The Tree Shook That Night

Tonight, of all nights I decided to leave the barn, I wanted to see more, to smell, more experience something out of my comfort zone. The barn was where I felt calm, the smell of the hay, the calmness when all the other animals were calm. The constant reminder of how amazing life is when a new life is born. I wanted to go to sleep as the sun came up knowing I experienced something else. As I began to fly out of the barn the air was still, the sky was dark. In the distance I spotted a tree full of leaves surrounded by trees with no leave at all. That spot would be my spot tonight. This night felt different, it was like this tree was meant for me to spend dusk till dawn on. The wind blew through my wings with ease. It was a feeling I enjoyed way much more than I had ever before. Who knew this was tree was going to be so peaceful? My eyes began to fall until I felt the branches begin to shake and voices follow right after. The first voice was a little girl and the second was a man. The night was getting old, so I was surprised a child and man were still up. As an owl this time of night was normal for me, but not for these two. The girl was crying as she struggled to get up from the bushes beneath the tree I was resting on. The man was telling the girl to hurry up and get back over the fence. My eyes were glued, I felt hopeless as I watched the man picked the girl up and threw her over fence like trash. I felt hopeless knowing that I was only a part of nature at this point rather than a stranger that could help this child in despair. I watched again the child climbed back over the fence in tears. She then stood still as the man approached her with a formed fist, she fell to the ground in pain. My wings flickered imagining how that must have felt. I instantly wanted to make a distraction, but it was not noticed. The girl continued to be beaten, she was hopeless. She was in pain and being treated with no mercy from the man. Just as fast as the girl could get up, she was picked up and thrown against my tree so hard that my once full of life tree began to shed tears in the form of leaves. Hoo Hoo Hoo Hoo I began again, and she looked up and stared. Startled she looked briefly and caught a glance, I am so sorry, I am so sorry I tried to form the words all that came out to her was hoo hoo hoo hoo. Once again, the man instructed her to get up and she did. Once the girl got back over, the fence the man pointed to a spot a little bit out of my view. What is he doing now? I wondered. Frightened the girl walked to the spot and stood there. Now it was her chance, Now is your chance I screamed Run! All that came out was hoo hoo hoo. I watched the little girl stand in that same spot until I noticed the sun waking up. I could not believe what I witnessed, I felt sorrow for the girl. As the sun came up, I prepared to take off, I took off with such force that I shook all the leaves remaining on the tree off. The girl looked over one more time and stared. I could feel her longing to be me, longing to be an owl with wings. Wings that would help her fly away from the pain and misery she was living through day to day. I made it back to the barn that night and I had never felt so hopeless in my life.