Beyond the Galaxy

Chapter 2 - Twilight's Melody

Lottie's Point of View

I couldn't recall the last time I had seen the sky painted so vividly.

The sun had never looked more like a flaming ball of fire, swimming in a sea of orange and pink that flooded the sky above me. All of the colors that stretched across encased the neighborhood like a dome or the icing of a cake you couldn't wait to taste, sitting ever-so perfectly along the tops of the roofs around me. The entire world seemed to be sleeping, all except for me. Me and the silent life that thrived only for those who looked for it.

I drew in a deep breath of the fragile morning air, letting it fill every inch of my lungs. A soft breeze toyed with the ends of my hair hanging down my shoulders, gently brushing past me as if welcoming me gracefully. The leaves rattled against the trees, rustling under the influence of the wind. Not a sound out of the ordinary came between me and my natural surroundings for as long as I sat on my front steps, taking it all in. Some might have wondered how I possibly could have no issue waking myself no later than six thirty in the morning, but it wasn't even a question for me.

It was almost like a symphony, in a way. A carefully crafted melody composed with countless different and equally important instruments creating what was undeniably a magical work of art. I could almost close my eyes and dance along, drifting with every step to the rhythm of natural life. I wondered if that would have been truly living, to surrender yourself to how the world was made for you, to return yourself to the core of your existence. What an enlightening experience that would have been.

Slowly, the lively colors faded into a pale blue, a sure sign that the morning had begun. I'd started to see lights in windows come to life behind their curtains as the world began to awaken. As I was sitting outside in my nightgown unprepared for the day, it was reaching that point that I headed back inside. After all, it was about time for me to start getting ready for work.

I recollected myself and climbed to my feet, quietly easing open the front door in my return. Quietness still crept through the house as I stepped inside, making clear of the fact that I was still the first one awake. The table in the kitchen in the right segment of the entryway was empty as it had been before I had crept outside with subtle lights touching the corners, the gathering of dark chairs positioned in the left segment untouched. I would have to begin the day as silently as I could, since I did not live alone but instead with my currently sleeping uncle.

I snuck a glance up at the clock above the door. It was a hint past six fifty now, just twenty minutes after I had pulled myself out of bed for the morning and leaving a little less than an hour before I would make my departure. I at least had some flexibility in that. First, I dismissed myself to the kitchen, firing up the stove and setting out a pan to prepare a set of pancakes for breakfast. I even sprinkled in a cluster of blueberries for extra benefit. The sound of the crackling batter as the pancakes gradually cooked must have stirred Uncle Lyle to consciousness, since shortly after seven o'clock had come and gone, I caught the sound of heavy footsteps approaching through the hallway.

I flipped a pancake over in the pan to find it a lovely shade of golden brown with blueberries bleeding through the surface before I tossed a glance over my shoulder to look at my uncle as he entered the room. Uncle Lyle was a blue otter with a tired expression etched into his face and a sort of unconcerned tone hanging over his voice. Sometimes, I thought I could almost see the struggles that he had fought through in his life through his dark, intelligent eyes that peered behind thick black glasses. As he shuffled drowsily into the room after emerging from the hallway, I noticed that he was already dressed for the day in his work uniform of a red suit jacket with a formal white shirt behind it, a set of navy blue pants, and a brilliant yellow tie.