Day 42: Afternoon
Somewhere, a grandfather clock tolled the time and the sound sent some pigeons fluttering from a nearby window. The frost was completely gone now and the sun beat down through a clear sky even though the air continued to be crisp and chilly. Some of the townspeople had begun to relax more among the mental patients, as they sometimes did, while others became more agitated, more suspicious. Nothing serious had happened today -- yet -- and while hardly anything ever went wrong on these outings, responsible chaperones that the nurses were, the townspeople never ceased to remind themselves that they had to be on their guard anyway. There certainly weren't as many children out and about as there normally would be, in any case, something of a loss for the younger patients but perhaps also a relief, as some of the faces of these children might have been recognizable.
The buses still stood where they'd been parked, locked and guarded by nurses while their drivers went off to get something to eat or possibly attended to their own daily lives.
A cat yawned on a fence. A dog barked.
On the whole and aside from the general wariness of the townspeople, everything seemed perfectly normal.
The buses still stood where they'd been parked, locked and guarded by nurses while their drivers went off to get something to eat or possibly attended to their own daily lives.
A cat yawned on a fence. A dog barked.
On the whole and aside from the general wariness of the townspeople, everything seemed perfectly normal.