Memories in the Dark

The power went out. Great, just what I needed. Now I can’t get my essay started. I hear the younger girls screech at the excitement. It’s not like I could concentrate anyway. Dad comes marching down the stairs. He looks at me and waves his phone in his hand. 

“They said it was a tree that fell down a few blocks down.” He walks over to the counter and sets the phone down. He rubs his head in frustration. That’s what you get for moving to Kansas. High winds and fallen trees. Fortunately I was sitting on the couch because Keira and Jalice came running into the kitchen, chasing each other around the island and Dad. As soon as the power went out earlier, they screamed from the excitement of something different happening for once. They continued running around since. They are only little kids, aging from 5 to 6, so they have an excuse for being obnoxious. Dad had grown used to their craziness when our mother died. She died from giving birth to my stillborn sister. Keira was the last born, she was about two when Mom died. I was only thirteen. I loved Mom with all of my heart, just as much as Dad did. It was horrible at first, he would sit in his room all day, and cried at night. I would creep up the steps of our old house, after putting the girls to bed, and hear him sobbing. I would go to my room, laying on my bed, remembering all the good times we had together.

Since then, Dad had grown many grey hairs. We moved because Dad wanted to move closer to his side of the family. After mother died California seemed too stuffy to him, too much like her. I remember her being free; she would go on the beach and throw her hands out and let the sea winds blow through her hair. So we moved to Kansas, hoping for a new start. Apparently the new start was a tree falling and making us have a power outage. Now I can’t get my essay started. Keira stopped and looked at Dad, holding a flashlight. She must have taken it from the emergency drawer. She points it up at the ceiling, trying to get Dads attention. He looked down at her and smiled faintly. Jalice comes running in from outside, smiling at Keira. 

“Can we set up a tent out back, Dad? Please!” Dad sits there for a few seconds and nods his head. The girls scream in excitement as Dad walks to the garage door. We used to always go camping with the whole family, but we hadn’t since Mom died. She loved going around places, seeing all the new sights. Mom didn’t want to be put in a casket when she died, so we burned her and put her ashes in an urn. She wanted to be scattered up on a mountain. She said that she wanted to be free also in death. Mom was always a sort of role model for Kiera and Jalice. They always thought that she was a superhero in disguise. Even now, they look up to her. Kiera and Jalice come out of the garage, running towards me. Jalice taps my leg and fiddles with her fingers.

“Can you come out with us?” She looks at me as Keira grabs her arm and laughs. She points at Dad, who’s holding the tent. He walks towards the back door. The girls follow him outback, ready to help him set the tent up.They all go, leaving me in peace. The house is quiet for a few minutes as they set the tent up. I can hear the girls' laughter in their excitement through the open windows. The evening light brightens the house up a little, but soon it’ll get dark and the only light will be from flashlights. The backdoor opens as Dad walks inside the house. He closes it and walks into the living room. He points to the back door and faintly smiles. 

“The girls want you to come out with them.” He walks over to the kitchen and grabs his phone. He walks over to the plug in the wall and plugs his phone in. I hear him sniffle his nose stuffle as he's been crying. I grab my writing pad and pencil. He turns around, leaning on the counter.

“I can’t, I have to write an essay for school.” He shakes his head and pushes himself off of the counter. He walks over to me and sits down on the couch next to me. He looks at his folded hands and taps his foot. He taps my shoulder.

  “You’re the only one missing out..” He stands up and goes through the kitchen to the backdoor. I sit there, for minutes staring at the door. I look at my writing pad, trying to think of an idea. Write your essay on anything that you’d like. That’s what my teacher told me. She told me that I could write anything because I was a new student. My paper stayed blank for minutes. The sun was going down, making it hard to see, let alone write. I threw my pencil and paper on the table as I got up. I walk over to the backdoor, going to see the tent. Dad had set the tent at the bottom of the treehouse. The girls were running around with a flashlight in their hand. Jalice spots me standing at the door and points to me. She runs over to the tent and Dad comes walking out. He waves at me wanting me to come out with them. I decide whether or not to go out. Before I know it, I’m walking down the steps to my family. The girls run around me in laps. They both scream, chasing each other while laughing. As I reach the tent Dad makes a grand gesture towards the tent. 

“Welcome to my humble home.” The tent has a light set up in the middle, lighting the whole thing up. I get on my knees and crawl into the tent. It was the best sight I’ve seen in awhile. The girls crawl in the tent, and Dad follows. The girls grab their sleeping bags and climb in them. Dad leans on his arm, settling in. He turns the light down low and looks at the girls, making them giggle. 

“I’m gonna tell a story to you girls.” Dad started. As he began to talk, I also settled in the tent. His voice carries a story that my mother had told me when I was young. His voice is strong, brave, funny, kind, and soft. His voice carries the winds, the dirt, the rain, the dust. His voice becomes everything, but then nothing. I slowly drift off, but I waken soon when the girls fall asleep and Dad is gone. The sun is coming up, lighting the sky pinks, yellows, and purples. I slowly climb out of the tent, looking at the house. Dad had fallen asleep on a chair under a tree. The house was filled with light from the electricity being repaired and put back on. I look at the house, then at the girls and smile. 

This time was way better than an essay.