city landscape

The scream sounded human and rose in decibels into the leafing trees on the boulevard, across the mowed lawns and the flowerbeds of marigolds
and pink petunias. There were only so many places to hide: under cars,
behind hedges or beneath decks with lattice chewn or shifted. The sound could not be ignored although the windows and doors of the houses on both sides were firmly closed. Sparrows dispersed from feeders and a robin left the birdbath disturbed. A dog started barking. Earlier a piece of plywood
had been nailed over a broken attic vent. The mother raccoon was despondent.