Harrel Horne

01: The Mystery of The Blue Bayou

01: The Mystery of The Blue Bayou

THE BUTTERFLY

I was half-awake but contemplated to open my eyes. I felt shivers, my feet was starting to feel cold even though I wore my woolen socks. The night was peaceful and silent, but as soon as I heard a small, microscopic crisp—my eyes shot dead open.

I saw a blurry vision of the tent I was in. The image started to get a bit clearer. I furrowed my brows when I envisioned a source of light from outside our tent, contrasting the supposed darkness. Every lights were killed before we slept. It shan’t be the moon either, for the moon itself was darkness that night too. The familiar crunch reached my ears. My heart started to beat loudly. I tried to imagine if our shadows from inside the tent will be visible to whomever was the source of light outside.

When I came to an agreement with myself that it was not the case, I sat.

I sat, there wondering for a few minutes that I was not sure if I ever blinked. Focusing if I could hear more of the crisp, I was still and unmoving. I turned my head to look at Hades, he was still sleeping with his bountiful of thick, dark hair covering his visage. He was facing my side of the direction.

Seconds passed, the crunches died down. I did hear a few several ones. But it was largely diminutive. After that, there wasn’t any crisp anymore. Just your imagination, I told myself. It is just some squirrel, or rabbit, or a bird. I laid back on my mattress, for several minutes, I stayed awake, wondering if I shall ever harken the mischievous crisp. I wanted to hear it. That crisp. That satisfying crunch. I waited for it to come. I wanted to catch a single, quiet sound of it. My mind longed for it. It craved for it.

But there was none.

Minutes passed, there was none.

Just your imagination. It was just a squirrel, a rabbit or a bird.

 

 

A part of me wanted to believe that the crunches were never there and I made it all up inside my head. For it was like that—I was rather like that.

 

 

I waited for sleep to come and get me, but then I was mildly cold. I tossed and faced Hades, I took his hand and held it in between both of my palms for heat under the long pillow that divided us. However, I got chills when I was suddenly aware of something.