New York City, September 12, 2013

★★ Everything was muffled or tempered: the light, the heat, the blue of the sky. The heavy air was no longer crushing. Wind pushed a little this way and that. Midday brought dark gray with orange behind it, shreds of cloud dangling. The air had gone completely still. It seemed as if there would have to be lightning, but none showed itself. The rain came along, forceful but not spectacular, then left a wet afternoon and muggy evening. After dark, the lightning announced itself — flashes out the window in the next room, bright enough to command attention.