1.4 The churchyard ended

in a line of trees, their dark branches jaggedly separating sky and earth. Beyond them, a bolt lit the night for an instant then vanished to leave a deeper dark. Then again, a flash, and the light receded. I climbed over the steel gate at the end of the yard. It groaned beneath my weight. The woods were thin, and soon the thick damp grass of an open field coursed against my feet and ankles. As the cold wetness of the grass crept into my shoes, the storm continued to stir ahead of me. Splinters of light and color exploded then ebbed into the dark. Still, the night was cool and sweet as it rushed around and through me.