‘Mine, too. Glad to be of assistance,’ Robby said as he went around the bed and put his mug down. He looked over towards the window. ‘It doesn’t sound as if it’s going to be stopping anytime soon. At least we’ve got power back. What an evening, eh?’
Nina popped one of the truffles into her mouth and nodded. ‘We might just have to stay up all night, eat chocolate, and listen to the storm.’
‘Works for me. It’s not bad entertainment, actually.’
‘Yes, true, it’s quite nice tucked up here, isn’t it?’ Nina noted as she took a sip of the hot chocolate. ‘Like we're in our own little spot at the top of the world, looking down on a big storm that’s happening to everybody else.’
‘Yes, that’s it. It’s insulated up here.’
‘I remember thinking that when I first came to view it.’
‘Hmm, yes.’
Nina took another sip of her hot chocolate. ‘At least we can see what we’re doing now that the electricity is back on.’
‘Yes, at the moment. I wonder if it will go out in the night,’ Robby replied.
‘Not sure. Let’s hope not.’
‘I suppose it doesn’t make much difference if we're asleep.’
‘Good point, but it would be good if it doesn’t go out again. I could do without that.’
As the storm continued to rage outside, they sat dipping into the chocolates and watched from the cosy attic room as the drumming rain continued to lash against the roof.
‘It’s strange, really, isn’t it? How a storm can be so wild and sort of calming at the same time, especially when you're safe inside. It makes you appreciate the safety of home, that’s for sure. Imagine if you were trying to survive outside with this going on around you.’
‘I can’t even think about it.’ Robby put his empty mug back on the bedside table. ‘Right, well, we’d better turn in and see if we can drop off in spite of what is going on out there.’
‘Yeah, you're right,’ Nina agreed, marking her page and closing her book.
‘Let’s hope everything is okay in the morning.’
9
The next morning everything was eerily quiet as Nina stirred and opened her eyes. She looked over towards the window on the other side of the room and was surprised to see sunlight filtering through the curtains. Sensing that Robby was still fast asleep, she lay there for a second, thinking about the wild night and how, as she’d dropped off to sleep, she’d wondered what in the world they were going to wake up to. Now, she was about to find out.
Trying not to wake Robby, she slid out of bed, put her feet into her slippers, grabbed her dressing gown from the top of the huge wicker storage basket at the end of the bed, and wrapped it around her. Tiptoeing down the steep stairs so as not to wake Robby, she walked across the creaky second floor, past the sofa, towards the front of the building, drew back the curtains, and was surprised by what looked back at her.
The night before, as they’d looked out at the harbour, there had been chaos reigning outside as the wind had howled and rattled the windows, and the rain had lashed down without any signs of giving up. Now, everything was still, quiet, calm and tranquil. The angry, churning waves of the night before were not more than a ripple. The surface of the water glistened undersunshine popping in and out of wispy clouds and the wild night was nowhere to be seen. From what Nina could see, most of the boats had weathered the storm and were now bobbing gently on their moorings. Looking up, a seagull soared overhead as if, just like Nina, it was surveying precisely what had gone on the night before. Nina was surprised to see not a single remnant of the storm clouds, no wind at all, and the only sign of rain were the gigantic puddles gathered all around the harbour wall.
After making a pot of tea and toasting some crumpets, she stood by the large window and looked out at what was going on. Despite initially thinking there wasn’t too much damage, on closer inspection, a few things were awry. On the far side, it looked as if some tree branches had been thrown across the pavement. She spied some bits of broken roof tiles lying to the left of the property next door and a random piece of broken trellis fencing and a plastic garden chair were floating in the harbour. Clearly, lots of things had been tossed around by the fierce winds, but overall, there didn’t appear to be too much damage at all.
Looking at the harbour, she saw a couple of people in Lovely coats on boats untangling nets and dealing with problems. Just past the fresh fish hut, she saw its menu and price list, usually hanging on the side of the little hut, face down, not far from the edge of the harbour wall. Various people were standing around in their Lovely coats, either chatting or clearing things up. Swiping up on her phone, she saw a text message from Birdie.
Birdie:Morning, how are things with you? What’s it like over there?
Nina:Morning. Not too bad here. How’s everything at the deli?
Birdie:Thankfully, all is well. The deli’s fine; just a bit of cleanup needed outside. How about your end?
Nina:We’re okay, thanks. The harbour looks surprisingly calm this morning. I saw a few branches and a bit of debris around, but nothing major.
Birdie:Good to hear. The High Street took a bit of a hit, though. A few shop fronts were damaged, but mostly superficial. We were lucky this time!
Nina:Oh no, that’s a shame. Glad it’s not too bad. Did everyone get their power back on?
Birdie:Yes, surprisingly, we did! A rare stroke of luck with these storms, eh?
