Two o’clock in the afternoon

The rain is a symphony in the cathedral of trees that encircle the hermitage. The trees sway back and forth in the wind like ships at sea. Leaves fall sideways and down in the autumn storm.

Inside the bungalow the old man and his cat watch and listen. The old man is in his armchair, the cat is on the window sill, a rapt audience of two held in thrall by the falling rain.

This is their sanctum sanctorum. They are safe here. (It’s cozy to be inside like the words in this sentence.)

🔝