Connected To The Heavens

Being able to look back at my formative years lends itself to introspection. Many things occurred, some I remember and others are lost to time for now. I was always looking at the sky and stars, with a feeling of longing perhaps. Always feeling connected in some way to the heavens.

When I was 4-5 years old, my older sister and I were sitting on our parent’s bed. She was talking with my mother who was in another part of the house (our house was small). I was on the foot of the bed when I heard a noise behind me. I turned towards the sound where I found the closet opened. My eyes were drawn to an upper shelf, and I saw what I thought was a pair of large reflective eyes looking back at me. The terror that this struck in me I cannot begin to describe. At first I was literally frozen with fear, I could not move or speak. When my speech returned the scream that escaped my lungs was piercing. My mother ran back into the room to check on us and my sister grabbed me. I looked back into the closet and tried to describe to my family exactly what it was that I saw on that shelf. My sis walked over to the closet and after rummaging around on that shelf produced an 8mm movie camera and extra lens. After much consoling I accepted the explanation and calmed down. I can still recall that paralyzing fear. I can also still see the eyes and head of what I thought had been in that closet. Some things never go away, and for that I am grateful.