Page 36 of Bone Dust

“It’s breathtakingly beautiful. If I lived here I’d want to be outside every night.”

“Most nights, I am. I even built a fire pit so I can sit out here after working on the ranch. This is my first real home and I have a feeling it will be my last.”

“Does it ever get old? It seems so magical. I can’t imagine it would.”

“You know, I thought I might get used to it but it never grows old and, just now, watching your expression and Gigi’s, it’s like I’m seeing it for the first time.”

She nods in agreement. “As with everything a child does, it’s as if you’re seeing it for the first time. The taste of ice cream. Walking on a sandy beach. A spider’s web—not that I like spiders, but watching as one spins a web outside our window is something that kept our attention for days. When it rained, Gigi wouldn’t leave her perch because she was so worried about the spider.” A gentle laugh escapes her.

“Savannah, look.” I point up to the sky.

“Oh, my gosh! Gigi, look,” Savannah exclaims. “A shooting star!” Her tone fills with wonder.

I turn and hear Gigi suck in an astonished breath as she peers from the back seat with a pure, wonder-filled look. Gone is any remnant of the sleepy demeanor she possessed when we arrived.

Something happens inside of me as I gaze at her wonder-filled expression. A fissure. A crack, maybe. I can’t define it but seeing her filled with such pure joy brings something inside me to life. I catch the emotion as the feeling expands and forms a lump in my throat.

“There’s magic here, Ian.” Savannah’s whispery tone holds reverence.

“Yep. Do you see da magic, E-ban?” Gigi asks.

“I think I do, kiddo.” My chest tightens. Unlike me at her age, Gigi has a world of possibilities ahead of her and is unencumbered by the kind of limitations that plagued me as a child.

“In rehab, one counselor told me that everything has a purpose, even the devastating events that brought us there. Though I carried a darkness that sent me to that place, when I moved here, a different kind of darkness healed me. Under the night’s spell, I found solace and peace. It may sound strange but I’m grateful for what happened to me because it brought me to this place. Without that, I wouldn’t have this.”

Suddenly, Gigi lunges forward with her legs and arms outstretched. She’s restrained by the safety straps but her excitement is palpable. “What’s dem? See it? SEE IT?”

“What?” My eyes follow her gaze and I can’t help but let out a light chuckle. “Oh, those? They’re fireflies.”

Gigi’s expression turns to one of horror. “Fire? Do dems burn?”

“They burn, Gigi.” Savannah corrects.

“Dems do?” Instantly her brows shoot up with worry and lines form a pattern on her forehead.

Savannah emits a sigh and rolls her eyes. I stifle my laughter and bite the inside of my lip as I begin to understand the exasperating challenge of teaching a child how to speak properly. I place my hand on her arm. “Want to let me take this?”

She throws up her hands in defeat. “Be my guest.”

“Don’t worry, kiddo. They don’t actually burn. It’s just their name. Some people call them lightning bugs and others call them fireflies. Haven’t you ever seen them before?”

“I don’t think we have,” Savannah interjects. “There’s a lot of light pollution where we live and not many trees.”

I turn my attention back to Gigi. “Well, they’re nature's nightlight, and they don’t burn. You can touch them if you can catch one.”

“I can?” Gigi’s body snaps forward, eager for escape as she grabs at the straps. Excitement consumes her and her enthusiasm electrifies the air. “Git me out! Git me out!”

Savannah hurries to the backseat to free her from the restraints. As soon as the belt is unbuckled Gigi catapults herself out of the seat and pushes past her mother to get outside of the car. She kicks off her shoes the minute her feet hit the earth and, suddenly, it’s as if she’s sprouted wings. She flies toward the tree line as air catches her curls and she sprints barefoot across the cool grass.

Savannah chases after her while I quickly duck into the car and snatch the soft, woolen blanket that was earlier draped across Gigi’s lap. They may not be aware of the temperature drop as we draw closer to the trees, but I’m well acquainted with the chill.

They run, their laughter carrying through the dark while having no idea where they’re going. With only the moon and stars to guide us, I follow, tasting the clean air as it fills my lungs, and only stop when I see Gigi come to an abrupt halt. Her head falls back, her eyes filled with wonder and her mouth takes the shape of an ‘O’, as the expanse of the night sky consumes her.

“Dis is a mazen, Momma,” she whispers, her voice barely audible over the stillness.

Tranquility stills me. There’s harmony between us. It’s as if their pleasure is also my own. I watch in awe as the trees sway in unison, their branches coming together to sing their own kind of music. Above us, time suspends beneath a deep indigo sky graced with shimmering jewels carelessly strewn across the heavens. A breeze picks up and a celestial hand takes charge, orchestrating a natural symphony in harmony with a magical universe.

“Look up there.” I break the spell in a quiet voice, pointing my finger to a constellation. The Milky Way stretches across the sky like a glittering silver belt. I steal a glance at Savannah, her face turned upward in awe. There’s something so right about the informality of this moment. Sharing the simple pleasure of stargazing with her is such a sweet, but foreign, feeling.

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