THIRTEEN

 

Sleep did not come easy to Catena that night, and she woke before dawn, convinced the gargoyle had come down from the roof and was crouched in the corner of her bedroom, talking to her.

He'd said something about none of the projects being enough for her, and how he was honoured to be of service. She wished she could ask him to repeat it all, for it had sounded so flowery, but the corner where she'd thought he'd sat was empty now, lit by a stray ray of light from the rising sun.

There wasn't a gargoyle in her room – he was firmly stuck to the roof, where he belonged. Once she'd had breakfast, and a lot of coffee, then she could go up there and ask him to repeat himself, and feel like an idiot for dreaming about roof ornaments that talked.

Next thing she knew, she'd be talking to garden gnomes. Hmm, best to avoid Bunnings for a bit, then, in case she was tempted to try.

Luckily, there weren't any in the library, where she'd be working for most of today. As long as she was awake enough to walk there, which would require...coffee.

She padded downstairs to the kitchen, where she managed to slot a pod into the coffee machine and fix herself a bowl of cereal, without giving in to the temptation that was the box of cannoli. But only just.

Some time later, showered, dressed (and double checked to make sure she hadn't stuck her shirt on inside out or anything), she brewed a second cup of coffee. She reached for a her travel mug to pour it into for the walk to work, then checked the time and realised that waking up early had its advantages – she had time to drink this before she needed to leave for work.

Her cup was empty too soon, though she didn't feel any more alert than when she'd woken up. Oh, well – it should be quiet in the library today, so no one would notice if she was a little slower and sleepier than usual. Unless she fell asleep at the enquiries desk, of course...now that would be embarrassing!

No, she'd never be that unprofessional. Instead, she'd do her job, and forget about research proposals for a few days. The dream gargoyle...okay, probably her own subconscious...was right, and waiting was the way to go. She'd get the proposal in at the last minute, anyway, just like everyone else.

Right. Shoes. Wallet. Phone. Keys...where were her...oh, there they were, under her sunglasses. She might need those, because it was sunny today, even if it was winter.

As ready as she'd ever be, Catena headed out the door for what she hoped would be a good day.