Escape In the Night

Abigail feels an unexplained continual foreboding in her spirit. She is depressed and confused. Her body quivers with anxiety and fatigue. Home doesn't feel like "home" anymore. There was more strife between her parents, arguing amongst her neighbors, the repairs around the house were mounting. Money is getting lower, and her best friends were moving away for city living.

She has a desire for more from her life. Every night she dreams of running away, following a peculiar white globe in the moonlit sky that disappears into the woods. Abigail is awakened by her father's yelling. He kicks in her bedroom door, accusing her of stealing his paycheck again. Abigail's mother had been cashing his checks on and off for weeks now to pay bills behind his back. He was having an affair and giving all his money to his gold-digging mistress. Abigail emphatically denies it. He grabs Abigail's arm sitting her in the hallway next to her mother who is crying uncontrollably.

As he continues his tirade, Abigail looks at her mother. She starts to wonder if she should stay or leave her mother behind. When Abigail's father leaves for the kitchen, she turns to her mother, "I'm leaving. I can't take this anymore." "Where will you go?," her mother asked. "Wherever God leads me." Abigail's mother begins to tell her that God left them a long time ago. "We can protect each other Abigail." "He never left. You just stopped listening." Abigail explained. "You better not leave me here," her mother seemed to be threatening her. "Then come with me," Abigail whispered. "No…I can't leave my husband." Distressed, Abigail makes her decision.

When her father returns to the hallway, Abigail's mother busted out erratically, "Abby wants to leave!" Infuriated, Abigail's father storms to both women, choosing to slap Abigail in the face. In this moment, she knows her departure is inevitable. Fighting past the feelings of guilt and betrayal from her mother, Abigail makes a running start for the front door to save her own life. Running for the door, she glances at her mother one last time, as her mother turns her head away in shame. Her father trails behind her ripping her nightgown. Struggling to get to the door, Abigail falls to the floor. The impact from her fall unlatches the rusty lock on the front door. Just then, a huge rushing wind blows the door wide open with such force, Abigail takes her last running chance and jumps like a gazelle over the front porch making her escape through the darkness of the woods.

Abigail lands firmly to the ground as she hears the sound of leaves crushing under her feet. She swiftly runs through the woods, as the chill of the night gripped her face. Her father's voice echoed through the trees piercing the air. He wasn't far behind. She kept running as fast as her legs could carry her. She rested briefly, crying as she thought of her mother and touching her damp, swollen left cheek. With the rush of escaping, she had no time to think of anything else. Growing tired, she slowly sat near a willow tree, dozing off slightly.

A strong wind blew through the leaves waking Abigail abruptly. "Father?" Abigail said with alarm in her voice. She looked about in fear for her lunatic father. She became drawn to a small white glow that rested on top of a dead tree stomp, as she rubbed her teary eyes, the image became clearer showing a beautiful barn owl. It seemed to shimmer like diamonds in the moonlight. She realized it was her dream.

"Gal? Gal, get back home!!" Abigail rose frightened. The owl began to fly away through the trees. Abigail chased after it, running for her life. Her father began to gain ground on her. She could hear his heavy footsteps approaching. She felt her body starting to grow weaker with every moment she made. She knew if she fell and he caught her, she would never see light again.

"God help me", she cried. Just then the shimmering owl, turned its course heading towards Abigail, flying with tremendous speed. Abigail screamed and fell down just as the owl flew above her head grabbing, her father by the nape of his shirt. She sat in shock as the owl flew away with her father screaming from the owl's beak. They disappeared over the mountains into the light of the moon never to be seen again.

Months passed. Abigail and her mother moved to the city leaving their old life behind. They never spoke of her father again, but would always remember the shimmering owl and how God helped in their desperate time of need.