Owl

October 16, 2024

The forest floor crunched under my feet as I bumbled along the path in my too-tight coat. The weather had made a tight turn in the last week, and mom hadn’t gotten a chance to get me a new coat yet this year, and last years was not going to last me long. I can smell a fire off in the distance, I think it is coming from my grandmas, just another mile down the path. I have been walking down this path for as long as I can remember - I know it better than I know my own backyard. From the moss on the tree stumps, to the chattering of the squirrels; nothing about this path surprises me.

What does surprise me, though, is how much faster my newly long legs are taking me to grandmas. I was now the tallest kid in my class, by a long shot, and that was a blessing and a curse. My teacher would often ask me to do things for her and made me the leader of the class due to it, and I have grown weary of hearing my own raspy voice. Grandma always said that I had a lovely husky tone to my voice and that she wanted me to sing to her, but it was her voice that needed to be heard. She had been a jazz singer before my mom was born, and while she had retired from that life, her voice was still velvety smooth and sweet and rich as honey. Most old ladies lost their voices around her age, so said my mom, but my grandmas voice was strong and as vibrant as it was when she was my age.

As I walk, I hear a slight ruffle of feathers. I look up from the path I had allowed to take my thoughts, and straight ahead at a large barn owl that sat on a branch just above my eyeline. Owls were usually silent, so I know this owl had fluttered its wings in order to get my attention, but why? Just past the owl, I can see a chubby young bear, sitting by a wild raspberry bush, just staring at me as she chews. My grandmother had often said that she thought my grandfather, who had passed before I was even born, came back to her as an owl. For once in my life, I believed her. This owl was trying to protect me.