We’d been trying for months. Trying for that moonlit stroll. Watching the calendar, the moon phase, the weather. Oh, the weather! A clear sky is what we needed, what we had to wait for, for one month, and then another. Then, finally, on Monday night, there they were together at last – a clear sky, with a whisper-thin layer of puffed clouds, lit up by a full-round and glowing moon. We bundled up, two boys and I, and went out to greet them.
The path to the river was dark but for the silver light that floated from the sky and slipped between the naked branches above to the damp ground below. The trees and bushes on either side loomed ominously in their dark cloaks; the trail was strewn with rotten snow. The boys’ nerves were pricked and tingly as they cast their eyes from side to side, ears listening intently, even suspiciously, to the sounds of the night. They’d never experienced this before.
One cautious step and then another lead us toward the darkest part of the trail, toward the boardwalk and lumpy wooden bridge that crossed over a murky-green swamp. Nervous. Very, very nervous. Mama’s reassuring words shriveled into the farthest corner of their minds as every scary thought that they’d ever had suddenly boomed to the forefront. They weren’t sure this was a good idea.
But, we might see owls, guys!
With their shreds of courage somewhat gathered, we drew nearer the bridge and the swamp and the dark overhang of tangled branches. Carefully, slowly; their breath seeming to catch in their throats, somehow.
Another step.
Then, suddenly, into the deep silence of that moonlit night, a colossal crash of thunderous noise exploded right before us with a great thrashing of wings and feathers and terrified squawking as sleeping ducks, suddenly awake, careened off that quiet murky swamp toward open safety in that blackened sky. Boy screams answered, and terrified hollers and shrieks echoed back and forth. Legs went to jelly and adrenaline shot out their fingertips. Hearts wildly pounded larger than their chests.
Back to the nearest open space. Back to where the moonlight made it seem like day. Back to settle a bit, to calm. We could just stay right here. We didn’t have to go any further down that path if they didn’t want. This could be our slice of night. We could look here, just spin around slowly, and see how the light gave everything it landed on a silver lining. We could watch Nellie run around with sheer delight at this moonlit spree. We could pause, listen. We could capture the moon and the trees and the clouds like that. And, look, there is a house with lights on in the windows, there just beyond the fence. And look, up at those trees silhouetted against the cotton night sky.
Maybe there really is an owl up there.
.
