Day's End

 

Day’s End

Noel Laflin

11-21-23

 

As we walked up the trail and rounded a bend, the sunset came into view. Irvine Park, its foothills, and all beyond were overshadowed by the white, red, grey, black and pink in the sky above.

 

It was a keeper of a moment.

 

When it was totally dark a short time later, multitudes of toads and crickets sounded off, and owls started to hoot.

 

We parted ways at the base of the trail – Kyle wanting to explore the creek bed, and me, wanting to head home and get some supper.

 

It was a dark hike to the car, but on a road I knew well.  I stopped at a favorite rock in a low retaining wall to capture a photo of all the fossils contained within. Holding the phone just inches away and hoping for the best on such a dark night, I clicked. The flash did it justice.

 

My phone dinged with Kyle telling me he could hear a screech owl. The kid was always a sucker for owls. Me too, and I must admit that I was a bit envious as I had not laid eyes on one for more than a year.

 

Then, as I finally approached my car I, too, heard an owl overhead in a sycamore tree. As I drew closer, a timer must have kicked in as all the park’s outdoor lighting suddenly flicked on, which startled that owl in the tree above. With a mighty screech, a great horned owl shot out of the sycamore, just feet away, and quickly sped off over the lagoon and into the night.

 

The owl-sighting drought was suddenly over.

That, too, was a keeper of a moment.