It's . . . It's . . . It's Alive!

The researchers approached cautiously. While they had seen such phenomena before, they knew that each and every instance was individual and could be dangerous. Slowly they edged into the room and then to form a large semi-circle around the mass.

A young woman with a camera started taking photos. The flash from the camera lit the room regularly like a slow motion strobe light. An older man gingerly reached out and put a long thermometer under the edge of the mass. Another man, using long stainless steel tongs gently tugged on an exposed edge until a piece of the mass came away in his grasp. Quickly he stuffed the piece into a clear plastic bag and sealed it.

Near the door, a woman pulled out a measuring tape and a ruler to start taking measurements. A man next to her stood ready with clipboard and pen to take down her findings.

"Do you think we should be masked up?"

The voice penetrated the previously silent room and seemed to break some kind of collective trance the group had fallen into. The men and women rustled restlessly for a moment while pondering the question before falling into an anxious silence.

"I don't think we are at risk, Helen. Don't worry. Besides, we have all had the necessary shots. We will be fine."

The speaker, an elderly man with rather thick glasses pushed up onto his forehead and supporting himself with a metal, four-pronged cane, held a video camera in one hand. Even while he spoke he didn't cease to videotape the mass in front of him.

At his words, the rest of the group seemed to relax and started once more to do what they had trained for. They began compiling data which would allow them to determine the nature of the mass they had discovered.

Suddenly, the mass moved.

It wasn't much of a movement but enough to cause the scientists to recoil from the edge of the mass. Never before had they encountered a mass that moved. Never.

Under the groups intense scrutiny, the mass remained still for a long moment. Then, it moved again. A gentle kind of shake.

"Are you getting this, Doctor Ryant?" It was Helen again sounding just a bit frightened.

"Yes, Helen. The video is getting everything. Now stay quiet and see what happens."

"But, don't you think we should move back?" Helen looked behind her at the wall mere inches away and wondered just where they could possibly move to.

"It is fine, Helen. Stay calm."

Now the mass moved again in a slow kind of shrug. The movement was accompanied by a low, hoarse sound.

The group surrounding the room held its breath.

Again, the mass moved and the sound came again. This time it was a recognizable groan.

"U-u-u-u-u-g-g-h-h-h-h!"

Now the mass seemed to come alive with movement. The edge of the mass nearest the wall began to rise up. And up. And up. Until it teetered for a moment and then fell back upon the rest of the mass leaving a dark recess yawning open. The mass was still for a moment before, slowly, an object started to appear from the opening.

Slowly, slowly, the object appeared. First some hair and then a recognizable head complete with a face and neck . . .

"I can't believe it! It's . . . it's . . . it's . . . "

"Yes, Helen. It's alive!" Taking a step forward, Dr. Ryant offered the newly emerged creature a smile and a clean tissue. "Welcome back to the living, Trisha!"

---------------------------------------------------

Well, as you can probably guess, I am starting to emerge from my cocoon of covers and tissues to see if the real world is still out there. My cold, while still hounding me, has decided that I could feel nearly alive today. Yeah!

As I type this I can look out the office window and see SNOW on the ground! Amazing, but true! It actually snowed yesterday in Texas! First we got about four inches of rain and then it turned into beautiful, HUGE snowflakes. There is probably about two inches of snow on the ground.

Of course, it will probably not last too long once the sun comes up but . . . it is SNOWY in Texas!

True, the cold, damp weather did nothing to make my cold feel better but . . . I guess that is life! I have been living on orange juice, water, and homemade soup (made by me) for the past few days supplemented by dinners made by a wonderful Hubby.

However, I have hope that I am on the upswing of this thing. After all, I can move around today without needing to be chained to my tissue box!

I hope everyone is doing well - I haven't felt too much like reading blogs lately but I will get caught up!

Trisha

Voice Update: As you may guess, my voice is a bit bad due to this cold. All of the drainage makes me sound very raspy and low-voiced. Hubby is worried that I have "hurt my voice" but I am confident that it is only the drainage making it sound horrific. I have been able to do my massage though. That is a plus!