{"id":22464,"date":"2025-12-05T13:18:11","date_gmt":"2025-12-05T13:18:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/readmore.cx\/?p=22464"},"modified":"2025-12-05T13:18:11","modified_gmt":"2025-12-05T13:18:11","slug":"the-whisper-in-the-wind","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/readmore.cx\/?p=22464","title":{"rendered":"The Whisper in the Wind"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>The thermometer on the back porch of Arthur Sterling\u2019s farmhouse read five degrees below zero, and the mercury was still dropping. It was Christmas Eve in Northwood, Maine, but for Arthur, it was just another Tuesday night to survive. At seventy-two, with knees that clicked like rusty hinges and a heart that had been slowly hardening since his wife, Martha, passed five years ago, Arthur had no use for holidays.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"post-thumbnail article-post-thumbnail kadence-thumbnail-position-behind alignwide kadence-thumbnail-ratio-2-3\">\n<div class=\"post-thumbnail-inner\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"post-top-featured wp-post-image\" src=\"https:\/\/storyteller.bryzaads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1-88.jpeg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1365px) 100vw, 1365px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/storyteller.bryzaads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1-88.jpeg 1365w, https:\/\/storyteller.bryzaads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1-88-300x169.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/storyteller.bryzaads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1-88-1024x576.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/storyteller.bryzaads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1-88-768x432.jpeg 768w\" alt=\"\" width=\"1365\" height=\"768\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<article id=\"post-7292\" class=\"entry content-bg single-entry post-7292 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-uncategorized\">\n<div class=\"entry-content-wrap\">\n<header class=\"entry-header post-title title-align-inherit title-tablet-align-inherit title-mobile-align-inherit\">\n<div class=\"entry-meta entry-meta-divider-dot\"><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"entry-content single-content\">\n<p>The \u201cStorm of the Century,\u201d the weathermen called it. For once, they weren\u2019t lying. The wind howled like a banshee, rattling the sash windows of the old Victorian house that felt too big for one man.<\/p>\n<p>Arthur poured himself a glass of bourbon, neat, and moved to close the heavy velvet drapes. He wanted to shut out the whiteout conditions, shut out the town of Northwood, and shut out the memories of Christmases past.<\/p>\n<p><em>Thump.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/readmore.cx\/?p=22465\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-19433\" src=\"https:\/\/readmore.cx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/BUTTONI-USA-2-e1742767963719-1536x885-1-300x173.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"173\" srcset=\"https:\/\/readmore.cx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/BUTTONI-USA-2-e1742767963719-1536x885-1-300x173.jpg 300w, https:\/\/readmore.cx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/BUTTONI-USA-2-e1742767963719-1536x885-1-1024x590.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/readmore.cx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/BUTTONI-USA-2-e1742767963719-1536x885-1-768x443.jpg 768w, https:\/\/readmore.cx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/BUTTONI-USA-2-e1742767963719-1536x885-1.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"pvc_stats_22464\" class=\"pvc_stats total_only  \" data-element-id=\"22464\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" data-prefix=\"far\" data-icon=\"chart-bar\" role=\"img\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\" class=\"svg-inline--fa fa-chart-bar fa-w-16 fa-2x\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M396.8 352h22.4c6.4 0 12.8-6.4 12.8-12.8V108.8c0-6.4-6.4-12.8-12.8-12.8h-22.4c-6.4 0-12.8 6.4-12.8 12.8v230.4c0 6.4 6.4 12.8 12.8 12.8zm-192 0h22.4c6.4 0 12.8-6.4 12.8-12.8V140.8c0-6.4-6.4-12.8-12.8-12.8h-22.4c-6.4 0-12.8 6.4-12.8 12.8v198.4c0 6.4 6.4 12.8 12.8 12.8zm96 0h22.4c6.4 0 12.8-6.4 12.8-12.8V204.8c0-6.4-6.4-12.8-12.8-12.8h-22.4c-6.4 0-12.8 6.4-12.8 12.8v134.4c0 6.4 6.4 12.8 12.8 12.8zM496 400H48V80c0-8.84-7.16-16-16-16H16C7.16 64 0 71.16 0 80v336c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h464c8.84 0 16-7.16 16-16v-16c0-8.84-7.16-16-16-16zm-387.2-48h22.4c6.4 0 12.8-6.4 12.8-12.8v-70.4c0-6.4-6.4-12.8-12.8-12.8h-22.4c-6.4 0-12.8 6.4-12.8 12.8v70.4c0 6.4 6.4 12.8 12.8 12.8z\" class=\"\"><\/path><\/svg><\/i> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"Loading\" src=\"https:\/\/readmore.cx\/wp-content\/plugins\/page-views-count\/ajax-loader-2x.gif\" border=0 \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The thermometer on the back porch of Arthur Sterling\u2019s farmhouse read five degrees below zero, and the mercury was still dropping. It was Christmas Eve in Northwood, Maine, but for Arthur, it was just another Tuesday night to survive. At seventy-two, with knees that clicked like rusty hinges and a heart that had been slowly&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"more-link-wrap\"><a href=\"https:\/\/readmore.cx\/?p=22464\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &ldquo;The Whisper in the Wind&rdquo;<\/span> &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"pvc_stats_22464\" class=\"pvc_stats total_only  \" data-element-id=\"22464\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" data-prefix=\"far\" data-icon=\"chart-bar\" role=\"img\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\" class=\"svg-inline--fa fa-chart-bar fa-w-16 fa-2x\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M396.8 352h22.4c6.4 0 12.8-6.4 12.8-12.8V108.8c0-6.4-6.4-12.8-12.8-12.8h-22.4c-6.4 0-12.8 6.4-12.8 12.8v230.4c0 6.4 6.4 12.8 12.8 12.8zm-192 0h22.4c6.4 0 12.8-6.4 12.8-12.8V140.8c0-6.4-6.4-12.8-12.8-12.8h-22.4c-6.4 0-12.8 6.4-12.8 12.8v198.4c0 6.4 6.4 12.8 12.8 12.8zm96 0h22.4c6.4 0 12.8-6.4 12.8-12.8V204.8c0-6.4-6.4-12.8-12.8-12.8h-22.4c-6.4 0-12.8 6.4-12.8 12.8v134.4c0 6.4 6.4 12.8 12.8 12.8zM496 400H48V80c0-8.84-7.16-16-16-16H16C7.16 64 0 71.16 0 80v336c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h464c8.84 0 16-7.16 16-16v-16c0-8.84-7.16-16-16-16zm-387.2-48h22.4c6.4 0 12.8-6.4 12.8-12.8v-70.4c0-6.4-6.4-12.8-12.8-12.8h-22.4c-6.4 0-12.8 6.4-12.8 12.8v70.4c0 6.4 6.4 12.8 12.8 12.8z\" class=\"\"><\/path><\/svg><\/i> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"Loading\" src=\"https:\/\/readmore.cx\/wp-content\/plugins\/page-views-count\/ajax-loader-2x.gif\" border=0 \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22464","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":15,"today_views":0},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/readmore.cx\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22464","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/readmore.cx\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/readmore.cx\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readmore.cx\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readmore.cx\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=22464"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/readmore.cx\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22464\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22479,"href":"https:\/\/readmore.cx\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22464\/revisions\/22479"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/readmore.cx\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=22464"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readmore.cx\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=22464"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readmore.cx\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=22464"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}