The Illumination of the Soul

A Curious Night

I wasn't aware this was going to be anything but a normal evening at home. Nothing gave any indication something odd was about to unfold.

Upon finishing a late dinner I decided to have a quiet night and go to bed early to read a good book. There was a story I had been wanting to read for quite some time yet things always got in the way. Tonight I had no interruptions so I settled down to a good yarn.

I'm pretty sure I must have read for a good hour before falling asleep. The next thing I was aware of was waking up and turning the light out. It was now dark outside but the small moon gave a subtle glow to the room.

As I began to drift off to sleep again I felt a strange sensation in my body. At first, I thought it was just me beginning to drift off. Then I realised my mind was quite awake but the odd sensation was growing inside of me.

The only way to describe it was like a build up of energy. Not the kind of energy that makes you want to run and jump around, more like a subtle buzzing coursing through my physical body.

I decided to just go with it and see where it took me. After a good two minutes, a beautiful peace descended upon me. As I lay there the sudden urge to get up took hold of me and I pulled back the curtains to look in the garden.

Somehow things looked different. It's difficult to describe but there was something that made me wonder what was going on. Was I actually dreaming? I certainly felt awake, and I ran through my main senses to check I could feel them. Yep, all awake for sure.

The moon illuminated the garden but the colour seemed almost golden as it bathed the trees and landscape. It felt really inviting so I decided to get some clothes on and venture outside. It felt like one of those crazy things you do once in a while but it seemed to make sense at the time.

It was an October evening but the warmth of the air struck me as odd. It was almost comforting in a way I hadn't expected. As I looked around the garden all seemed quiet. There was no sign of animals or birds, just an atmosphere of serenity that enveloped me.

I walked down to the edge of the garden which backed onto some woodland. I realised that I would normally be a bit scared of being near a wood in the dark of the night but tonight I felt fine. I stared at the trees for a while, standing like a statue whilst I looked into the darkness.

All of a sudden I noticed a faint light deep into the trees. Now I know there is nothing in this wood and it stretches for a good couple of miles the other way so this seemed quite odd. Perhaps someone was out hunting rabbits or it was kids messing about? As I watched the glow it began to move slightly and to me it seemed like it was gently pulsing.

Piqued further, my curiosity got the better of me and I climbed over the fence into the woods. At this point I was glad I had put my boots on because the ground was quite uneven in places and with it being dark I could easily have ended up on my backside. Slowly I walked deeper through the trees, keeping my eyes on the glowing light.

Perhaps it was my mind, but my journey seemed to go on forever, step by step. A noise from an owl stopped me in my tracks and set my heart alight but realising what it was, I carried on. Sure that I must be getting closer I began to tread softer, so as to remain unseen.

Finally, I could see the glowing light a bit easier. It was in a bit of a clearing in the wood that was being illuminated by the glowing light. I still couldn't make out the source of it so I rubbed my tired eyes and tried to focus. As I stared I realised there was something strange going on. It seemed to me like it was a ball of light, roughly chest height yet I could see nobody holding it. Perhaps they were dressed in dark clothes. Yes, that must be it I thought.

I gently walked closer and stood behind a big oak tree on the edge of the clearing. From here I knew I'd have a good view of the source so I took a deep breath and slowly peered around the tree. My mind was not prepared for what I saw next.