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~Fly By Night~ | |
Mama presses her cool lips to my forehead, brushing away a lock of hair as she does. "Goodnight, my darling."
She flicks the light switch, dowsing the whole room in darkness. My brother, Andy, is afraid of the dark.
But I'm not.
The dark gathers me up in its big, soft arms and rocks me gently to sleep.
The dark tells me stories of places I've never been to and things I never knew existed.
The dark whispers its secrets to me as I hover on the edge of sleep.
Its eyes are the sparkling stars in the night sky,
Its voice is the soft, warm wind that gently sways the sleeping trees.
Its song is that of the crickets and toads chirping and the soft hoot of an owl out there, somewhere.
I hear the stairs creak; mama is going to bed. Now everything is quiet except for the night-song drifting through the open window, brought by the sweet, summer air.
This is when I come alive; the night beckons to me to come out and play. I slip from under my crisp sheets and climb out the open window. The freshly cut grass is cool beneath my bare feet.
I wiggle my toes and imagine earthworms toiling under the ground.
The wind kisses my cheeks and plays with my hair and I turn up my face to look at the full moon. I smile, waving hello, and the stars wink a greeting at me. A blue-gray cloud drifts lazily across the moon.
I close my eyes and sniff the air. I can smell the stifling scent of oncoming rain and I wonder if that is thunder I hear in the distance? I hope it is.
Excitement courses through me and I start running, laughing. The wind picks up, blowing stronger, laughing with me. Suddenly it lifts me up with strong arms and I am sailing through the night. Higher and higher I go into the sky. I look down to see the world speeding by.
I see my house, quiet and still except for Perkins, the dog, gazing out from his doghouse curiously. I fly past rolling field of gold and green, catching the scent of fresh hay and the sweet, fermenting smell of a silo as I go by. I see the city lights and smell the car exhaust and the heat that rises up from the streets.
No one seems to notice and I fly above them; I'm covered in a shroud of darkness. I take a deep breath, filling my lungs with sweet air.
"Higher!" I whisper.
I go even higher, until the world is just a blue ball with swirls of white. I reach out, trying to grab a star to put in my hair. The darkness comes closer, wrapping me tightly in it's embrace and I close my eyes contented.
When I open them I am back in my bed, safely tucked under the covers - as if I'd been there all night. The first grayish rays of sunlight are filtering through the window. I can hear the birds outside, singing and rejoicing. I can hear mama downstairs, fixing breakfast and Andy watching t.v. in the living room.
I hear mama call me and I start to get up. Then I notice something glinting on my pillow. I pick the tiny object up in my hand and stare at it wondrously. The glowing star winks back and I smile, knowing that I won't tell anyone about where I went last night. It will be my secret.
Mine and the night's.
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