An ant was crawling on Michelle's ankle. At least, it felt like an ant, although it could have been just an itch and her imagination. Even if it really was an ant, Michelle wasn't moving. It could crawl all the way up her skirt if it wanted to. She still wasn't moving until Luke got home or Benjamin woke up, whichever came first. She mentally crossed her fingers that Luke would win.
Not far from their little hovel there was a particularly dark wood with a cold river running through the middle of it. When a breeze passed through that spot, the breeze emerged a bit cooler and then skimmed right up the hill and through the shady spot underneath the oak tree at the front of the lawn, by the lane. Or so it seemed to Michelle. At least it felt much cooler here than it did in the house, or in any other part of the garden, and this was where Michelle had settled for a rest.
Michelle had a quilt spread out on the grass (which needed a good mowing) and she lay strewn out across it with her feet bare and her eyes closed. Close by was a wicker laundry basket, charmed to hover a few inches above the ground and rock ever so gently. Within it, Benjamin lay sleeping - finally - drooling on his daddy's clean work robes. It was too late in the day for his nap - now he wouldn't go to bed until much too late at night - but Michelle was past caring and figured on letting him sleep until dinner time if he liked.
The weather was too hot to be slaving over the fire for their meal, so Michelle had tucked some wrapped up potatoes into the hot embers a couple of hours earlier. That and some cold leftover chicken would suffice for the evening. And easy dinner left her with some time for a break after the laundry was done, and Michelle was determined that it would not be interrupted, even if the itchy ant did seem to be crawling up around her knee now.
She dosed in and out and eventually Michelle heard the pop signaling Luke's arrival. She waited until she heard his feet in the grass and she opened up one eye. "You wake him up and he's yours," she whispered, and extended one arm, beckoning him with a wave of her fingers to join her on the blanket.




