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The Darkness Guardian

Depression at its Peak

By Kayla SmithPublished 3 years ago 3 min read
1
A Guardian

On a cold, Northern Canadian night, a young couple sit gathered on a comfy, grey couch, cuddled under a white cotton blanket. Each reading a book as the internet is down; listening to the wind snarl, like a wolf blowing snow with every deep howl. The crackling fire with a gaze so sharp, so bright, it is as if there is an owl staring at them with their piercing yellow eyes. Creaks and faint scratches as a village of little grey mice attempt to make a home in the basement for the winter. "Stay warm, don't let your feet touch the ground. Keep your toes wrapped under his legs. Protection." The woman's heart whimpers to herself. Scratchy legs resembling a cat's whiskers, it is worth the tingling sensation in her little piggy’s.

Looking out the window, the woman notices something in the old birch tree. The tree stood, what felt like one hundred feet tall. Strongest of the trees in the Great White North, this royal forest is full of unwritten scriptures and is home to countless critters. A whole universe seems to exist, right under the noses of the human race, an entire civilization being nurtured in that old birch tree. But what was it? Whose eyes floated in the darkness? Whose gaze met the woman's? From deep within her soul, she felt embodied by whoever's stare that was. A quick flicker of the night's brightest twinning sunlight. For that quick moment, as fleeting as it was, seemed to pause time. It made a woman, so unsure of herself, feel a spark inside that she hadn't felt in years; a beginning.

"What was that? An animal? Could it have been a ghost? A fairy godmother, perhaps?" The woman shakes her head, almost disappointing herself in thinking such a foolish thought. No, it is not a ghost, or some kind of fairy godmother. This creature made all of her earthly restraints fall ill. A guardian angel? For why did the woman look outside in that particular moment? Why would she look out into the midnight blizzard? Was she staring at her own inner darkness? Drawn to the dullness that was of her insides, possibly reflecting into the starless landscape. It is not like she could have seen anything real, but she did. She could not help but to know those inviolable amber eyes were real. They were there, looking back at the woman, piercing her soul. Looking into an empty crevice, searching for the tiniest movement, glimmer of hope. Like a barn owl hunting in complete darkness, with such confidence, seeking out the slightest movement from a little mouse. Why a connection to such a being? Such one as a mystery. Why a rush? A faint movement of heat starting in the woman’s toes and quickly engulfing the rest of her body. What a surge of energy.

Another glance. All that is seen is black, no glimmer. The woman cowards into herself. She curls up, holding the book she can no longer keep focus on, closes her eyes, and starts to cry inside. The internal fire was gone. Feeling an overwhelming darkness around her, wondering when the hurt will end. Depression surging her insides. A lonely howl echoing in her heart. How can one be so lonely when right beside someone else? In the heat of a final swirl of unwelcomed thoughts, the woman feels a shock of cool prickles moving down her spine. It forces her to jolt, eyes open, peering out the window. Her eyes meet the strong, yellow orbs, a flash of light dances across the sky, and there it is.

A white owl. Natures most majestic royal. Wisdom, fierce intelligence, independence, sears through every feather as this heroine flies a message of hope for the woman, to the guardians above.

depression
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About the Creator

Kayla Smith

I'm a Mom, Wife, Woman. I had cancer at 25-years-old. I kicked ass but the side effects of chemotherapy and almost dying are still with me. I'm a new writer, absolutely amateur, but I'm working on it while I'm at home recovering from life.

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