Callie wasn't sure of it was thunder or fireworks at first, then a piece of notebook paper rose up in a curl from the table and drifted through the air like a ghost. From her vantage point from the couch, she watched the paper settle on the dark dining room floor. The distant clashes came again. Rain splattered through the screens on the windows on the north side of the house. After a short while, the rain died down and a new, engineered series of booms followed. Fireworks kicked off the beach season in the next town over. As the concussive explosions faded, a woman's voice called out from a nearby yard. A pet was missing. There was a pause, then a screen door slammed shut. As the wind picked up, the leaves rattled, and a solitary meow filled the air.
