THE QUIET NIGHT

THE QUIET NIGHT

Wasn’t it?

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Ellie sat on the window seat in her bedroom staring out at what would have been a dark sky if not for the brilliance of the full moon.

“It’s so pretty,” she thought, and heard an inner voice say, “and so mysterious.”

The voice was loud enough to cause her to look around, expecting to find someone standing behind her, yet there was no one there.

She heard the rattle of the clean dishes as her mother put them in the cupboard and the TV as her father watched the nightly news. Ellie was supposed to be studying but just couldn’t wrap her mind around the math book that lay open on her bed.

“The night’s too pretty to be stuck in here with my nose in a book! I’m only fourteen! For heaven’s sake, I should be outside enjoying the fresh air,” she thought dismally.

There was a light knock on her door and Ellie scrambled from the seat to her bed. “Come in,” she said. Her mom poked her head through the doorway. “How’s the studying going, honey. Need any help?”

“No, mom. Not yet, anyway. It’s not much worse than Algebra and so far, so good. But trust me, mom, when I hit a snag, you’ll hear me scream!”

She glanced at her book, “Ugh! Geometry! Yuck!”

While she found it to be fairly easy, she still hated math. Schoolwork was never a problem for Ellie, but she still hated math. “Ugh, numbers! Letters! Symbols! Why? Why can’t it just be numbers?”

She put her book down and returned to her seat by the window.

“I need a bit of air. I’ll just open the window a little.”

A little turned out to be all the way; all the way, had her climbing out until her bare feet touched the soft, damp grass. It was as though the moon pulled her. She wandered and wondered at the beauty and mystery of everything around her.

She’d never walked through the woods alone and never at night. She wondered why. Was there something in the nighttime to fear? It all seemed so peaceful.

“Just a bit further,” she thought.

Suddenly she found herself standing by a small brook. “I thought it; now I’ll say it. Everything is so quiet and peaceful. How could there be anything scary about something so beautiful?” She sat on the cool ground near the edge of the water and trailed her fingers in the ripple.

“This is a bit strange,” she thought. “The water is rippling but not making a sound.”

She heard the chirping of the birds suddenly stop. The ribbiting sounds of the frogs were no longer heard and she thought the night air became a bit cooler. “No, not cooler,” she thought, “cold!” She shivered and folded her arms around her chest for warmth.

“I should get back. If mom looks in my room, she’ll have a fit that I’m not there.”

“And where would that be?” she heard in a whispered raspy voice.

Quickly, Ellie looked around but saw no one.

She stood, trying not to make a sound, but heard in a voice a bit louder, “And where are you going?”

Ellie looked around to find the source of the voice but, again saw no one. Then, as if in a nightmare, realized she didn’t know her way home.

Fear grabbed her heart. “What am I going to do? Nothing looks familiar.”

She slumped against the tree and sunk to the ground which was no longer cool but just as cold as the air.

Raising her knees to her chest, she rested her arms on her bent legs, placed her head on her arms, and began to cry. “I’m lost. What am I going to do? Mom and dad have no idea where I am. I’ve got to find my way home, but which way?”

She was sure she followed a path to the brook but now saw none. She saw nothing but the brook and the woods and felt her own fear.

“Oh, how I wish I was back in my own room, lying on my own bed, and doing my homework! But I’m not, am I?”

Again, the raspy voice whispered, “Don’t cry, little girl. Only bad girls get punished. Were you a bad girl?”

Her head snapped up quickly. “Uh, no, not really. My mom says I’m just adventurous. I only wanted some fresh air and to spend some time under the beauty of the night sky.”

Then she wondered why she made such a lengthy explanation to someone she couldn’t see. What was wrong with her?

She lowered her head and began crying again. “What am I going to do? How will I get home? If I could only find my way home, I promise I’ll never wander off again. If I want some air, I’ll sit on our porch! With mom, if she has time to sit with me!” She buried her face in her hands and began to sob.

Exhaustion forced her to lie on the ground, curled up in a ball, as much for warmth as for comfort. And she slept.

She heard what appeared to be a gentle knocking but where was it coming from? The knocking sounded a bit louder, then she heard, “Ellie! Come on, sweetie. Wake up. You’ll be late for school!”

She opened her eyes and found herself in her own bed but realized her nightgown was covered with dirt and dried grass. She had fallen tree leaves in her hair.

“From how I look, I couldn’t have been dreaming, so how did I get home?”

She turned abruptly to find no one there when she heard the raspy whisper, “That will be our little secret, now, won’t it?”