The Walk Through the Night

Shiloh brushed his hair out of his tear stained face. The night air was brisk and found it’s way through the neck of his coat. The boy was angry at himself, angry for crying like a child angry that he felt so vulnerable. He knew his father was sick but didn’t know how quickly it would turn so bad. Shiloh regretted throwing a rock at the barn owl that had just swooped by in the dark and that is why he was out so far from his house. He was looking for the bird, it had let out a startled sound that was like a surprised human cry. Shiloh hoped the owl wasn’t injured, or, he shuddered. Climbing over some fallen trees he searched for it, his jeans and shoes were becoming soaked from wading through the sea of ferns. He had lost track of time and wasn’t sure how long he’d been outside. Shiloh Jensen Jr, he thought to himself grimly, now with his father gone he would stop being called Jr at the age of fourteen. He knew he really depended on his parents but now he would have to grow into a man that his mother could stable her raw nerves on. The youth hoped his mother didn’t realize that he was out here, she’d worry, probably she thought he was in his room alone with his thoughts which had become his habit after finishing his chores and homework. The moonlight seemed to beckon him further and further out into an open field after he’d walked through a stand of poplars. Looking wearily up at the night sky he could see the stars, not as bright as usual as they were being outshone by the full moon. Was he up there, somewhere past the sky? Shiloh wondered. He really believed in Heaven but like his mother he worried about things he couldn’t see. He’d looked all over their property and beyond for the owl, he would just go a little further and then, regrettably have to turn back. Some rocks were on the far side by some scraggly bushes and as he walked his left foot slipped down a hole. A sharp pain jolted up his leg, he gasped from the shock of it. He was able to free his leg from the hole, no doubt the home of some sort of rodent. Shiloh began to shake, startled and in pain he walked a few steps and had to sit down right away. His mind was reeling. He’d hurt himself before but this seemed worse. After a moment of trying to calm himself he remembered to tighten his shoe laces on his injured ankle. With resolve he turned homeward. The rain had started to fall again, he looked for a branch circumspectly but had to limp along slowly for awhile. At least the pulsating sensation of his ankle pulled his thoughts away from his grief. After maybe twenty minutes had gone by he looked up to realize he didn’t recognize where he was. Usually he’d had a pretty good sense of direction and made him uneasy that his mind had been so absorbed that he had lost his way. The rain was coming down now more rapidly and the unease inside himself was rising. Feeling more foolish than before he looked around for a landmark, something he recognized. If he couldn’t get back to his house soon he’d have to get in the shelter of some of the trees near him. Finally the clouds seemed to have rained themselves out and the sky cleared again. Shiloh heard a rustling and then the soft shrill sound of the owl flying by. The bird swooped down by him. Startled Shiloh almost lost his balance. The owl lighted on a branch and seemed to look back at him, then the bird flew on slowly. It must be leading me back home, Shiloh thought to himself.