Fragments Gallery
Starry Nights
Far above you the stars twinkled, trapped as they were in that great black canvas. You're lying on a small hill in the middle of a field amidst the waving green grass. The blanket beneath you was warm even though the grass beneath it was damp; the water had not yet had time to soak through the folded layers of thick wool.
A warm breeze cuts through the calm air bringing with it the crisp smell of rain. You breathe in deeply savouring the heavy scent. Your eyes droop for a second as you yawn. It's getting late but you wish to stay for a little longer. It's always for just a little longer.
As your eyes open again you see a plane flying by high above and for a moment you track it and wonder about the people onboard. You wonder about their past and their stories. Then you wonder what hopes and dreams they may have for the future. As you ponder the plane continues on its way, soon disappearing from your sight. Just like that the people are gone.
You let the thoughts slip away.
In the distance you hear someone call out your name, they're calling for you to head in. Unmoving you continue to stare up at the stars. You'll head in soon but for the moment you're content to stay.
Movement at the edge of your vision draws your attention to an edge of the visible sky. Just above the horizon you locate the origin of the movement, it's a small white dot moving in a straight line across the sky. It’s a satellite. You watch it for a few seconds more before something brushes against your foot, causing you to turn away.
You sit up and squint into the darkness trying to see what is there. Whatever it is brushes against your foot again and steps up onto your leg. Finally you can pinpoint the moving shadow as it saunters along. As it grows closer you can make out a small grey face. It was a kitten. You smile and take the furry creature in one hand lifting it from your leg and putting it on the ground beside you. Once it touches the ground the kitten purrs and falls over, its paws flailing up above it as it swats at your retreating hand.
You stare at the kitten and wonder where it came from. It could have owners living nearby or it could be a stray. In the darkness you can't see if there are any ear tattoos so there was no way of knowing.
Your new companion continues to purr as it stands and climbs back onto your lap, once there it settled down and curled up. It didn't take much for this small creature to be happy you mused. For humans it took a bit more. People had those hopes and dreams either holding them back or leading them forward depending on how you looked at it. People had stories to tell, sometimes of a past which was a happier time for them. Why couldn't they be as happy now as they had been in the past? What changed?
Droplets began to fall from the sky, lightly at first but then they began to pick up speed. You sigh, you'd better go.
Gently you dislodge the kitten from its place and you stand up, wincing as joints crack and muscles stretch. You gather and fold the woolen blanket and cast one more look towards the stars before setting out.
The kitten follows you as you begin to walk away, you shake your head and continue on, either it would find its way or it would still be outside in the morning. When you got back you could put something out for it to shelter in if it wanted to. But it didn't seem to mind the rain much. It just continued purring.