TheBanyanTree: Dancing Stars

[NancyIee at aol.com]

My late-night outing with the dogs, and they are all on leashes; thar's 
critters in them thar dark woods, y'know.  Possums, rabbits, armadillos on their 
way to the highway to play "chicken" with traffic. So, the dogs are on leashes.

It makes my night outings interesting, five dogs on five leashes, fanned out 
like the formation in "Eight Below" with the sled dogs fanned out across the 
ice, pulling the sledge. I doubt my team could pull anything heavier than a 
Radio Flyer, empty, but that's beside the point.

Out we went, chasing scents in the darkness.  I never take a flashlight.  
Even with a small moon, there is enough light along the driveway, the shadows of 
the woods drawing close, the night sounds rustling and enticing the dogs. By 
some unseen signal, all five squat, shuffle their feet afterward, and forge on. 
 An owl swoops silently through the low branches.  A whippoorwill makes his 
flirting call from the Palmetto, and is answered from down the road.  The dogs 
pay no mind, for they sniff and dart about after their own drummer.

Michael-the-cat has followed us, and all at once, the dogs notice and give 
chase.  Michael knows the exact length of the leashes and stops just out of 
range to tidy his fur.  I pause a moment to look up at the stars, so bright 
tonight. And, I see other stars flickering and floating through the woods, in the 
damp place where the ferns grow.  Fireflies, hundreds of them, drifting, 
blinking, dancing through the woods.

They remind me of another place, another time, and I am lost in the time-warp 
of memory.

Michael-the-cat strolls away into the black. The dogs, perhaps thinking of a 
waiting treat, pull toward the house. I watch the drifting fireflies until the 
owl swoops through the trees again.  Then I let the dogs tug me back to the 
house and windows of light.

Treats for the dogs, and an ice cream for me, and we settle down to watch a 
late show before bed.


NancyLee