The Light in the Sky

A bright sky above a valley turns dark within moments. The tree leaves sway vigorously as a thunderous sound causes her to shrink deeper into the picnic mat. Alan is still running playfully around the tall tree above them, his hat flying into the wind though he did not care.

"Alan, let's go home," she says, her tiny six-year-old voice barely heard by her younger brother. Another thunderous sound erupted as her eyes wandered frantically in search of him. A few seconds later, she spotted him flat on his back unmoving on the side of the tree as a flash of light brightened the sky for but a moment. Another flash soon followed and a laser-like projection headed for that very tree.

"Alan!!"

Sarah woke to a start on her bed in a darkened room, her eyes wild with confusion and she could hear her heart pump rapidly. When the fog in her mind had lifted, she calmed down and headed down for breakfast. She told her aunt about the dream, but she simply dismissed it saying that it’s a beautiful day with a zero chance of rain. Sarah soon forgot about the dream and started getting ready for the day.

They were going for a picnic that day, and Sarah had just the perfect outfit for the occasion. A bright yellow dress, a straw hat and red sandals with a sunflower motif. She was excited, and so was her brother who was dressed in a sailor’s suit and a captain’s hat. He can’t seem to stop jumping up and down on the dining chair as Aunt Jenny tried to feed him his breakfast of cereal and milk.

“Come on Alan, we’re going to be late,” Sarah says with a chuckle. She loves her little brother to the ends of the Earth and can’t resist a giggle or two at his everyday antics.

As they finish up with breakfast things, Aunt Jenny packed the necessary items into a basket while the children went outside to play with the family dog. Patches isn’t exactly a pure-bred by descent, but he certainly was pure at heart. Brown, black and white patches of fur cover his body. A long snout ever curious of the scents around him. That’s how he got his name, after all.

Aunt Jenny closed the door and latched the wooden fence as the children raced for the hill with Patches by their side, laughing the way only children can. They knew where they were headed. They go there every weekend during the summer break when their parents would send them to their aunt’s cottage in the countryside to spend the holidays. It is particularly windy today, though the sun is shining brightly above their heads.

“I win!”, Sarah squeals in delight as her hand taps the large oak tree atop a small hill, Alan running up to her at full speed and panting breathlessly when he too touched the rough brown bark.

“I believe it’s Patches who deserves the honour of being called a champion, though,” Aunt Jenny retorts, smiling at the same time.

“That’s not fair. He didn’t even touch the tree,” replies Sarah, arms crossed with a slight disappointment in her face. Her A-shaped figure with legs spread out reminds Aunt Jenny of her younger days when she used to race to the very same tree with her sister who was a year older than she was. Her sister was always the rebellious, quick-witted one. She was the quiet, thoughtful one of the family.

“Would you please come help me set up the picnic mat and things?”, says Aunt Jenny as her niece races towards her, her earlier emotions returning to excitement and anticipation. There was jam in the basket. Sarah was sure of it. And with jam came slices of bread that you spread it on, cover it with another slice of bread and it becomes a soft pillow with a surprise inside. Sandwiches are Sarah’s absolute favourite.

Aunt Jenny poured out the tea and started assembling the sandwiches. Sarah’s eyes watches every magical movement, every flow of tea into cups, every swipe of jam on the bouncy surface of the bread. Why is tea brown, and why does bread turn into a rock if we don’t eat it soon? Her curious mind ever active. She once poked at a piece of bread long enough for her mother to walk up to her with an angry face and tell her to stop playing with her food. Her mother told her it’s because the bread is stale, but it still didn’t satisfy her. She continued poking the bread when her mother wasn’t looking, trying to figure out the mystery.

Going into aeroplane mode, Alan made sounds as if he was starting his engines and scraped the ground with his feet like a rooster, getting ready for take-off. He spread his arms out to the sides, head lurching forward as he started to move. He ran around the tree and all along the grounds around the picnic mat. Sarah had just finished helping Aunt Jenny with the set-up and had started eating the sandwiches, a smile on her face as she takes the first bite. Alan joined them a few minutes later. He had a few sandwiches and talked with the ladies, though he was more interested to get back to his flight schedule.

As they finished up with tea things, Sarah joined Alan in his play. She was to be the passenger of the plane. A pop star in a private jet, she thought. Alan started his engines again, and off they went, Sarah chasing after him as he swerved his wings around.

“I’m heading back to the house for a while. You kids stay out of trouble,” said Aunt Jenny as she turned to walk away. Patches looked at the children, then at Aunt Jenny before he too followed her home where he hopes to get a treat.

“Okay,” they said in unison, still on their flight around the tree.

Panting and out of breath, Sarah went back to rest on the picnic mat. Alan was still running about, laughing and squealing every now and then.

A gust of wind sends dust and debris upwards as the picnic mat starts flapping at the edges. The trees rustled as grey clouds encompassed the sky. A surge of panic stunned Sarah as she heard the sound of thunder beginning to erupt. A second thunder came and now she is starting to remember.

“Alan, let’s go home,” she said, but he could not hear her.

She looked around but could not see him till the first lightning brightened the sky for a mere second. At this point, her body moved before she could think and before she realized it, her hand was grabbing her dear brother and they were running towards the house. They didn’t get very far before the end of her dream became the start of their terror. The tree caught fire mere seconds after it was struck, and they fell crashing to the ground in fear.

Just as it started to rain, a hand touched their shoulders. A warm and comforting hand. They awoke from their frozen state and looked up to a familiar face, tears streaming down their faces. Patches was there too, and he licked them knowingly as they got to their feet.

Though the rain stopped the burning, there were still burn marks on the tree that Sarah will forever remember when she looks up into its now beautiful greenery, surrounded by aeroplane-playing children around her and a husband with an infectious laugh that gets her smiling every time.