White Out

I had been sitting at the Reference Desk for several hours. My behind was aching from sitting so long and my neck stiff from craning to see over the monitor in case anyone needed assistance. Time to get up and move a bit. Some days are so busy I don't get a chance to sit. Today is not one of them. I stand and stretch, working the kinks and stiffness from my limbs. Deep breath in. Exhale. Hardly anyone is in the Information Commons. The Library is unusually quiet. Well, it is early in the semester, this is only the first day of class. No one has assignments or papers. I don't blame them for not coming into the Library.

Then I glanced towards the windows. It was as if someone suddenly covered them with white cotton batting. Every inch of outside was hidden in white. Not snowflakes, snow air! You could not see even an inch. I know there are cars parked in the parking lot, but I cannot see a fender or luggage rack or headlight. No wonder no one is in the Library. Who would go out on a day like this! The Circulation Supervisor walked past and stopped dead in her tracks, her jaw hanging open. "Oh, my goodness!" she exclaimed. "When did it start snowing?"

I had no idea. We chatted for a few minutes, and as suddenly as it had started, the whiteout ended. The sky was blue and clear, the sun shining. If I hadn't had a witness, I would have thought I had imagined the whole thing. What a strange winter.