Snipet #9

No one other than her mother gave much thought to Evelyn as she grew. She was just another fixture in the landscape of Willow Falls. Not that people didn't notice her unique ways, but as was tradition, they found a way to ignore it and more importantly, to ignore her. As they turned a blind eye to their unhappiness, they ignored the way she seemed to be able to talk to animals. Just as they forgot their dreams, they didn't give a second thought when they saw her out in a rain storm, laughing and dancing. As they disregarded their own pain, they never gave a thought to hers. They cleaned, built, repaired, taught, and doctored as their respective jobs dictated, but they rarely felt anything at all. On rare occasions the wind blew through the sleepy town, and forced the inhabitants of Willow Falls into a state of semi-wakefulness, but these times were few and far between. The wind rarely demonstrated it's full power since the day of Evelyn's birth. A light breeze here, a mild spring zephyr there, but nothing profound and life changing. But with or without the wind, a change was coming.

When Evelyn was around, the wind was always there, just under the surface. Looking into her eyes forced you to pay attention. That was why she had no friends, no one spoke to her except when they had to, and no one could tell you what color her eyes were, since they never dared to look there. If they did, they would be forced to see themselves, and that was something none of them were willing to do.