A Bear in the Paddock
The room was black and silent. The hum of the dishwasher downstairs had long since given way to the silent steam of the air venting, allowing the cold night air in and the hot, steamy air out. The gentle snoring and blankets shifting occasionally were the only sounds emanating in the silent Vermont night. The room lit up in hues of pink and violet, gentle at first, just enough to alert the sleeping professor enough to roll across the bed and search for the remotes. "Vadim. You left the TV on again." He didn't hear her. She continued her blind searching in the night for the remotes to turn off the lights as the pink and violet lights grew in intensity, dancing across the walls of her master suite like the lights of a dance club. "Sir," a female voice quietly but firmly called out over the speakers. She sighed and buried her face in the pillows. "Yes, Astrid." Her voice muffled by the pillows, knowing that the voice was addressing her. "Ther...