Stuffed Animals

That same day, a very important, very guarded, exhibit came into the city. A swarm of television crews surrounded the big tractor-trailer, as if they were insects and the trailer a big, juicy flower. If Kate had liked news reporters or big museum exhibits, she would have been very excited. However, she thought the news was boring, and that museums were where very old people came. After all, weren't museums full of very old things?

The security made their own dark swarm, and of course, somewhere dashing around, was a very excited museum curator. She talked fast, and her high-pitched squeals showed her delight in this all. This was as good to her as winning the lottery. That is what she told the news crews, as they pushed a camera in front of her face and said, "How do you feel about having such famous work come to the museum?"

Kate knew how she felt, setting the table at home, and watching the curator from the 13-inch television in the kitchen. She changed the channel. Finding nothing good on, she settled on cartoons.

Kate was sure no one would believe her if she told them that she felt something very strange in the wind that night. She woke up in the middle of the night, feeling very cold. She thought at first that maybe the heat went out, like it sometimes did. Kate was ready to creep down the hallway and check to see what the thermostat on the wall read.