Aurora Sky: Blackout (Completed)

Chapter 24

In the evening when the minimal light of the sun was gone and the skies pitch black, the informal family sat together awaiting for their dinner that was in preparation. Though they were not related by blood, Isaac felt more and more than the people nearest to him now were his family and he relished in their company. In the oven were two humongous vegetable lasagnas made of spinach, zucchini, mushrooms, ricotta cheese, and loads of chopped onions, all designed by Lacey, but executed by Warren, Arthur, and Krissy.

Most of the family by chance ate together around either the fireplace or the dining room table. However, Isaac took his meal to go after he washed up from his long day out. He ate alone and sat tucked warmly in his old, gray Columbia bubble coat in the guard post by the front gate. He switched back and forth eating his dinner and peering down the driveway to the cul de sac of the street. There wasn't much he could see in the night, but if he heard anything creeping in the woods he would flash a light around to inspect. Never once on his guard duties did he see an infected, only a few squirrels climbing the trees and some birds flapping around here and there. I hope they find shelter, they don't deserve to be stuck in this mess.

He prayed a special prayer to the universe, to the ALL, to the Tao, to all the names of God and the Spirit that he knew, for all animals in hopes that they would all find some food and a warm place to rest, if there was such a place now. He extended that prayer to all beings on this earth in need of shelter and warmth. Please show us the sun and moon again. The planet NEEDS it, he requested ending his prayer.

"Isaac..." a voice in the dark whispered his name. "Isaac..." it said again.

He turned to look for the source of the voice when suddenly, an orb with a golden aura appeared floating out from the trees and down slowly to the grassy ground. It resembled the orb at the creek a week ago, but it was much brighter than before. The glasses on Isaac's face glared from fingerprint smudges, so he took them off and wiped them on his shirt to see more clearly. A figure unfolded molecule by molecule in front of him as a flower blooms from the stem. It was Malakai.

The two made eye contact and remained silent. Without words, it felt like they were reading into each others souls, seeing their past and future karma's like watching a documentary on television. Then the mysterious figure put his hands together over his chest in prayer and bowed, then he raised his hands above his head and blessed Isaac.

Colorful waves of energy flowed through the air and penetrated his mindseye. Isaac could feel the energy coming from the great master washing over him and merging into every cell within. His pineal gland began to vibrate, then his spine, then his entire body. He closed his eyes and saw kaleidoscopic waves in every color dancing in his mind in perfect geometric patterns and formations. It felt as if he had shed his body again, for his entire consciousness was wholly merged within his Third Eye.

In a rush, his awareness was brought back to his physical body, and he was once again standing in the guard post. But now he was alone. Malakai had left as fast as he had appeared. Isaac flashed his light in the woods, but his vision was blurred when he tried looking through his glasses. He took them off of his face and looked around and could see more clearly than ever. He went back and forth putting on and taking off his glasses, but each time he looked through the lenses there was only a blur. He fixed my vision.

He was about to jump for joy when there was a loud boom in the sky, and then a series of blinding white lights pierced the clouds one after another. At first Isaac thought it was going to rain the Black Rain again, or worse. He abandoned his post and made a run for the house. Two flashlights were bouncing and flickering in the field coming from opposite corners. Arthur and Rob were also running towards the house abandoning their posts, both fearing the same thing.

When the three reached the porch, great horns began to sound in the sky. Isaac turned back and looked upward, searching for the origin of the sound. The thousands of bright white lights had expanded into one massive circle. It shone directly above him and spread for miles across the night sky. "Guys," he said, "wait."

The light dimmed and flashed brightly again. Thunder roared through the horns, but there was no rain that followed. The circle of light forced its way through the darkness causing the black clouds to slowly peel away. Layer by layer, the darkness unfolded. The white light expanded rapidly in all directions, consuming the darkness as it gained traction, surrounding and lighting up the earth.

The light was so bright that it illuminated the entire field. The wooden walls, every tree, and every blade of grass within glowed as if it had its own electric force field. It even lit the inside of the house which drew the attention of everyone within. Suddenly, everyone had stepped out to the front yard to observe the phenomenon.

It had gone from black to white, from dark to light. Then, in the white sky, a red blip appeared, as if someone dropped red dye into a cup of water. A long stream of red waves rippled through the entirety of the atmosphere. It was trailed by an orange drop, then yellow, green, blue, violet, and white again. The streams of colors wound, weaved, spiraled, and twisted into each other painting the sky in a vortex of myriad colors.

"It's beautiful." Natalie said, laying flat on her back on the driveway staring upward in awe.

"What is it?" Kimmy asked, lying beside Natalie.

"Is that aurora borealis?" asked Rob.

"Yeah... Those are Aurora Skies..." said Isaac quietly. That's when a smooth warm hand slipped into his. He looked down and saw the hand belonged to Lacey. She smiled at him, he smiled back. Then she rested her head on his shoulder and leaned into him. Hand in hand, they gazed at the colorful night sky.

There was a strange calming energy coming from above that was almost intoxicating. Everyone stood in silence in wonder of the supernatural event. Even the animals were drawn to it but they weren't the least bit frightened. A different cat sat in each window of the house and all of the dogs sat quietly next to their masters observing the spectacle just as much as the humans. In that moment, all were drawn to the skies. All was one.

It was hard to tell how much time had passed, but eventually the waves of energy in the sky began to calm. The rippling auroras faded away into an open night sky. One star appeared, and then another. In a matter of minutes there were seemingly endless amounts of frosty glinting stars and constellations in the sky, and the bright white entrails of the Milky Way streaked across the sky lighting up the night.

With no light pollution to contend with, Isaac had the bright idea to take out his quality telescope. He was able to view the shimmering stars and the galaxy with clarity he had never experienced before. It's sight and beauty moved his soul to the point of tears. The sense of reverence and admiration fell upon him as he observed out into the depths of space. After a few minutes he passed his telescope over to his friends so everyone could have a turn.

It called for a celebration. So they built a fire near the walnut tree and together sat around its warmth while they smoked, drank, laughed, and gazed at the stars until the morning, patiently waiting for the first sunrise in a week.