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Twilight Appointmentby Laura Snyder
I must hurry. Day colors drain the skies and I have an appointment to keep.
A cool air heavy with musty memories of marsh reaches out to snag me. The boat rocks madly in my hasty escape--but then finds itself. Rushing my oars, I row to position myself precisely on the dark patterned waters and wait. There--just above the surface, my eyes strain to focus. Did I imagine it? In a stealth-like approach, skimming low, flying fast, but dead-on target come my old friends--the bats.
I like to think they play the game of chicken with the boat and me, to see if I have gained courage. They streak past me, afterburners glowing, their foxy little grins firmly in place, proving air superiority over pesky mosquitoes that dance in my heat. The bats win, I blink. An oar creaks. The will of the night breeze catches the boat and it slowly turns. My sight drops to view the water's moon break into shimmering pieces. It is late. I turn the boat, and prepare for reentry among those who call a cabin safe and home.
Arcturus
1993, Highline Community College, Des
Moines,
WA
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