78

Last summer me and some friends spent an evening out by the jetty. We brought a charcoal grill, food, and drinks with us to keep our bellies full as we sat and talked about all things big and small. As time went by it would soon be an hour past midnight and we decided to pack our things. Two of us carried the grill, two brought the chairs and blankets, and I was left carrying the trash we'd assembled.
   We walked along a path that took us through a cluster of trees thick enough to hide us from the starlight sky above us. It was here that my attention left the jolly conversation we were having, and instead looked up at the tree crowns above us. I saw a tiny light, barely bright enough to light up branch it seemed to be resting on. My pace slowed as I tried deciding on what it was that peered down on us from above. Suddenly the light started moving, soaring down from the tree and hovering just a few feet from the ground. I'm still not certain, but at the time I could swear that it was twinkling at me, like the stars had done earlier, and then started moving away from the path. I dropped the bags of trash at my feet and cautiously followed it through the undergrowth.
   The little speck of light continued floating away, yet still beckoning for me to follow. Through bushes, over streams, and beneath fallen trees. I don't know for how long I followed it, but eventually we ended up in a clearing with tall grass and a mirror-like pond in the centre. My curiosity had long since overcome my sense of caution and I walked over to peer into the water. The reflections of the stars lay calmly in the water and then started floating up into the air, joining the speck of light that I had followed. The multitude of lights started twirling around my body, up and down, as if in a dance. I felt how I was pulled up by some unseen force and closed my eyes. In the darkness I could feel how the lights lifted me above the trees and higher still. How to be so far up and still feel completely safe is difficult to explain. I opened my eyes.
   My friends were packing up our things on the jetty. They laughed and said that I had fallen asleep an hour ago, but I was just in time to carry the bags of trash back to the cars. As we passed through the tree cluster I searched for the little speck but was unsuccessful in finding it. We made our way to the cars and drove home.
   I know you won't believe my story. That's all right. You don't have to believe it. I know it happened, and that's good enough for me.