Mattie's Song

I’m standing in the center of a large field.  The grass is damp with dew; it’s the moment in the morning when the dusk finally loosens its possessive grip over the dawn.  I’m there alone watching as the sun begins to ascend gradually above the earth. It rolls back the lingering shadow of night to reveal what looks like a huge storm cloud of people rising up from the horizon.  There were people of different races, ages and genders. I believed it was impossible to accurately count the magnitude of such a multitude.

Men were carrying babies in their arms and women were holding the hands of the elderly assisting them across the field.  It was like watching settlers who had traveled from all over the earth, finally ending their journey…here.   I was so amazed by the multitude of people coming towards me that before long they had overtaken me.  I was disoriented and unable to discern which direction to move in to avoid being engulfed by the great swell of bodies.  Frightened, I threw my hands up preparing to be pushed or shoved, but instead they passed right through me, as if they were spirits and not flesh and bone!  Bewildered, I turned to see that they were beginning to form rows along the field, rows that stretched the entire length of the field.  I saw that while some were forming rows across the field, others were forming columns. No one spoke to anyone else and no one looked around; they simply went about the business of forming these perfectly straight lines.  It was so strange. If one body was standing in a spot that was reserved for another, then it shifted quickly forward, sideways or backward. 

While the adults were facing straight ahead, the children were gazing up at the yellowing sky.  I watched as a little dark-haired girl with bright emerald eyes gleefully smiled up at the sun, as if it were a clown performing for her.  Her small cherubic face looked as if it would at any moment burst into a million excited pieces, yet there were no audible squeals or giggles escaping her lips. 

Something began stirring the crowd; gradually, I could hear what sounded like a steady, dull hum. I slipped inside the assembly in order to search out its origin. Once inside, it seemed there was no starting place. In fact, it seemed to be everywhere!  It was behind me, causing me to spin around; then it was on the side of me, and finally, it was in front of me!  I stood frantic and panting as beads of sweat flowed down my forehead and into my eyes. 

When the humming finally stopped, I stood still and waited and wondered…