to stare. Hopefully his presence would counter any rodents eyeballing us.
I unlocked the car and opened the rear door. The cage went on a seat, and I buckled it into place. Before I could get in on the driver’s side, something clattered, the metallic ring of a metal lid hitting the ground and wobbling before it stopped.
My heart stopped. It was nothing. Probably a rodent looking for dinner. More scared of me than anything.
The driver door opened at my tug just as the temperature plummeted. What was it with this town and its sudden dips into below zero Celsius? My breath frosted as I shoved myself into the car. I slammed the door shut, meaning the interior light turned off just as the single light bulb in the alley, bolted about ten feet up under a rusted shade, went dark.
No big deal. No reason to freak out.
My right hand reached for the ignition to shove in the key while my left ran along the door’s edge looking for the lock. I pushed it down. It didn’t do a thing to protect me from the deep chill or fear. I turned the key and heard only a click. I flipped it back and forth. Click. Click. As if the battery were dead. But I’d just seen the dome light come on.
“Seriously! Why couldn’t this happen in the driveway at home?” Why here, when I was by myself, remembering every stupid horror movie I’d ever watched. I saw nothing in the alley, and somehow that made it worse. What lurked in the shadows? Was it hungry?
If asked, I couldn’t have actually explained what scared me so much. It was a combination of things. The lack of light. My growling cat. The cold that went to the core of me.
Click. Click. I slammed the steering wheel as the damned car refused to start. My own fault for trusting a car with a super old battery. I’d probably been lucky to get a few runs out of it before it died. I’d need a tow, or a boost.
Forget calling a stranger this time. I knew just the guy to contact.
Darryl. A handy guy like him. He’d be able to help. I