Dr. eeL
Farmer
MIDDLEWALK-93
Its twilight, and shortly after the stars become visible, a comet can be seen near the horizon over the ocean. To tell the truth, it really is not much to look at, appearing as a nondescript smudge. Looking closely, one can tell that something is there, but exactly what it is remains unclear. I ring up Maru, and after two tries, finally get ahold of her. She says that the comet has survived its trip close to the sun and is now heading back into deep space. But if I would like to see it better, I can visit and look through her telescope. The next night promises to be cloud and moon-free, so the three of us hop into the mine carts and head for Robin and Demetrius's home in the mountains. More and more, Cassie is starting to enjoy taking these mine cart rides. Once there, I'm surprised to see that there is already a small line of villagers waiting for a view through Maru's telescope. We join the line and stand behind Pierre and Abigale and listen in while Maru explains what we are about to see. She talks about how a primal body made up of rock, ice, and frozen gases is perturbed by the gravitation of other planets, and as a result, its orbit shifts from a circular one out in the middle of nowhere to more of an elliptical one that brings it closer to the sun. As it nears the sun, the ice and gases boil off and are blown away from the comet, making for a long tail. When it is my turn, I look through the eyepiece and sure enough, now it looks like a real comet. There is a tiny glowing nucleus surrounded by a dim ball of fuzz. Jutting out from this ball is a spectacular tail, long enough to go out of view of the eyepiece. When it becomes Cassie's turn to look, Maru has a box set aside nearby for those who are vertically challenged, and it gives Cassie a stable platform so that she can look into the eyepiece. I have to admit that after their turns, neither Haley nor Cassie appear noticeably impressed. I can understand their feelings. It is not easy imagining something so faint, cold and distant, when there is a world of life right here that they can see and touch. After thanking Maru, we decide to take a slow walk through the village.
The lights of the houses are muted, closed off by shades and curtains, and the village is quiet. Probably most everyone is at the dinner table. Haley and I walk hand in hand, and I can hear Cassie's footsteps as she skips ahead of us. In the distance, a door opens and a trash can lid clangs. A large grasshopper is attracted to one of the street lights, and Cassie gives chase until it flies out of reach. We pass 1 Willow Lane. The house is dark (Emily is helping Gus tonight), and as she looks at her old house, Haley becomes reflective. She begins with, "I have this little voice in my head that I'm sure is really me. It seems as if that voice has never changed, from the time I was a child until now. Everything in my life has changed, yet the voice seems the same. But that cannot be true." I'm listening carefully and agree with her that we all have such a voice. Haley continues, "Just about everything in my life has changed since the day that I moved to our farmhouse, yet I am still the same me. Back then, I had this enormous crush on you, and I was totally under its influence when I married you. Best decision I ever made in my entire life. That house that was so much part of my life for so long now seems like so much ancient history. Like a part of me. Sometimes I wonder why you married me." About this time, I want to chip in with saying, "Because you are the cutest girl on the planet," but my intuition tells me that this is not what Haley wants to hear right now. Instead, I say something that is also true, "You have the kindest, most thoughtful, and most imaginative heart of anyone I know." I must have said something right, because Haley snuggles up a little closer to me as we walk. She adds, "I can't believe that little bundle of joy is ours. Look at her go." Cassie has discovered an old chalked in hop-scotch pattern, likely drawn by Jas, and is hopping from number to number. "She is you, you know," I say thoughtfully. "You are a mother now, but inside that voice of yours really is still young and remembers how you felt, and the things that you experienced growing up in this valley. Cassie will turn out to have a heart just like yours." As we walk past Marni's house and make the turn towards our farm, Cassie runs up and asks, "Why do the crickets stop singing when I walk by?" Haley replies, "Crickets love singing, and are very curious. When you go near, they stop singing so that they can listen to your songs. They're very polite. The louder you sing, the more the crickets will stop and listen to you. Try it and see what happens." Cassie starts off with, "London Bridge is falling down," and sure enough, the entire forest shuts down to "listen". I whisper to Haley, "I wonder how long she's going to believe you?" Haley laughs, and says, "Long enough." Cassie's singing only lasts a few minutes, because just past our sunflower patch lightning bugs were playing, and she races off to try and capture a few. Back in our kitchen, it's been some time since we had supper, and so for our dessert, Haley brings out one of her pumpkin pies. She uses the recipe that she received from Emily, but Haley's pies taste nothing like Emily's. Haley's are creamier and almost twice as thick, and in my opinion, simply amazing. Both Cassie and I pour out the compliments, as we hold out our plates for second pieces. Haley smiles, and I can tell that her little voice inside is glowing with happiness.
Its twilight, and shortly after the stars become visible, a comet can be seen near the horizon over the ocean. To tell the truth, it really is not much to look at, appearing as a nondescript smudge. Looking closely, one can tell that something is there, but exactly what it is remains unclear. I ring up Maru, and after two tries, finally get ahold of her. She says that the comet has survived its trip close to the sun and is now heading back into deep space. But if I would like to see it better, I can visit and look through her telescope. The next night promises to be cloud and moon-free, so the three of us hop into the mine carts and head for Robin and Demetrius's home in the mountains. More and more, Cassie is starting to enjoy taking these mine cart rides. Once there, I'm surprised to see that there is already a small line of villagers waiting for a view through Maru's telescope. We join the line and stand behind Pierre and Abigale and listen in while Maru explains what we are about to see. She talks about how a primal body made up of rock, ice, and frozen gases is perturbed by the gravitation of other planets, and as a result, its orbit shifts from a circular one out in the middle of nowhere to more of an elliptical one that brings it closer to the sun. As it nears the sun, the ice and gases boil off and are blown away from the comet, making for a long tail. When it is my turn, I look through the eyepiece and sure enough, now it looks like a real comet. There is a tiny glowing nucleus surrounded by a dim ball of fuzz. Jutting out from this ball is a spectacular tail, long enough to go out of view of the eyepiece. When it becomes Cassie's turn to look, Maru has a box set aside nearby for those who are vertically challenged, and it gives Cassie a stable platform so that she can look into the eyepiece. I have to admit that after their turns, neither Haley nor Cassie appear noticeably impressed. I can understand their feelings. It is not easy imagining something so faint, cold and distant, when there is a world of life right here that they can see and touch. After thanking Maru, we decide to take a slow walk through the village.
The lights of the houses are muted, closed off by shades and curtains, and the village is quiet. Probably most everyone is at the dinner table. Haley and I walk hand in hand, and I can hear Cassie's footsteps as she skips ahead of us. In the distance, a door opens and a trash can lid clangs. A large grasshopper is attracted to one of the street lights, and Cassie gives chase until it flies out of reach. We pass 1 Willow Lane. The house is dark (Emily is helping Gus tonight), and as she looks at her old house, Haley becomes reflective. She begins with, "I have this little voice in my head that I'm sure is really me. It seems as if that voice has never changed, from the time I was a child until now. Everything in my life has changed, yet the voice seems the same. But that cannot be true." I'm listening carefully and agree with her that we all have such a voice. Haley continues, "Just about everything in my life has changed since the day that I moved to our farmhouse, yet I am still the same me. Back then, I had this enormous crush on you, and I was totally under its influence when I married you. Best decision I ever made in my entire life. That house that was so much part of my life for so long now seems like so much ancient history. Like a part of me. Sometimes I wonder why you married me." About this time, I want to chip in with saying, "Because you are the cutest girl on the planet," but my intuition tells me that this is not what Haley wants to hear right now. Instead, I say something that is also true, "You have the kindest, most thoughtful, and most imaginative heart of anyone I know." I must have said something right, because Haley snuggles up a little closer to me as we walk. She adds, "I can't believe that little bundle of joy is ours. Look at her go." Cassie has discovered an old chalked in hop-scotch pattern, likely drawn by Jas, and is hopping from number to number. "She is you, you know," I say thoughtfully. "You are a mother now, but inside that voice of yours really is still young and remembers how you felt, and the things that you experienced growing up in this valley. Cassie will turn out to have a heart just like yours." As we walk past Marni's house and make the turn towards our farm, Cassie runs up and asks, "Why do the crickets stop singing when I walk by?" Haley replies, "Crickets love singing, and are very curious. When you go near, they stop singing so that they can listen to your songs. They're very polite. The louder you sing, the more the crickets will stop and listen to you. Try it and see what happens." Cassie starts off with, "London Bridge is falling down," and sure enough, the entire forest shuts down to "listen". I whisper to Haley, "I wonder how long she's going to believe you?" Haley laughs, and says, "Long enough." Cassie's singing only lasts a few minutes, because just past our sunflower patch lightning bugs were playing, and she races off to try and capture a few. Back in our kitchen, it's been some time since we had supper, and so for our dessert, Haley brings out one of her pumpkin pies. She uses the recipe that she received from Emily, but Haley's pies taste nothing like Emily's. Haley's are creamier and almost twice as thick, and in my opinion, simply amazing. Both Cassie and I pour out the compliments, as we hold out our plates for second pieces. Haley smiles, and I can tell that her little voice inside is glowing with happiness.
