An Owl in the Daylight

Today, I saw an owl, and I really, really hated it. I live in the countryside of Jamaica. It’s a very green place. There are trees everywhere, so many trees. We have lots of fruit trees, like mango trees, ackee trees, and apple trees. These trees grow so big and tall. They reach way up into the sky, and their leaves make lots of shade on the ground. It’s usually a very peaceful and happy place to be. I love living here because it’s quiet and full of nature’s sounds, like birds singing in the morning and crickets chirping at night. But today, something happened that made me feel not so peaceful. It made me feel very strange and uncomfortable.

I was outside doing my chores. We have a spot outside where we wash our dishes. It’s in the open air, under a big shady tree, so you can feel the breeze while you work. I was standing there, with my hands in the soapy water, scrubbing a plate. I was just minding my own business, maybe humming a little song to myself. The sun was shining, but it wasn't too hot because of all the trees. I looked up for a second, just to stretch my neck, and that’s when I saw it. An owl. It was way, way up in a big apple tree right next to where I was washing the dishes. It wasn't moving. It was just sitting there on a thick branch, staring.

When I saw it, it felt so creepy. A cold feeling went all over my body. It was like someone had poured a bucket of icy water down my back. It sent shivers down my spine, even though the day was warm. My arms got goosebumps all over them. I just stood there, frozen, with the soapy plate still in my hand. I couldn't look away. The owl was just perched there, its big, round eyes looking down. It felt like it was looking right into me, like it knew all my secrets. It was a very weird and scary feeling. I didn't scream or run. I was too scared to even move. My heart started beating very fast, like a drum. Boom, boom, boom, boom. It felt so loud in my chest, I thought the owl could hear it.

Why was I feeling like that? I started to ask myself that question right there, as I stared at the bird. It was just an owl, right? It’s just a bird. I see birds all the time. I see little yellow birds and noisy black birds and even big John Crows flying high up. They never make me feel this way. They are just a normal part of my day. But this owl was different. It felt like it didn't belong there, especially not in the bright, sunny afternoon. Owls are supposed to be night creatures. You hear them, but you don't usually see them. Seeing one in the daylight felt wrong, like a secret of the night had been shown to me in the daytime. It was out of place, and that made me feel out of place, too.

What made the feeling so much worse, what really made my blood run cold, was what it did next. While I was standing there, staring up at it and feeling all scared, its head started to turn. It didn't just turn a little bit. Its head spun almost all the way around, like it was a screw on its body. It twisted and twisted until it was looking straight back at me from over its own shoulder. Its body didn't move at all. Just the head. Spin, spin, spin. It looked so unnatural, so impossible. My eyes got wide, and I think my mouth fell open. It was the freakiest thing I have ever, ever seen. It felt like something from a scary movie, not something that happens in real life, in your own backyard.

I have never felt like that in my whole life. It was a deep, deep feeling of dread. It wasn't just being scared, like when you see a spider. This was a different kind of fear. It felt ancient, like a fear that people have had for a very long time. The owl’s big, unblinking eyes and its spinning head made my stomach feel all twisted up in knots. I felt a little bit sick. I wanted to run inside and hide under my bed. I wanted to close all the curtains and pretend I never saw it. But I was still frozen, looking up at that apple tree, at that strange, silent creature that had turned my sunny afternoon into something dark and frightening. The world felt a little less safe all of a sudden.

Have you ever seen an owl in broad daylight? I mean, right out in the open when the sun is shining brightly? It’s not something you expect. Maybe you have seen them in pictures or in movies, but seeing a real one, close by, during the day is totally different. It feels like you’ve stumbled upon something you weren’t supposed to see. It’s like walking into a room and finding a ghost just sitting there in a chair. You know it’s real because you are seeing it with your own two eyes, but your brain keeps telling you that it can’t be. It’s a very confusing and unsettling experience. I wonder if other people have had this happen to them.

If you have seen one during the day, how did it make you feel? Did it make you feel happy or excited? Or did it make you feel like I did? Did you get that same cold, shivery feeling all over your skin? Did your heart start to race? Did you feel like you needed to get away from it? Maybe you felt curious and wanted to get a closer look. I don’t think I could have done that. I felt like if I got any closer, something bad would happen. It’s just a feeling, a strong feeling in your gut that tells you to be careful. I would really like to know if this feeling is just me, or if owls have this effect on other people too.

Seeing that owl made me feel uneasy all day long. Even after I finally broke out of my trance and ran inside, I couldn't shake the feeling. I finished the dishes really fast, without looking back at the tree. I kept glancing out the window, but I didn't see it again. It was gone. But the feeling it left behind stayed with me. For the rest of the day, every little noise made me jump. A branch scraping against the roof sounded like claws. The wind whistling sounded like a hoot. I felt like I was being watched, even when I was inside my own house. I just couldn't relax. The image of its head spinning around kept popping into my head over and over again. It was like a scary movie was playing inside my mind, and I couldn't turn it off.

And I just don’t know why. I don't understand it. It was just a bird sitting in a tree. It didn't try to attack me. It didn't even make a sound. It just sat there and looked at me. So why did it scare me so much? Why did it make my whole day feel so dark and strange? Is there something about owls that is just naturally scary to people? Maybe it’s their big eyes that seem to stare right through you. Most birds have small eyes on the sides of their heads, but an owl’s eyes are huge and they face forward, like a person’s. It makes them look intelligent and aware, like they are thinking and judging you. And they don’t blink very much. They just stare, and that stare can feel very intense.

Why do they make us feel like this? Maybe it goes back a long, long time. In Jamaica, and in many other places, there are old stories about owls. People call them "Patoo." Some old folks say that they are bad omens, that they bring messages of death or bad luck. They say that if you see an owl near your house, you have to be careful. These are just stories, superstitions that get passed down from our grandparents. I never really believed them before. I always thought they were just spooky tales to tell at night. But after today, I’m not so sure. When I saw that owl, I felt that old fear, that storybook fear, come alive inside me. Maybe our bodies remember these old stories, even if our minds don’t believe them. Maybe that’s why my spine went cold and my heart pounded. It wasn't just me being scared; it was generations of fear, all bubbling up at the sight of those big, knowing eyes and that impossible, spinning head.