The heaviness in her lower limbs disappeared immediately as she rushed in the dark, groping about with outstretched hands, searching, searching, until she found the door handle. She turned it and ran out of her room, down the dimly lit corridor and into the bathroom where she retched uncontrollably, regurgitating gastric juice and bile all over the floor. She stood straight but doubled over again a few seconds later. Soon afterwards, she cleaned the bathroom, brushed her teeth, then returned to her room and checked the digital clock on the side stool at the head of her bed; it was a few minutes to four in the morning. Going back to sleep was almost impossible. She tossed and turned impatiently, discomfort caused by the heat which was not dissipated in any way by the ceiling fan that spun at its highest speed.
She lay face up and stared at it; irritated and cranky, and just when she thought things couldn’t get any more annoying, the buzz of the fan’s mechanism ceased as the rotating blades slowed. She hissed in disgust and turned to her side, staring out the open windows at the inky black blue sky. As though the heavens knew her discomfort, a gentle waft of air picked up and soon became a comforting breeze. The ventilation in her room was superb and soon she drifted away.
