Someone Is Watching

When I am away from home overnight, I sometimes wake up very early, unable to get back to sleep.  I was awake before 6 this morning.  I had it in my mind that I was supposed to watch the sun rise over the ocean this morning.

I was up in plenty of time to do that, but the sun did not rise this morning.  I went out on the balcony and waited.  There was a dim grayness to the morning, more night than day but I could see the ocean waves rolling in.

After I watched for a while, I saw a light swinging back and forth, making a circle on the sand, moving slowly toward the water's edge.  It was a person with a flashlight out in the dim, early morning.  I thought at first that this person was looking for something in the sand, perhaps shells.  As the person neared the water, the flashlight was turned off.  After that, as the person headed north along the water's edge, the flashlight was turned on now and then.  I never knew if this was a man or a woman.  I could make out what looked like a white robe, not enough to determine who was out there.  I felt like Miss Marple peering out from the balcony, unseen but watching.

As the night gave way to more grayness, I realized that a big dog, it looked like a German Shepherd from my distant view, was walking with the person.  They walked slowly, heading north along the water.  Once the person turned in my direction, and I could see, not only the circle of light on the sand, but also the small circle of light at the end of the flashlight.  It was a green light, like the dim green of faraway water.  Curious.

I watched the person and the dog till I could see them no more and all the while I was thinking.  I realized that often as we go through our day we think we are alone, but someone might be there in the shadows watching.  We don't really know when someone is watching.  I often feel so alone but if I pay attention, I might find someone watching who might become a friend.  If I had been dressed and down at the beach, perhaps I could have walked with the person and the dog. Probably not, but it's a morning thought.

The grayness gradually turned to light and there was no glorious pink or red break of dawn.  It's daylight now and though it didn't come like thunder (where the dawn comes up like thunder from Rangoon to Mandelay) I welcome this cloud covered new day.

Posted by: nj on 8/28/2005 6:05:49 AM , 1 comments