Une Chouette

It was there for as long as I can remember. It’s silhouette outlined by the light in the old barn as it watched me go about my nightly routine. I always thought of it as my guardian, a being that would watch over me while I slept. That is until one night it started to come closer. Round, yellow eyes highlighted against a snowy white face stared at me from right behind a dusty pain of glass. “Mommy!” I cried the first night it appeared. As soon as my door swung open the owl was gone. It happened three times that first week before I gave up on calling my mom. Defeated, I decided if it must stay I shall give it a name! My mom always said naming something takes away it’s power. When I was a baby she had me name the monsters under my bed. But I’m not a baby anymore, I’m 12. Practically a grown up! I scolded myself for my childish musings. I can’t be scared every time an owl comes to my window. I looked at it closely. Inspecting its small round face. Chouette, I thought, That will be your name.

“Chouette. What are you looking at?” I asked. It looked at me then with understanding in its eyes. “Can you hear me?” It nodded, a clunky, unnatural movement as its head bobbed up and down. I giggled, thinking to myself of what kind of conversation I was going to have with an owl. “What do owls talk about Chouette?” It leaned its head far to the right and squinted its eyes. I stared back. Starting to feel nervous about the whole interaction. I may only be 12 but I know animals don’t talk. And they don’t understand humans when we talk to them. I opened the window. Thinking the movement would scare it away. It just watched patiently. As I pushed the window up it caught my finger gently in it’s sharp beak. It pulled, I allowed my hand then arm to be tugged out of the window. It kept pulling. I leaned a little further out of the window and the owl took flight. “Oh shoot!” I muttered to no one. I watched as it turned back. Sitting atop a branch looking at me expectantly. I frowned, reaching my hand out like I had seen on National Geographic hoping he would come back to me. He just cooed loudly. I looked at the clock. 11:52. Mom would definitely be asleep…I could go out to the owl. My shoes were right there in the closet. The alarm will beep. I looked out my window toward the ground. I was on the first floor and there was a big metal thing; I could just hop down. It’s late after all. What is that thing mom is always saying..? Everything is better after midnight? That didn’t sound right. But it was similar. The owl cooed breaking my thoughts. I grabbed my shoes and started to climb out the window.

I reached the tree where the owl sat. He cooed once again and took off. Stopping a few feet ahead of me and turning to cock his head at me once again. “Do you want me to follow you?” It blinked slowly in response to my question. I took a few steps closer. It hopped a few more steps. I grinned and began walking towards him faster.

He was flying now. Stopping ever so often to turn and look at me as I jogged to keep up. “One…s-second…” I puffed. “You’re going… too…fas-” The last word getting cut short by my lack of oxygen. The owl flew further. Cooing as he approached a bramble. He stopped short looking as me as he hopped into a tiny opening near the ground. The trees loomed, grey, almost black, and sharp thorns hung down around bare branches despite it being 80 degrees…and June. A chill came over me. I backed away a few steps, a small part of my brain I had never heard before screaming at me to run. Run from this strange owl that can understand me and this small patch of dead woods, oddly out of place with the rest of the deep green wall surrounding it. The owl took a few more hops into the thicket. It paused, his eyes were brighter now, less yellow. A bright light was emanating from somewhere behind him, I was frozen waiting for something … I don’t know…significant to happen. “Are you coming Poppy?” His voice was silky and low. It reminded me of my dad’s old music. I gasped. Staring in disbelief. “Well?” he challenged. “We don’t have much time.” With that he disappeared leaving a fading light glowing in the small tunnel behind him. I looked back towards my home. I could see the lights I left on in my room. I thought about my mom and how she would find an empty room. I looked back at the hole. The light was already fading. I dived after Chouette without another thought. In a blink of the eye I was surrounded by dark, a falling sensation over taking me. Suddenly, I was slammed hard into a rough, sharp surface. Chouette was gone. A tiny bit of light was off to my left. I rolled. Taking stock of my body. Nothing seemed too bad. There was a light stinging in my foot, like when you land too hard after jumping from a tree.

I was left in darkness as the light that had been there had faded to nothingness. I sat up. “H-hello?” My voice was quiet and weak. I sat for minute unsure of what to do next. I looked behind me. I couldn’t even see the space I had crawled through. “Poppyy?” The owl was calling from somewhere ahead of me. Common. You can do it. Just commit. I goaded myself on in my head. “Chouette?” I called. A low chirp answered. I took three deep breaths and moved forward. Fifteen, sixteen, seventeen. I counted the steps like my mom had taught me to do in dark spaces. Twenty-eight, twenty-nine, what if it never ends? What if I just have to keep counting forever? I don’t even know what number comes after one hundred thousand. Shoot! What step was that? Thirty-three? I paused looking behind me. “Chouette?” It came out scared and shaky. I was met with nothing but silence. And dark. So much more dark than I had ever been in. I held up my hand seeing how far away from my face I had to hold it just to see it. My arm wasn’t even fully extended before it disappeared. I turned again, determined to move forward… except…which way was forward? Abandoned, tears started welling in my eyes. Only babies cry. I chided myself. Reminding me of the words my father said so often. But the tears came anyway. I slumped to the ground as quiet sobs overcame me. “This way Poppy!” the voice was barely above a whisper to my right. “Wh-what?” I managed to mutter through ragged breath. “This way.” it came again a little quieter. Like it was moving. I got up and starting walking. Listening intently every few feet to make sure the voice was still leading me.

I had counted about 65 steps when the tunnel I was in opened up into a wide cave. A bright light loomed above my head. I could see blue sky and something green. I stared hard at the hole above me. Maybe I could climb? I looked around the sides of the cave. There were ridges all the way up. Sort of like steps, I was quite good at climbing trees but this wouldn’t be easy. Common Poppy. There’s no other way. And with that I started to climb. About half way up I had to start focusing on my breathing. It was getting hard to stay on the rocks. I was getting tired. No matter how far I climbed the hole never seemed to get any closer. “Ughhhhh!” I let out a frustrated groan and looked down. “Woah.” I had gotten a lot higher than I had ever been before. I was becoming dizzy looking at the distance between myself and the ground. Unsure of what to do I sat down. I looked around the little ledge and started to cry. I was cold and alone. “Whats wrong little girl?” I looked up. Two ledges above me sat a bat. “I’m stuck.”

“How are stuck?”

“I can’t get up to the light and the floor is too far away now.”

“I can get you through that hole.”

I looked at him then. Waiting expectantly. “But first you must promise me something” he said.

“Anything!” If I didn’t know any better I would say the creature smiled.

“You have to promise to take me with you.”

“Take you with me?”

“Yes I’ve never been outside this cave. I can’t leave without help!” I looked at him not entirely sure what I was expecting. But he offered no more explanation. So I nodded.

“Just turn your problem upside down!” and with that the bat held on to the ledge and hung upside down. “Now the hole is below you and you can just fall through.”

“I can’t do that!” the tears started rolling faster.

“Why not?”

“I’m not a bat! I can’t hang upside down!” it flew over to my ledge. Starting to inspect me closely. It reached out a tiny claw. Poking my leg. “Hey!” I cried. “I don’t go around poking you!” I tried to mimic the look of disapproval I had seen my mom make on many occasions. The bat hopped in a little circle all around me. Getting closer for a moment then further away. “You can hang!” he exclaimed. "Just hook your knees." I hesitated thinking it through. I am stuck here. And I have no better ideas… And animals here can talk. “Okay… before I do, um, Bat. Where exactly am I?”

“Here of course.”

“Where’s here? Does it have a name?”

“Not exactly. But you may call it Jannah.”

I stared for a second. Confused by the whole situation. I counted to three scooting to the edge of the ledge. I sat backwards ready to hang down with my knees on top the way I did on the monkey bars. Squeezing my eyes tight I swung down. I heard a small rumble. Then it grew louder. I opened my eyes in time to watch as the cave around me spun. Shifting and moving until the hole was directly below me. I laughed in delighted surprise. clapping my hands. “Now you simply let go.” instructed the bat. I looked at him as he hung on my shoulder. I said a little prayer and let go.

“Oof!” the sound came out involuntarily as I hit the ground for a second time that night. The smell of lilac hit my nose first. I looked around slowly. My eyes adjusting to the new brightness. It was brilliant! A field bigger than anything I had ever seen stretched in front of me. There were flowers of blues, yellows, and bright reds. Luscious green grass sprouted from every crevice. A lightness filled me as I took it all in. The bat was still attached to my shoulder. I was safe here. The darkness all gone. A land of adventure with my bat as a guide. I could feel it in my bones. “Jannah.” I said feeling the word in my mouth. “What does it mean?” I asked. looking at the bat “Whatever you want it too.” Replied the bat. The warmth from the sun beating down on my face.

My moms primal scream cut through the air. Snapping my eyes open and bringing my consciousness back. Then my fathers low drunken voice came followed by a sickening thunk. I sank further back into the corner of my makeshift closet listening intently. Whomp! A boot hit the bottom stair. Whomp! Whomp! Two sloppy, quick steps. Followed by a quiet, gruff, “Sss-shit…POPPY!” A silent tear fell as I hugged my small stuffed bat and stared out the small window at an owl flying by.