The Barn

Sarah felt a chill in the air as she made her way through the tangle of thorns, having strayed from the footpath, one that she was very familiar with but which today seemed to have disappeared right in front of her. It was late spring, and life was beginning to sprout all around, however this morning there was a frost on the ground, and Sarah could see her breath in the cool morning air. She stood still for a moment, trying to get her bearings, looking for familiar landmarks, listening for sounds which may help her identify her location. As she stood, she had the uncomfortable feeling that eyes were upon her, but was unable to see anyone or anything. Other than the breeze rustling the few remaining leaves on the trees, and the distant rumbling of what sounded disconcertingly like thunder, there was not a sound.

Out of the corner of her eye, Sarah caught a glimpse of white, and turned quickly, losing her footing on the root of a withered hawthorn. She regained her balance, and looked up into the canopy above her. Perched above, on the branch of a silver birch, she saw a barn owl, silent and ghostlike, its eyes jet black and empty looking. The owl was staring directly at her, and Sarah felt a chill run down her spine. With another flash of white, the owl swooped to another tree, about forty feet away, and then to another.

Without even thinking, Sarah began to follow the owl, which seemed to be leading her; it stayed within her sight, and appeared to wait for her to catch up before taking flight to its next perch, high up in the trees. As she half walked, half ran, she heard, and then felt, the thud, thud, of heavy rain drops, which soon developed into a torrential downpour. Struggling to see the owl through the rain, Sarah looked ahead and noticed a clearing, containing what looked like a wooden structure, and she ran in its direction. Drawing closer, she recognized it as the barn belonging to the local dairy farmer; now she knew where she was!

Sarah sought shelter from the rain inside the barn; the rain didn’t seem to be letting up, she was soaked to the skin, and she knew it would take about thirty minutes to get home from this point. She removed her shell jacket, although it was somewhat waterproof the water was now soaking through, dampening her sweater underneath. She shook out the jacket, and as she did so, the huge owl that she had been following swooped down and grabbed the jacket in its huge talons. It then carried it away, up into the hay loft, and sat on a rafter, once again staring directly into Sarah’s eyes.

Shocked, Sarah stared up into the rafters, squinting into the darkness, and was able to make out the form of her jacket, lying in the hay. A rickety ladder led up to the hayloft, and for a moment, Sarah hesitated wondering whether it was worth the effort to get her old jacket. She decided to give it a try, and gingerly made her way up the ladder, carefully negotiating a few missing rungs. As she neared the top, she was surprised to see that the owl was not moving as she drew closer; it remained still, but maintained its steely gaze, staring directly at her.

Moving slowly, Sarah gently lifted her jacket, and as she did so, she heard a gentle hissing sound, and as she raised the jacket she noticed, wedged between the barn boards, a small pink creature which she initially thought to be a mouse. Upon further inspection, she saw that it was actually a baby owl chick, maybe a day or so old, with white, downy feathers. Looking up, she saw that the owl was seated in her nest, and that the chick must have fallen to the boards below; it was now unable to move from between the two boards.

Slowly, and extremely carefully, Sarah lifted up the tiny chick, which felt weightless in her hand. The owl shifted anxiously on its perch, as Sarah stepped cautiously up towards the nest. Sarah placed the limp, listless baby into the nest and retreated back down the steps. As she reached the ground, she realized that she had forgotten to bring her jacket back down with her. Glancing back up towards the hayloft, she was surprised to see her jacket floating down towards her, landing safely in her hands. “Thank you”, she whispered quietly to the owl, which was now busily feeding her very hungry offspring.

Sarah glanced outside, and saw that the rain shower had come to an end, that the sun was trying to emerge from behind the clouds, and that the temperature was several degrees warmer than when she had begun her morning walk.

Smiling to herself, Sarah threw her jacket over her shoulder, took one more peek up into the rafters, and headed home.