“On these Days”

 

These manifestations only happen on days when calmness engulfs the atmosphere and the blue of the sky, a beautiful autumn light. 

On these days, the man walked along a path that passed through a dense forest. Butterflies surrounded the man as he stood motionless, never touching his body but prodding him to move on.  

At a fork along the path on an old wooden stump a Kookaburra landed, laughing at him; this made the man laugh. Further along, a family of ducks waddled past, squawking. The man would stop and watch the family proceed to their unknown destination. 

On these days, a soft, warm breeze rustled the leaves. Coming to a small embankment, a Kangaroo hopped through the trees, seeming to the man to be smiling at him. He was sure the Kangaroo smiled. The animal hopped into the brush in long graceful strides. Turning back, a wild dog pranced around the man’s side, dancing, jumping, and wanting to play, following him the rest of the way home. “Go home, boy! Off you go!” 

As the man unlocked his door, a bird he had come to name Beethoven sang parts of the maestro’s 5^th symphony. 

 On these days, the man would put his provisions away and lay down to sleep and dream of places long forgotten and sometimes missed.