Pregnant drops of rain plopped onto the sliding door, bursting one by one against the glass. Marcy was curled up in her recliner with Rufus, reading a new book, a glass of wine nestled close by. There was nothing more relaxing than a summer storm. Her peace was momentarily interrupted by an alert from her phone on the table beside her. Glancing at the screen she read, ‘tornado warning for the Southeastern Virginia area until 10:00pm.’ “What shall we do, Rufus? Hole up in the tub, or stay put?” Rufus lifted his head lazily, gave her a glassy eyed look, then plopped his head back down onto his furry paws and closed his eyes. “Sounds fine to me.” She said as she rubbed the top of his head. Marcy returned her eyes to the paperback only seconds before the storm erupted into her living room. There was a loud crash as the sliding glass door shattered into the room. Rufus bolted from her side, and then all went black. … Marcy’s eyes slowly opened and began to focus on the scene around her. The sun peered through the glassless window around the edges of the tree that had taken it. Her living room, now furnished with tree limbs, was soaking wet and shrouded in leaves. She attempted to get out of the chair, and was halted by the branch that had, she assumed, knocked her out when it burst into the room. The thick branch rested securely on her head. She had to wiggle and squirm her way beneath it to release herself from the makeshift prison between the tree branch and recliner. Despite the location of the branch, she didn’t seem to be injured, and had no noticeable pain. Suddenly, she realized what was missing. “Rufus!” she shouted as she ran room to room looking for her dog. “Rufus!” - no answer. Frantically she rummaged through the downed tree in the living room, but there was no sign of her companion. After a thorough search of the house, Marcy went out to check the yard - no sign of Rufus. She called for him once again, cupping her hands around her mouth. Nothing. Maybe he had become frightened and ran to Tom’s house? Tom Wright lived next door, and Rufus had always trusted him. Surely that’s where he had gone. As she stepped up to Tom’s porch, she noticed he had also lost some trees along the front of the house. She knocked, and thought it odd that his two terriers didn’t come running to the door. Usually Daisy and Lola met her at the door with muffled yelps and clawing, but today, silence. She peered through the small glass panel alongside the front door, and all was still: no movement within the house. She tried the doorbell and shouted out, “Tom! Daisy! Lola! Anyone home?” - nothing. Marcy glanced back at the quiet street front and felt a chill. No birds chirped, no dogs barked, no neighbors examined storm damage. The street had taken quite a few downed trees: some in yards, some across roadways, and even some through roofs and vehicles, but no neighbors in the cul de sac to comfort one another, assess the damage, or begin the clean up. Marcy’s stomach tightened. She called out, banging on each door in the cul de sac - nothing. … Tom slumped down onto the curb and dropped his head into his hands. The ambulance lights flashing overhead. One of the paramedics stopped to cover him with a blanket as an officer approached. “Hello, Mr. Wright. I am very sorry that you had to witness this, and I know you’re probably not feeling well. Is this an ok time to ask a few questions, or would you like me to come back later?” “I’m ok.” Tom said. “Well, I was told you were the one to find the body, is that correct? Can you tell me how you happened to discover her?” “Yes, ma’am. It was very early this morning. The storm had knocked out a few trees, and there was that tornado warning, so I didn’t dare leave the house last night. This morning though, very early, it was about 6 am I believe, I heard scratching at the front door. My girls, Daisy and Lola, they began barking like something was out there. I dressed quickly and went to the door.” Tom grabbed a tissue from his right breast pocket and blew the congestion that had been accumulating from his distressed crying. “Well, when I opened the door, it... it was Rufus. He was soaking wet. I think he had been out there on the porch all night! I hadn’t heard him because of the storm, you see? I didn’t mean to leave him out there like that!” The officer nodded and responded, “Yes, of course not.” Tom continued, “Well, I knew immediately something must be wrong if Rufus was out there alone. I ran right over to Marcy’s house, and there was no answer when I knocked. I went around back and saw the tree had fallen through the back of the house. I had to squeeze in where the tree had busted out the glass. She always kept the doors and windows locked, you know? A woman living alone. Anyway, that’s when I saw her. She was in the, in the... “ Tears fell from Tom’s face, and he brought up the tissue once more to clear his nasal cavity. “I just knew right away. I knew that tree had to have… you know? The tree branch was a big one, and it just caved in her... I called 911. I didn’t know what to do. I just keep seeing her head and the blood, oh! The blood!” The officer gave him a sympathetic look, “If it is any comfort, we do believe that she died on impact. I don’t think this woman felt any pain.”