Here I am, sitting in front of my laptop. To my right, the wind is howling so hard that I had to turn the volume up to full in order to hear the Star Trek Voyager episode I was watching.

All that, and Ben is snoring in the bed next to the window.

Water is dripping from tiny cracks in the window frame. I tried to duct tape them closed, but somehow the water has wormed its way through. It hits the bottom of the frame and bubbles, but only for a moment, because then the bubble pops and water droplets explode everywhere. I tried putting towels down but within minutes they are soaked.

All this, and Ben is still asleep.

The wind is whistling and howling, and I'm afraid that the power will go out, or worse, the windows will smash.

But then, suddenly, it stops. There is a calm, as if the storm is taking a breath. Pausing. But for no more than a second. It exhales with such force that the papers taped to my walls are fluttering like scared butterflies, pinned down with nowhere else to go.

And then they calm again. The storm breathes.

All the while, Ben is still asleep.

I keep thinking that the phone is ringing. I hurry out to the living room, but then it's gone. Maybe it's just my ears playing tricks on me, Hurricane Bill calling out saying, "Answer me, answer me..."

I know that I should go outside to Sobeys to stock up on food, but I'm afraid I'll be whisked away by the wind.

So I cuddle up with my books and read, waiting for Ben to wake up.