
Waking Lucy
She was completely alone, and there was not a sign of any living thing about. When I bent over her I could see that she was still asleep. Her lips were slightly open, and she was not breathing as softly as she usually did. Instead she breathed with long, heavy gasps, as if she was trying to get as much air as possible with at every breath. As I came close, she put up her hand and pulled the collar of her nightdress tight around her. Perhaps even in her sleep, she felt the cold. I put the warm shawl over her, and pulled the edges around her neck. She was not warmly dressed and I was very afraid that the cold night air would harm her.