Midnight stroll

Another sleepless night with never-ending thoughts rushing from every direction inside her head. She knows that with every full moon comes unforgivable insomnia. Every. Damn. Time.

-Urghh... (tossing and turning) I just want to sleep for fuck sakes... Its too hot in here but anytime I open the window it gets too cold... Why can't I sleep?! -she argued aggressively, knowing that there was no damn soul around to hear or answer her complaints.

She wasn't completely alone. No. She had people she could message and bullshit with. It was her own stubbornness to not be vulnerable in anyone's eyes. She didn't want to feel like a burden. But there was Tully. Her beloved companion and best friend who she trusted with every single secret and every single worry.

They call them man's best friend for a reason, right?

It was nearly midnight. Moinlight was absolutely blinding but what do you expect if you lay in a dark for hours. Your eyes adjust to the darkness, pretty animalistic if you ask her; just like cave men would team up and hunt birds at night.

But this is not what caught her attention. Her attention was on the full moon tonight. Captivated by the beauty but also pissed off that she could not sleep tonight. It was easier to put blame on inanimate object than to follow a productive bed time routine. She knew the issue but it was just, simpler.

-Okay, well if I can't catch any z's tonight, I might as well utilize my time effectively. Not the first time I went on midnight stroll. Tully loves it, he is always up for any type of adventure, don't you agree, you cute potato head? -she spoke to her dog, gently, and sort of like a baby, yet, he was a full grown dog.

-Let me get ready and then we will head out, alright, buddy? -Tully perked up the second she started getting ready, following her room to room and anticipating every moment for the upcoming walk.

She was eager to get out and breath fresh midnight air. You know when it is middle of the winter and there is a month long cold snap but then the south winds make it all better and it feels like spring is coming? For instance, a bear awaking from hibernation, starving for his first meal with sharp focus to go and find it. Somehow you feel intensely alive and can't get enough of that crisp air, gasping as if it is your last day on earth... That is what she felt but could not think of the word while walking to the nearby park.

Full moon was illuminating everything around her. It was magical. She never left the house on the full moon, though. Never thought of it, really. She would much rather suffer the insomnia that the moon "caused" but it never occurred to her to instead of scrolling on her phone or binge watching a Netflix series, she could just go for a walk. Until this particular full moon; something was different about it.

It wasn't just the full moon in control of her sleepless brain chatter. It was other things but at this very moment, it did not matter. She was glad and at peace with her decision.

Tully was happy too. He was having a freakin blast. It wasn't too cold and it wasn't too warm. Weather was just perfect.

As she got closer to the park, she noticed another person walking their dog. She couldn't see that far as to who it was but she did not put too much thought into it. Tully was her protector and will show his aggresive side if provoked, so she didn't worry.

As she approached the little pond, lit up by moonlight and a few light posts, Tully pulled her to the right since he noticed the dog on the other side of the pond. He was on a mission to say hi.

Temperature was slowly falling as she walked by the pond. But that just means air was getting more refreshing with each breath. There was this silence about this time of the night. With few crackling sounds and gentle wind moving few leaves that managed to survive cruel winter thus far. It was peaceful.

As Tully pulled her with all his might, she crossed paths with, now what seems to appear, another woman, as sleepless as she was. They both had the same idea tonight. They both knew as if there was this unspoken bond between them to get out of their houses and see the night, breath the air, and gift a little adventure to their best friends.

Tully didn't hesitate for a second to approach another dog and the woman walking it.

-Oh, I am so sorry, he is a friendly pup. So eager to meet every dog on his walk any chance he gets. -she spoke to another woman, assuring the safety of the situation, since she very well knew what would go through her mind if another person with a dog approached her at this time.

-It's completely understandable. My dog started to pull me harder the second you two approached the pond. It's a quiet night, so I didn't expect to see another soul here. -woman stated, chuckling a little. Maybe from nervousness or just to be polite but there was no time to look deeper into her tone or her body language.

-Yeah, same here. I couldn't assume I was the only one with "sleepless brain syndrome". -she laughed, quite loud, just making conversation and trying to enjoy every bit of this social interaction she haven't experienced in days.

As the dogs were getting their sniffs and hi's, they both got startled by a crack, further in the trees and amongst the bushes but too dark to see what it was. After all, it's a park. Other creatures live her too.

It was enough for her to notice it, though. It was enough to break her attention from the small talk she was making with the woman standing in front of her. She lifted her brow for a split second and looked towards the direction that both dogs were staring at. It was brief but it gave her a hint of a bad feeling. She was very intuitive and was almost always right about any situation she was in. Or as she thought; she never stuck around for long enough to find out. Maybe it was a good thing.

Her attention was centered back to the woman as she was saying something to her:

-So, yeah, we are just on our last loop. I will have to try and get some sleep before work, hoping this walk exhausted me enough to catch some sleep... It was very nice talking to you and thank you for letting our dog's say hi -she said it with a bit of disappointment but there was a piece of relief at the end.

-No problem, I hope you are able to drift off into some restful sleep. I am too familiar with this feeling myself. Tully, let's keep walking, say bye to the new friend you made. -she said with all of the sincerity she could find within herself. She did emphasize with this woman's struggle as she was a fellow insomniac.

Woman pulled her dog ever so gently and they started walking away. Tully, on the other hand, was too excited and fixated on the other dog, so it took her a bit of an effort to pull him towards the direction they were walking initially.

As she continued to walk, Tully looked up into the spruce tree standing proud and tall in front of them. He saw something. Something enough to catch his attention away from sniffing every corner he could find. She looked up too. There was something staring back at her from the tree. Her eyes were adjusted to the night but it took her a moment to make sense of what she was looking at. A little white, heart shaped face staring right at her.

-Oh wow! -she exclaimed.

-That's an owl, Tully! Look how magnificent and confident it's sitting in that darkness.. Wow! -she observed and felt fascinated by the sight of the night creature.

Just for a split second she had a bit of a deja vu. Usually this happens right before she senses something bad coming her way. Not always but she does not take any chances.

It felt like this was some sort of a warning. She couldn't figure out why or how but it's almost as if that owl spoke to her in a strange way. This was the second time she gets a bad feeling. She got concerned and started to walk a little faster, pulling Tully, who did not seem to resist sudden and faster pace.

Initially, she was going to walk another loop and cross her paths with the woman she met earlier, allowing Tully to say final hi and good bye to his new friend. But there was no doubt she was heading straight home. She took the next exit, on a well lit path and didn't cross that woman again. She rushed home.

By the time she got back to her house, the clock showed 1:07. Almost an hour long walk.

-Hmm... Not too bad for a night walk, huh, Tully? -she said to the dog while getting his leash and harness off. On the other hand, she felt guilty the walk was cut a bit short due to her gut feeling. Something was off by the signs she was noticing and did not want to risk it.

She went about her night as usual, watching one of the trending shows on Netflix and having a few pistachios covered in chocolate. It was her favorite snack and satisfied the boredom in the moment. As the night went on, she started to forget all about the warning signs and a short cut she had to take. Eventually she drifted off into sleep with the screen asking her if she wished to continue to watch her show but it was well known, no one will ever answer that.

Morning birds were chirping at this point and alarm was beeping louder with each passing minute. It woke her up in a panic since she thought she was late for work. Alarm was showing 7:35am and it signaled a hurry filled morning since she needed to get ready for work. Gladly it was only 10 minutes away if she drove.

-Damn it, I will be late... Again! -she was quite familiar with the routine and skipped brushing teeth and getting her face ready. In a rush, she put on yesterday's outfit, fed Tully, and grabbed a smoothie from the fridge to drink while she was driving to work.

She had an extra few minutes to let her dog out for a quick pee and sniff and then headed out in a cold car because she never had time to warm it up if she woke up this late.

Gladly, traffic wasn't too congested and she made to work right on time. Well... She was a minute late but that was on time for her.

She said her good mornings to the people already on their computers, cozy, and sipping coffee. Clocked in right at 8:02 and was very impressed she wasn't late more than 5 minutes. There was still some coffee left from the first pot that her coworker brewed 30 minutes ago.

As she sat down to catch up on the past days notes and sipped well deserved coffee, there was radio on in the office that played old school rock, her favorite station. She felt a lot more comfortable as she went through the notes.

Song was over and it switched to daily news for her town. Morning host was talking about some political dispute that she had no interest in. It went on to mention a small drug bust that the police completed a day prior and a murdered woman found in nearby park.

Her heart skipped a beat. She recognized the name of the park. Shift in her attention nearly made her spin in the chair she was slouched in.

-Hey, can you turn that up quick? - she asked her colleague who was sitting near the radio.

-Yeah, sure... But why? I have never seen you interested in the news section on the morning radio.

He was right. She was never into the news section.

-I was walking at that park at midnight where that woman was murdered... I talked to her and our dog's said hi to each other.

Radio was playing louder and it was serious. She paid her full attention to the information given:

"Detectives believe that the woman was murdered somewhere between midnight and one in the morning. She had no identification on her her dog was found barking at passersby. The dog's collar is missing, believed to be ripped off as the suspect did not want to leave any identifying information on scene to delay investigation progress. If anyone has any information or may have witnessed what took place at Spruce Park, please contact your local police or stop by the nearest detachment."

-Holy shit! I was there walking my dog at that exact time... I had a bad feeling and cut our walk short. Did not think too much of it once I settled to go to sleep. -she said extremely nervous and scared. She knew right then and there that it could have been her if she did not listen to the warning signs; although small, now it did not seem like just a "bad feeling she had". They were warning signs and she made the right choice.

-Are you serious or are you just messing with me? Because this is some scary shit... -her coworker said, thinking back to all the times she messed with him.

-I am very serious! I was there, talking to her while our dog's met each other. I have to go to the police station and let them know what I know!

-Okay, I believe you. That is probably the best and only thing you can do right now. Just let our supervisor know and I'll handle this mornings meeting. -he said with a little bit of disappointment in his voice.

She took this as a passive aggressive statement but she did not have time to over analyze it. She was already out the door and letting the supervisor know what has happened.

She got into her car and drove to the nearest station; she could not help but think that it could have been her. She could have been the "unidentified woman murdered in Spruce Park".

-I could have let her know I had a bad feeling and asked her to take a short cut with me... So she was safe and alive today... How can I go on with my life knowing this? -her face was covered in tears after telling the detectives everything she could remember from her walk.

Thank you for taking time to read my short story; if you enjoyed reading "Midnight Stroll", follow the link to check out my other work: https://vocal.media/fiction/trip-to-the-moon

I sincerely appreciate any support and welcome my reader's thoughts & suggestions. I hope I left an impression however big or small - see you in the next story! :)