Blondie was asleep on the couch. I mean, really asleep. I had gone out and come back and she’d never moved… not when the garage doors opened and shut, not when I opened and shut the door to the house, not when I’d gone into the downstairs bird room calling her name. I stood over the couch and looked at her, eyes rolled up in her head, chest not seemingly moving and my heart stood still. I called her name. No response. I bent lower and called again. Not a twitch to be seen. I leaned down into her face hoping to feel some exhaled breath on my face. Nothing. I reached out and gently shook her while calling her name very, very loudly. She twitched a bit, opened one eye, looked at me as though I was the one with the problem, turned her head into the couch and fell back asleep.
At least I knew she was alive.