Glow

Christopher first noticed it when he was ten, a small tree growing out in the front yard. It had a curious shape to it and always seemed to be reaching towards the direction of the sun, the way sunflowers do. The roots grew upward entwined within each other, like arms of lovers born from the ground and afraid to let go.

Throughout the years it grew and grew. Slowly green leaves began to sprout and small, delicate white flowers budded from the branches. He would often observe it as he was growing up, watching it through the kitchen window as he washed the dishes. He didn’t know why he was drawn to check on it often. Whenever he left the house, he’d glance over at it on the way to his car and when he returned home and walked to the front door. A quick glance over, every time.

Christopher soon outgrew his clothes, his room, his home and the town. He left for University and continued to grow. He met a girl and fell in love. She came home with him to meet his parents and would make trips back with him often after that. Each time he returned, he would glance over at the tree and continue to find peace in it.

Seasons changed and his trips home became less and less frequent. One day he came back alone with less color in his face. His shoulders sunken in defeat. For the first time, he walked into the house without glancing up and went straight to his old room. He stayed inside and slept for days. A great storm blew through town and passed over the house, knocking down everything in its path. Homes were destroyed, trees uprooted and animals lost. Christopher slept through it all.

On the third night he woke up thirsty and got out of bed. He left the lights off as he found his way to the kitchen and opened the fridge. The soft light from inside illuminated the tiles on the kitchen floor. He grabbed some water and closed the door and noticed that the glow remained. It wasn’t coming from the fridge, he had closed it. He turned to see it coming from the window above the sink. He peered out into the darkness and saw the tree out front. It had been struck by the storm and its top half split in two. A soft green glow, pulsing from inside of it.

Christopher stared for a few moments in a trance, possibly afraid. He set the glass down on the counter and went outside. He approached the tree cautiously and hovered over the luminous light. Not feeling like he had much to lose, he reached inside to touch it and felt a warm, smooth sphere. He cupped it in his hands and slowly, pulled it out of the hole of the tree. It was beating, like a heartbeat and glowing like a star. The light began to fade as he held it in his hands and he squeezed it gently hoping he could keep it alive, but the light continued to fade. Quickly without a moment of thought, he put it to his lips and swallowed. He could feel it move down his throat and deep into his chest.

He held his breath at first, afraid of what he had done but nothing happened. He exhaled and took a deep breath in and suddenly felt movement throughout his being. The more breaths he took the stronger he could feel it, as if he was breathing life into whatever it was that was in him now. It started beating again, closely after his own. Two heartbeats reverberating through him. He closed his eyes and stood as still as the night, listening to the rhythm deep inside.

Images began to flow through his mind. His childhood playing out like old footage from a home movie, continuing through his life up to the moment he had these two heartbeats. A face emerged from the visions, a new face he had never seen before. She was shorter than him and had long flowing, milk tea brown hair. She had soft, beautifully deep brown eyes that would look up at him whenever he hugged her. She was unbelievably cute and silly, extremely street smart and her laugh could make him burst. They would have many coffee dates together, play games together and go camping together. He would surprise her with thoughtful gifts and she would share her favorite books. Whenever she held his hand, the rest of the world would melt away and exist only in the space around them.

A feeling of warmth and comfort covered him like a blanket and he suddenly couldn’t remember what it was like to not have seen her face, a face that he did not know to be real or imagined. All he could feel was happiness and a home for him somewhere out there. The premonition outweighed all the trials and tribulations he had encountered in his life, every single moment of sadness, tragedy and heartbreak. None of it could compare with the depth of this feeling that he undoubtedly knew to be true. He placed his hands on his chest and felt the two heartbeats slowly converge into one pulse. Color returned to his face again and he smiled. Christopher went to bed that night looking at the sky through his bedroom window with a new breath of life, fully transformed. Once an observer of the world, now a gazer of the stars with a map to the home of his heartbeat.