Ones who help with darkness
The dry air is slowly squeezed out of my chest by the walls. The white sharp screen on the dark background is cutting the pupils. The cloth is sticking to the body as if trying to become a part of it.
I lean away from my computer in which I have spent the whole day without going anywhere. It continues for the past couple of weeks — lessons, rest, communication — all of that, akin to me, is confined in the small box.
The Sun has already gone to the other part of the world, hoping that at least there somebody will not neglect its continuous effort to bestow its light. The gift has gone, leaving me with a tiny lamp, desperately trying to light up the room.
Following the gradual growth of darkness, grim thoughts decided to become my pocket of gloom. Fortunately, the idea of finally meeting my old friends did not allow the small dangerous bag to open up.
Although only one night has passed since our last meeting, it felt like ages. The waiting for this opportunity was tedious enough, but the true challenge was about to begin.
I should be quick: first, grab all necessary equipment — a little flashlight and soft, cozy, in the form of bunny slippers; second, draw stripes of a warrior on my face as in all action movies for the dramatic effect; last but not least, calculate the danger and the obstacles which are standing on my way.
The last point was not hard to do — I will need to make my way through the pair of sleeping parents. However, it was not the barrier that scared me the most — one task is to get through humans undetected, but the other — is to get through always-hungry beasts that may lie on the floor anywhere. The chance of stepping on them will go as high as ninety-three percent (do not ask how I have got those numbers). These monsters are unpredictable, invisible creatures. I’m talking, of course, about The Cats…
My heart is pumping as if trying to break through a chest prison. However, it is not going anywhere as I am not going to abandon my old fellows.
The arduous trip has begun. In order to sneak past the beasts, I needed to become one — my eyes got used to the darkness, the softness of my slippers was the same as my moves. It took only a minute to get to the desired destination, but the tiredness from the constant effort of staying undetected made it seem like two minutes. It was almost unbearable.
The door handle treacherously creaked, and the way to the balcony was finally open. The night did not waste any time and prepared itself to the full grace — the smell of the fresh grass like a silk ribbon penetrated the stagnant air, the welcoming music of crickets was merging with the silence of darkness, but the true beauty was on the night’s dress itself — the Moon. It has always been the most devoted friend to the sky in times of darkness. It has been one of my friends as well. Another one seemed like a shy, timid planet, which could not be further from the truth. Venus was quietly bestowing its light, trying to hide the fact that it was one of the few guests of a rather polluted and unwelcoming atmosphere.
Their presence was enough to wake up my sleeping curiosity. I took a telescope, which was not satisfied with the time that passed since its last use. Nevertheless, the resentment did not last long when we both saw the Moon in its full glory. Even though it allows usual beholders to see only one side, the gracefulness of the silver surface has been outweighing the constancy every time.
Every night, the Moon used different amounts of the Earth’s shadow and sunlight, creating its unique phases, which I was able to trace. Thus, I observed the phenomenon that was always above my head, and it turned out to be above all my expectations.
Moreover, the marvel of the night can start on the evening sky when the sunset decides to start its show, and Venus appears as if incapable of holding the brightness that it has. It sparks not only love for its incredible appearance but also contemplation about the presence of the Earth in the endless Universe, about the wonders that we are about to reveal or which will stay hidden forever.
Life in the highly polluted city has taught me to appreciate the few guests who are willing to show their beauty in the empty, dark sky. However, the necessity to stay at home for months without an opportunity to explore my world has taught me to do this exploration in the worlds that are available to my eyes.
