A bright moon hangs in a dark-blue sky and draws shadows twice life-size on the snow. Kevin’s eyes trace the roofline of Merna’s shed, the shadow of the furnace exhaust boiling its way east toward the notch in the hills where the sun won’t rise tomorrow.
Kevin’s phone says it’s December eighteenth. Three days to the winter solstice. Some people believe the winter solstice to be the longest night of the year, but where Kevin lives, the longest night of the year starts in November and ends in January. December eighteenth is midnight, one month since the sun last set, one month until it will rise again.
Kevin adjusts the caribou hindquarter on his shoulder and smiles thinking of the other things the newcomers believe. He shakes his head to clear it and starts toward Merna’s. They’ll cook soup and tell stories and laugh, helping the long night to pass.
Coffee, Baseball, and Fear of Flying just published at Spillwords.com!