Double Integral

Aston awoke to her body rocking slowly in place. She was in a large, brightly lit room. The only sounds came from air rushing through circulation vents above and below her. After observing her body’s movements, she determined that the breeze from the vents was causing her to rock in place. The air was cold, and it made her very uncomfortable. Still working off instinct, she tried to rub her hands together to generate some friction. She felt nothing, not even the slight muscle twitches she had felt before. Had she grown even further?

The old machine shop had been vacated a few months ago, a more modern replacement having been built about a block up the road. And when the university's maintenance department gave up their claim to the building, the science department swooped in and planted their flag. Having their experiment labs was nice, but they were too small. This allowed the department to work on larger-scale experiments. Fortunately, the robotics group had finished up their work in the shop on Friday afternoon, leaving the floor cleared and the weekend open for more unofficial activities.

The flame in the fireplace cast a warm glow throughout Gwen's living room, the flickering light soothing her as she lay curled up in a blanket on her sofa, reading a book and sipping hot cocoa. Starting when she was little, she, along with her brother and sisters, always slept by the fireplace on Christmas Eve, eagerly anticipating Santa's arrival. And of course, once they had all inevitably fallen asleep, their parents would tiptoe in and lay all their gifts out.

A crisp Sunday morning in late fall. The large church and its white steeple tower above the rest of the quiet neighborhood. High above the ground, suspended in the steeple, the church bell tolls, drawing surrounding ears to its majestic clang.