There we stood, looking out on the quiet world. Even those who were awake remained near silent, whispering only, lest they rouse the wind itself, breaking the still solemnity of that civil twilight. The scent of night still lingered in the atmosphere, but there was something separate in the air, independent of the night, but not wholly part of the day. It seemed we had stumbled into a time recognized only vaguely by either, like the shunned sibling of Day and Night. Or perhaps it was more appropriately compared to a child, who exhibits traits of both parents, but in its self is a whole new person. Yes, this is the metaphor I have decided on. There is something very ugly about the word shun, and ugliness being so contrary to the place we had found, I find it only right to err on the side of beauty. And what a beautiful child it was; the temperate coolness and soft touch of its mother, the Moon, with the strong, vibrant glow of its father, The Sun. It seemed as if you could simply reach out and grasp the tethers tying you down to the earth, usually invisible, and cut them, allowing yourself to float uninhibited forever, marveling at the glory that was surrounding us, beauty that only the naked eye, and unhindered mind might comprehend.
Now, might I recount our short but nonetheless eventful climb? Had we set out at any other time it would simply have been another hike up our hill. But like previously stated, there
was something unusual in the air.It was early when my sister invaded my room and shook me awake, nearly five if I do recall correctly. Not an hour at which I would usually find myself conscious, but there you have it. Mortifying my natural tendency to roll back over and wait out the sun, I groaned out of bed and dressed. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I limped out to the kitchen and sat down at the table across from my sister.
“Are you ready, Brother?” she asked full of uncommon energy.
I nodded my assent and we walked out the door. Instantly I wished I had on several more layers; the cold morning air and biting wind made the lack of sun pronouncedly more noticeable. But nevertheless on we pressed.
Down, left, left, up, left; to the chain link fence that, for as long as I can remember has stood where it does now, not so much to frankly state “No Trespassing” but simply to discourage, to warn, as a sign of urban unfriendliness. Passing it we tread under our feet perhaps decades worth of broken glass, shattered on old, cracking asphalt. Feeling it grind and slide beneath our steps, creating harsh grating sounds against the pavement. At the foot of the hill we stopped, and looked up expectantly, almost as if we thought to suddenly be transported to the peak, saving us the trouble. After a few seconds deliberation though, it must have dawned on us that that wasn’t going to happen. So our legs began the ascent, slowly turning like the jackshafts of a locomotive.
“Brother?” my sister began turning to me, “which way should we go?”
“That way?” I questioned, pointing to our left towards a path that mildly circled the lower region of the hill. “We could follow that path up a ways and then cut through those bushes.” I said, motioning to some foliage a ways up the trail.
All consenting, we marched to the left. All this hiking had warmed us up considerably and made everything seem a bit more pleasant. We were enjoying life thoroughly, breathing in the crisp, earthy air, marveling at the way the sky looked, the dark blue hues, almost like an ocean blanketing the heavens. It seemed calm, but you could tell directly beneath its surface there was teeming, glowing, brilliant life, only mildly veiled by the thin midnight sheet cast over it. As I was absently taking all this in, my sister slowed her pace and lightly exclaimed, “Is that a cave?”
“Where?” I asked more than somewhat surprised.
“Up there, beneath that tree.”
“there aren’t any caves up here.”
“Well that certainly looks like a cave. What a silly thing for something to look like a cave, that isn’t a cave.” My sister said, somewhat sarcastically.
“I suppose you're right. How haven’t I seen that before?” I wondered as we walked towards the tree.
