We’re Having a Little Spot of Weather…

….indeed, it was so gusty last night that it kept me awake. The windows and doors were rattling and it sounded like soggy sheep were being randomly tossed against our walls.
It was almost totally dark as well, with only the muted light from the hallway leaking into the bedroom. That, together with the noise of the weather, made me feel very uneasy. There are certain specific conditions that can trigger off a panic attack for me, and this was getting to be one of them. I could feel the anxiety prowling in the pitch-black corners, waiting to pounce. I lay for a long time practicing relaxation and controlled breathing, keeping the beast at bay.
Then, as I was looking at the window, the entire sky lit up in a dazzlingly bright electric blue flash that was over in an instant. Simultaneously, the house circuit-breaker banged and the hall light went out. Oh goody – a power line, perhaps a whole pylon, was down and the electric was off.
And the darkness spread, the beast prowled closer. I grabbed the wind-up torch that I keep at my bedside for just such emergencies, went downstairs and checked the electric meter in the porch – it was out. I opened the door a little – the wind nearly took it out of my hand. The rain was lashing sideways, the trees were screaming. I’d intended going out to the roadside to see if the streetlights were on in the village, but this was no weather for any sort of venturing outside.
After checking that the doors and windows were secure, I lit a nightlight, took it upstairs with me in a holder and left it in the hall, just outside the bedroom door. Leaving the door ajar, I could see a faint glow spread across the floor. There was no beast prowling there, so I concentrated on that pool of light until sleep came again.