I had finally made it to the ground floor, and though the heat there was less dreadfully oppressive, my head still buzzed and my thoughts felt as if they were encased in an enduring fog. For every few steps I took, I found myself having to redouble my efforts to focus on my end goal: to hide out in the shade of the flower garden, as far away from the heat as I could possibly run. And if that didn’t suffice? Well, I supposed I would then have to make my way to the coast on the edge of town and throw myself bodily into the ocean, clothing and all. There were other potential solutions that I might have considered before then, but today was not a day for half-measures.

I made my way out of the foyer, then back through the piano room and the tea room to the porch at the rear of the old house. As I emerged into its open air, I felt a sense of relief come over me, as if I had been locked away and imprisoned for years only to suddenly be granted my freedom. The air was sweet and cool, (only in comparison, mind you – it’s alarming what one might consider to be “cool” after having so recently escaped from “broiling”) but it still was not enough to revive the clarity of my thoughts.

I stumbled across the back porch and down the steps, making one final push to propel myself across the lawn (I wanted to be in direct sunlight for as short a time as possible) and into the welcoming shade of the first of the neatly trimmed bushes.

The chrysanthemums and heliopsis were were in bloom. The hydrangea clearly weren’t a fan of the sudden weather change, their typically pristine orbs of flowers drooping wearily in the heat. There were rhododendrons, flowerless this time of year, but I could recognize them from their leaves. The hibiscus were there as well, their wide, multi-shaded petals arrayed in pleasant little circles of five. I’ve never been much for flowering plants, but I tried to name in my head as many as I was able as a tactic to combat the buzz and ache that continued to grow in my cranium.

I strolled languidly. All of the bees had died. I rounded a corner.