Peace and Quiet?

The four humans conversed about many inconsequential things. The light in Cassie's eyes began to fade and her three friends could see that she needed to rest. They left her after Sten helped her up to the loft and into bed.

Cassie immediately fell asleep only to wake after about an hour having horrible nightmares. She would calm herself and drift off to sleep again, only to waken with the memory of a leering face with a scarred forehead. She finally abandoned all thoughts of sleep and crept downstairs. She was amazed that it was daylight outside. But time didn't flow as usual here at The Station.

She was hungry, but still had not completed her kitchen. She should go to the Store and purchase – well it wasn't really purchase – retrieve a kitchen gadget like Sten and Frau had. But that would mean going back outside. Into danger. Away from the safe.

She was hungry but safe. Was she really safe here? What would happen if the serial killer knew where she lived? Would he come after her even here in her home? Was she really safe anywhere?

This type of thinking wasn't going to get her anywhere. She simply had to pull herself together. The horrid man accosted her, but she was okay. Really. She was okay. Maybe if she repeated it to herself often enough she would begin to believe it. She was okay. She would be okay. He scared her, but she was stronger than that. She was okay.

She needed to get to the store and get her kitchen equipment. "Maybe I can call Sten to go with me. I don't have a number to call. I don't even know if Sten has a number to call," she mumbled to herself. The only way to get to Sten was to walk there and she might as well walk to the Store instead. She was going to have to find out about motorized vehicles soon.

Cassie gathered her courage around herself like a coat of armor. She was okay. She would not be intimidated and locked in the prison of her own fears. She was okay. She opened the door and looked out to a beautiful spring day. Flowers were blooming and scenting the air with sweet perfume. There was a gentle breeze making the bright green leaves of the trees rustle into a lulling whisper. "I am okay," she said in a loud, strong voice.

She stepped into the yard and looked around for a walking stick that would double as a club, should she need to club any horrid men with scarred foreheads. She found a downed branch off in a corner of her yard and felt its roughness and tested its strength against the palm of her hand. It was not rotted wood, but a strong branch about four-and-a-half feet long. It was solid and sturdy and would be a weapon should she need it.

She took off for the shopping area with her thoughts blazing the trail, looking for danger everywhere. She looked up and saw a golden eagle, and felt immediately reassured. Doston was flying up there. It wouldn't let anything bad happen to her. She pictured again the blood dripping off its talons after the rapist was attacked. She was safe, she was okay.

She got into town and the store was there and still looking like a Wal-Mart. She envisioned a futuristic appliance store and something else morphed before her eyes. She entered and found the kitchen machine. Now what? She wasn't safe walking home like this. She couldn't carry it and the stick and still walk safely.

She set the machine down on the ground outside the store and wondered if she could conjure up a car dealership. And with that thought, one appeared. Now, what kind of car would she like to drive?