“I mean it was dark and the shadows play tricks on us. Our
imaginations can run away with us when we’re near the great forest, especially
at night.” Anselm added this last jab as a disapproving critique of his
friend’s evening forays.
Aubrey looked his friend deeply in the eyes and with as much
restrain as he could muster said, “I know what I saw.”
It was true that ever since his encounter with Adrianna two
evenings before, he had been unable to get the memory off his mind. Clearly he
remembered her dark brown plumage and dainty ear tufts which were flecked with
just a touch of white feathers at the tips. He remembered the softness of her
voice that diffused his fear. Beyond all else though, he remembered her eyes
which seemed to contain all of the world. Those eyes he could never mistake for
an illusion or trick of the mind.
“Okay, Okay. You saw an owl. I’ve just never seen you so
wound up before.” He paused.
“So if she wasn’t bringing a message, why did she
reveal herself to you?”
“I have no idea. It just happened.”
“I mean throughout all of recorded history, there has never
been an owl sighting that didn’t proclaim something important --- something
monumental.”
Anselm’s words hung heavy in the air as the two gnomes went
back to their work. With the questions swimming in the air around them, they
stripped and harvested the dandelion stalks and roots. Aubrey’s hands worked
with ease in the task that they had been trained to do so many years before.
Nearly twenty years they had worked these fields, side by side, gathering the
food needed to feed the community for another day. It was good work, important
work. The sweat bled through their shirts and left little collars around their
necks. The hours passed, sunlight waned and evening found the two friends
walking down the path to their respective homes.
It wasn’t until they neared Anselm’s door that either spoke…
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