It was warm autumn. Ivy had first seen it from the windows of the
kitchen, where the lights were a lot dimmer. It seemed to peek out from
behind dry branches, flickering in and out of sight as the leaves sighed
in the wind. Scarlet flooded her vision as the sight seized her. She
could not tear her eyes away, despite every fiber of her being screaming
in agony. The pounding in her ears rose to an unbearable decibel. Her
teeth clattered involuntary as she stood shaking, feeling as though her
brain threatened to shoot out of her splitting skull. She thought she
heard herself howling, maybe crying out for Granny. The sudden rush of
adrenaline made no sense, but she was too overwhelmed in that moment to
realize that.
Then, it was all over.
…