"Night Shift" Second Posting Page 9

 Page 9

A flutter of wings as the sound of a great bird takes flight.
Owl's wings stretch out in grand manner as he silently swoops down from his high perch, making his way to another perch in the opposite corner.
My heart is thumping wildly as my eyes try in vain to follow him in the darkened room.  
"So this is where he nests at night," I said to myself.  
Then the creature at the foot of the bed raises up and makes its presence known.
A large black cat stretches its sinewy body across my feet, yawns and sits up.
It turns and faces me, luminescent green eyes glowing piercing the dense darkness.
"How fitting for a Crone." I think.
"I was wondering how long it would be before a black cat made its presence."    
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The black cat didn't stir and Owl had settled down on his perch.
There was a gentle knock on the door.
"One moment," I said as I untangled myself from the comforter and watched the cat watching me as I slipped my legs over the side of the bed.
I lit the candle and turned, slowly making my way to the door.
I pulled it open and saw the face of the little old lady standing before me,
"It's time, my Dear,"
"Get dressed."    
I turned and walked back to the nightstand and put the candle down.
I was curious as to what time it was but there was no clock.
"In fact, now that I think about it, there are no clocks anywhere around."
I moved toward the window ans I was curious and parted the drapes to see outside.
It was coal black.
"I guess we didn't wait until morning."
I dressed and tidied up in the bathroom.  
Taking the candle I walked backed to the door.
"We're ready," she said, "follow me."
Down the long hall we both walked, our two candles spitting and glowing.  
I am always amused to watch the candle's flame darting here and there, hiding in a corner or quickly shooting across a wall.
From the darkness of the long hall we entered the kitchen.
Seated at the kitchen table we positioned both candles.
I noticed on the table was a large and heavy leather book with a lock on it.
The old lady was in no hurry as we both sat down.
"Well, are you ready for the final lesson tour, my dear?"
"Yes," I replied with the utmost confidence but, I hesitated, "this isn't morning or is it?"
"No, it's not morning."  "It's twelve midnight."
She settled back in her chair and swept the black shawl closer around her shoulders.
I felt at ease sitting across from her.
Her demeanor, her glowing, piercing eyes I had come to know were beacons of light, illumination on a dark path, chasing all the shadows away.

I had come to love this old woman and what I was just now learning she stood for.

Enlightenment and Illumination.
Very few are capable of shedding light on The Hidden Path and where humanity had gone wrong, where it was headed and what it could do to rectify its sorry condition.