It really did feel as though my bra

It really did feel as though my brain would explode, and at that moment I saw something move and flash. I froze. Light beamed onto the ground, and there was my shadow in front of me. I’d forgotten about everything, the noise, our argument, the cold. The light was so bright it felt almost warm against my back. For a second I thought I’d been abducted by UFOs. Then the sound came back, but without the pain. It was almost soothing. I knew I wasn’t in one of those bizarre horror flicks where everything stops at the right dramatic moment, background music and all.

I turned round and there she was, standing in the upstairs bedroom, waving at me from the window. Her face looked small. I couldn’t tell if she was smiling, but she looked happy, almost as happy as if we’d gone to a warm place.