Going to bed in the fall was always my favorite. I would brush my teeth and wash my face. The mint from the toothpaste would always make my mouth feel cold. It was inevitable that I would wake in the morning with dried toothpaste at the corners of my mouth. I never knew how that always happened. I would go into my room and kneel with my mother. We would say our prayers and I would crawl into bed. Do you want a story tonight, she would ask. Tonight I did not. I wanted to be alone. My story was better most of the time. She leaned over to kiss my forehead. Her gold cross grazed my face and I could feel her kiss on my head. The smell of my mother was of the lilac soap she used. I can remember it to this day. She would tuck the covers around me and walk to the door. She would turn around and smile as she said goodnight baby and slowly closed the door.
I didn't sleep with a nightlight so the only light in the room came from the moon outside my window. The tree that I had spent countless hours in during the summer was slowly losing its leaves. The branches of the tree are thick and strong. As the long branches spread out from the trunk, they became thinner and bent in awkward directions. I often wondered if the tree was old and that was the reason for the crooked branches. My grandmother was old and her legs and arms reminded me of this tree. The leaves were a deep red and dark orange and yellow. During the day the tree looked like it was on fire, but at night in my world, the shadows concealed most of the color that usually burst forth in morning rays.
There was very little wind tonight which made things easier for me. The wind always obstructed my view out the window. The leaves would get caught up in a whirlwind of dust and other debris from the yard. When the rain would fall the wind would always blow the rain drops into my window. The sky was always covered so the bright moon I could not see. But tonight that was not the case.
The moon was bright and large. I almost had to squint my eyes for the brightness it reflected from the day's sun. There were dark spots on the moon as well as bright. I imagined the dark spots to be huge cities. What sort of creatures lived on the moon? I imagined great cities with big buildings. The creatures were generally good in nature, but spent a lot of time looking down at us on earth. Their idleness sometimes would cause them to fight among themselves. I rolled over to my side to look at the moon and imagine if I were there.
What sort of reception would they give me? My mind wanders to the moon until I hear something. There is a noise that didn't come from outside my window, or did it? My mind instantly comes back to my room and I hold my breath to wait for the noise again. There it is. It sounds like it is coming from outside. Who could be out there? Who WOULD be out there? I lay very still as if weighed down by bricks. The air in my room has suddenly become oppressive. Did someone steal the air? Why can't I breathe?!
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These are stories that have been passed on to me by my wife. The writer is a friend of hers and I have complete permission to post these stories. There are many more to come so enjoy!
Brad
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