A Tiny Trauma

What do the smallest among us think when born within the storm?

A sudden pounding thunderstorm is a welcome thing when you lack electricity and thus cooling — when you’ve lacked it for days since Hurricane Ida’s assault on the grid. And then I spot the fledgling wren that has been hanging close since the storm. Drenched to the skin, terrified, the bird presses itself almost flat against my house beneath the eave.

Suddenly, I understand. This terrified sprite believes another hurricane has begun.