By: Tanya V. Latimore
She gazed out at the door of the barn as the dew of the early morning glistened bright upon the soft green waves of silky grassy terrain. How is it the light of the sky is so impressive only in the early morning or in the dead of night. Sara had been up all night, pondering over the letters she wrote to her estranged family, wondering if any of them were a night owl like she was. She did her best thinking in the deep of night or early just before dawn. Now the light illuminated the red color of the barn door as she gleaned to hear the infamous Great grey screech loudly possibly to another calling for a day’s rest. Eyes glossy she traced the letters on the paper with her fingers gazing out into the early morning. It is the quietest during this time, so still she could hear the slow steady breathing of her Aunt and Uncle in the next room still slumbering. She had tried warm milk and light exercise stretches but her nervousness was beyond control at the excitement of meeting parents she did not remember from birth. What questions would she ask them? Would her mother have a head of fair platinum hair like her. She always resembled peaks of the Snowy white mountains in the distance. Sara could see afar off, that was a something she prided in herself. Its good to know what is ahead. She was hungry and have not eaten from last nights supper, she regretted not taking part of the roasted lamb and braised brisket her Aunt so meticulously made. It was always said that boys are the one is to eat the most, but Sara was no stranger to a good bowl of potatoes and beef. She needed her strength for the long walks she liked to take down by the stream. She thought how could we love the animals we raise and then we slaughter them for the dinner table? Man has always been natural carnivores, she thought. I believe it is a nature and a taste we will never tire from. The Sun began to rise above the horizon over the still blue lake blazing the most blinding light into Sara’s eyes. Everywhere the light touches for as far as the eye can see. That is what sunlight does, it exposes everything, illuminates the dark world so we can see. So how come that same light does not light up us as humans Sara thought to herself. Humans need the light the most and do not even know it. A rabbit flinted across the wide-open yard, then a few more and finally the parents. Such gentle and quiet creatures. All through the night Sara walked the huge house that was over 100 years old and passed down through the generations to past aunts and uncles in the family. The hard wood floors felt cool to her naked feet. When Sara could not sleep, she would roam the huge home and look upon the family portraits that told a story of her historical past. How could she sleep when there was so much to learn about her Family? Sleep could come later or in death some would say, but tonight was always about being able to live in the dark of night. Sara could hear the call of the crickets to one another in the garden just outside the patio door of the sitting room. The garden was a beautiful sight to behold in which you could see the colors of the flowers light up as sunlight began to hit each row of sunflowers and tulips. Yes, there were benefits to being a night owl.
