It was only a dream...

I sat in my office this afternoon, gazing out the wall of windows as the storm clouds blew in from the northwest. The sky was ominously dark over the forest preserve, and my boss walked by with his bag over his shoulder. "It's looking pretty dark out there," he said. "Better get out before the rain hits."

I looked at the clock. It was 4:22. Really too early to leave, but I packed up and followed him out anyway. Scattered, angry drops were already starting to fall as I made my way to my car - I hurried to beat the onslaught. Seconds after I closed the door behind me, the skies opened up. It was an immediate torrential downpour.

Stoplights were out, fire trucks passed by, screaming toward accidents, and the drive seemed to take forever. When I arrived home, the house was dark. I decided not to turn on the lights as I ate some leftover pasta and read through the day's news.

When the rain let up, I opened all of the windows and let in the smell of the rain. The house was still dark. I talked with a friend for a while, cleaned up the dinner dishes, and stepped out the back door.

The chairs were wet, and the trees continued to toss fat drops across the patio. The clouds loomed forbiddingly overhead, yet the leaves fairly glowed with that fresh, lush shimmer that storms always seem to leave in their wake. I wiped down one of the chairs, curled up into it, and closed my eyes. The smell of green things filled my head. I sat for a few minutes, thinking about all of the interesting things on my plate right now. My life seems to be turning in a few new directions, each of which deserves a certain level of contemplation.

I must have drifted off for a bit, because when I opened my eyes, the sky was much darker. The fireflies had come out; they were meandering across the yard, blinking at each other in a language I wasn't meant to understand. The silence of their journey added a level of mystery to the evening...dozens of them floated, seemingly aimlessly, as I watched. Long moments passed. I sat without moving.

The phone rang inside, and I slowly rose to grab it. As I walked in, I looked back over my shoulder at the fireflies. They flew on, oblivious to my departure.

After I finished talking with A, I glanced out again. The rain had started back up, and the yard had gone dark.

I left the lights off as I sat on the floor to write. Maybe if I wait long enough, they will come back.