What A Night!

 Grab this book here: What A Night!

What A Night!

Written by Judy Fay London

Introduction:

It was a bizarre night; it was an eerie night; it was a terrifying night. What a night!

 

“Watch out!” Three teenagers roared past on their flying bikes, leaving a trail of freezing cold air. Cindy WingStrong ducked immediately, her heart pounding against her ribs. “Ah, teenagers,” she grumbled, shivering as she tried to find her balance.

The kids sped past an old woman further down the lane and vanished into the thick, clinging fog at the end of the road. But the old woman didn't flinch. She just kept walking slowly, her boots scraping numbly against the pavement like a hollow machine.

Tonight was New Year’s Eve of 2021, but the pandemic lockdown had turned the city into a ghost town. Once the teenagers vanished, the freezing street belonged only to Cindy and that unsettling old woman.

Despite being sixty-seven herself, Cindy quickened her pace and blew past the stranger. Fear and urgency spurred her forward. Her hundred-and-one-year-old father was dying in a hospital bed, and the travel ban had trapped the rest of the family far away. Only her younger sister, Daisy—the fourth daughter of the family—was waiting for her at the clinic, trapped inside the nightmare with her.

For days, they had been taking turns at their father’s bedside. Daisy had handled the meals so far, but tonight, Cindy wanted to bring a taste of home to their bleak New Year’s Eve dinner.

She had bundled up in a long, fawn-colored down coat, a straw-colored knitted cap, and a sterile blue mask. But in her rush, she had forgotten her gloves. The biting frost nipped at her bare skin. Cindy desperately tucked her freezing hands into her armpits, trying to outrun the chill as she quickened her steps.

Now she walked alone in the dim streets on this snowy, windy, and cold night. A twinge of helplessness, depression, sadness, and frustration surged through her. Her eyebrows and eyelashes were encrusted with icicles. Cindy blinked and fluttered her eyelashes, and the icicles melted reluctantly. Her eyes watered. She was not sure if the moisture came from the melted icicles or tears.

A sudden, violent gust of wind screamed down the alleyway, rattling her to the bones. Cindy’s boot caught on a patch of black ice. She slipped, barking a sharp curse as her arms flailed to regain her balance. 

 Grab this book here: What A Night!