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The Osprey’s Table
Claire felt that something wasn’t right. She sat at her kitchen table in Florida and looked out the window. She didn’t have much of an appetite, which was quite unusual for her. She usually loved to eat, liked almost every cuisine, and had friends over regularly to cook together. Since she lived alone, she would be the go-to house where everyone could come and not upset any family routines. Many of her friends had little babies and so it was more difficult for them to entertain.
She stared at her Pan Bagnat, which she normally loved but couldn’t eat. She noted that a few pitch-black crows had started to come around, sitting on the black fence that separated her yard from the pond. They would crow loudly and look kind of spooky. She was wondering what was bringing them around, since she never saw them before. At that moment, she heard a ding from her iPad, which meant she had a Slack message. Her boss wanted to talk to her tomorrow about a trip to see a client in Maine. “Awesome!” she said to herself. Florida in August was brutal, and this was a super good time to go north for business.
Claire packed up her travel bag. She always kept it half-packed so that she could pick up and go quickly. She would keep toiletries ready to go so that she only needed to throw in her clothes. All the while, she wasn’t feeling good. This was unusual for a woman who was super healthy, exercising daily…
