I have always been a person who had headaches. I first realized that I had more headaches than the average person when a teacher in high school asked me how often I get headaches. My answers surprised her. I always thought everyone got them every week or so. After all, if you watch TV headache medicine commercials were plentiful.

As I have gotten older, I have detected a pattern to my pain. It seems I will go a few days without a headache, then I will get a cluster of them. Often they are not that bad, just pain on the edges of my consciousness, just enough for me to notice. This will go on for a few days. Then they go away again.

Lately, occasionally, I will develop a pounding heading that makes me just want to hide. Aspirin used to work when I was younger, but long ago lost its effectiveness. Ibuprofen used to work until recently. Now it, too, seems to do nothing. Acetemenaphin was never any use for me.

Nevertheless, I always thought of my headaches as just headaches. Migraines? That sounds so serious. So painful, so debilitating. However, after a few pounding headaches that have sent me to bed to sleep it off like a bender that I did not even get to enjoy, I must admit it. I have them.

I have MIGRAINES.

Lora came to, coughing. She was covered in her blanket, although it had long since been dried by the heat of the fire. She could smell the soot and ash. She tried to turn to look at her apartment, the sky, but turning her head caused such a sharp pain that she blacked out again before she saw anything.

When next Lora came to, she rolled slowly on to her back. The smoke no longer rolled by overhead; the smoldering embers of the ruined building produced only ribbons of smoke now. Sitting up carefully, she took in her surroundings.

Three walls continued to stand straight, although they were blackened by soot. The fourth wall, the one to her apartment, had been blown from the inside out. Some of her books as well as pieces of what was once her furniture littered the courtyard. Lora got up and took a closer look at the damage. Eventually, she might be able to pick her way through the ruins, to find a way out, but she knew that a fire could smolder for days. She didn’t dare try it now. So, here she was, trapped in her ruined, smoke-filled garden. Still there was no way to escape. All she could do was wait. She sat on the wall farthest from her decimated apartment and leaned back. Eventually she began to drift off to sleep.

Her rest was interrupted but a sound coming out of the ruins. Lora jumped up when she realized she heard footsteps. In what used to be her apartment she could see three figures approaching. They wore suits that reminded Lora of space suits, bulky, covering everything. They even had helmets over their heads and reflective visors that obscured their faces. Their gray suits were smeared with grime and soot. Lora backed away, unsure of their intentions. One of them faced her, seemed to notice her for the first time. He gestured, and the others turned toward her as well. They began to advance.

They fanned out. It looked to Lora like they were trying to corner her. She looked around for a way of escape. There was none. There was nothing but the singes shrubbery.

“Stay back,” she said. “Leave me alone.”

The three hesitated. The two on the ends looked toward the one in the middle. He gestured for them to continue.

“I said get back,” Lora said, grabbing a branch. It was a dismal weapon, but all she had.

The one on her left lunged for her. She swung the branch, breaking it over his helmet. It didn’t seem to phase him. Meanwhile, the one on her right had grabbed her from behind.

“No!” she screamed. “Let me go!” She kicked and fought with everything she had, but she was no match for the two suits. They pinned her arms to her sides and immobilized her. The third suit opened up a bag and took something out. It was a syringe! He was going to inject her with something.

“Stop!” came a voice from behind the men. Jaric!

The three hesitated and looked at each other as Jaric came through the ruins and rushed to Lora. He was wearing no protective clothing, and he was singed and smeared with ashes. He looked like he had run through the ruins. He grabbed her pushed her behind him, positioning himself between her and the three suits.

“I mean it! Put that away and back off,” Jaric barked.

The man in the middle seemed to stare at Jaric before he put the needle away.

“It’s alright, Lora. It’s over now,” he said.

She collapsed into his arms and wept.

I’ve found it! As some of you probably know, I’ve been working on a story. I have been posting chapters of it here.

Well, lately I hit a rough patch. I’ve known from the beginning where I was going with this story, but I have had a hard time figuring out how to get there; how to make it work. That’s why it has been a little while since I have posted a chapter.

A few days ago, I decided I NEEDED to get back to it and write a bit. That is one good thing about posting it here. I think people are reading it, therefore I feel a need to finish it. What I wrote a few days ago, however, I was not satisfied with. But I finally figured it out. I finally figured out how to get there from here.

So, tomorrow, Chapter 17. Hope you like it!

Good morning, Master. That is how I generally start out my day. I log on to my computer and IM Master Bennet. Sometimes he answers. Often he does not. Either way, I start my day be greeting him. I also tend to tell him when I leave and return home. Yes, I spend a lot of time on the computer.

Right now, though, Master is on a trip. It feels strange, not saying hello periodically throughout the day. So I have decided to do a daily email. This will allow me to feel like I am keeping in touch with Master and let me keep a semblance of my normal routine.

Instead of the morning, though, I think I will send my emails at night. I can tell Master what I did that day, and what I plan to do the next. So, Master, check your mailbox!

“I’ve had my moments
Day in the sun
Moments
I was second to none
Moments
When I knew I did what I thought I couldn’t do
Looking at me now you might not know it.
But I’ve had my moments.”
From the song Moments by Emerson Drive

We’ve all had our moments, our times of triumphs. They are different for each of us, but, at one time or another, we were on top of the world, numero uno. It’s important to remember those moments. We will not always be on top, but we have all been there.

Sometimes we will be on the bottom, the very rock bottom. Then what? That is when you kick into this song and say “I’ve had my moments”. All is not lost or worthless. The moments come and go. When you feel down and at the bottom of the heap, just remember the moments “like a coat so warm the cold wind can’t get through” (also from the song).

It’s okay to be down at times, because you’ve had your moments. And chances are very good, you will have more of them.