Page 55 - WTP Vol. IX #7

The sun dipped low and parked below the horizon, the valley fading into a deep green. A light breeze’s whisper fluttered up the valley before they felt it. She sat on the catwalk, her knees folded to her chest, and Holt in his folding throne next to her. There
was no awkwardness in the silence, broken only by an occasional comment or observation as twilight progressed. They were just there. Holt’s thoughts strayed in many directions but they all led back
“T
to the aura of Star’s serenity. It was similar to the calmness his mother possessed; nothing fazed her, and her equanimity touched all. With Star, though, it was deeper, more penetrating. The quiet was free- ing, opening a space to think about his mom. He had brought a few of her recipes on four-by-six-inch in- dex cards with him, hoping to make them. Her hand- written notations, “double this, more salt” brought a smile to his face.
Stars were already aglow in the east when Holt said, “I think it’s time for bed. I’ll see you in the morning.” The faint outline of her face was visible, and Holt wondered what tomorrow had in store after the surprises of today.
“Holt,” Star paused for a moment, “You’re a good caretaker.”
~
Holt was in such a deep sleep his body felt like a day- old cement pour when he finally awakened. He rubbed his eyes and looked around trying to get his bearings. He remembered his company. Holt looked at Star’s cot, but all he saw was her powder blue sleeping bag shoved to the side of it. He took advan- tage of her absence to quickly throw some clothes on. Holt fumbled with the stove to get the coffee wa- ter heating and stepped outside. “Jesus, you scared the shit out of me!”
Star was sitting on the deck of the catwalk out of sight below the window with her hands around her knees and using the wall for a backrest, admiring
the scenery. “I didn’t want to go back in and wake you since you were sleeping so soundly. Besides, this is my favorite time of day; I saw the sunrise and it started out red, changed to purple and then orange. It’s so quiet early in the morning and you can hear all the birds sing.”
“You gave me a real shock. I was probably half asleep. I got some water heating up—want some coffee?”
(continued on next page)
he summer in
the lookout was clearing the cobwebs
that had accumulated in his life.”
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