/ ephemeral
688 words
Shyshie awoke to a tap, tap, tapping at her window and a shadow cutting across her rug.
She slipped out from between the warm blankets to the window. The tapping paused at her movement and she could feel an unseen gaze settle onto her as she reached to lift the latch.
"You're a'pposed to use the door," Shyshie chided as she let a fluttering cloud of snow and the shadow come tumbling into the house.
"I know," Stepstone steadied himself before kneeling down in front of his young cousin "But I think I have good enough reason to make exception."
She crinkled her nose "What's a 'ception?"
His smile glinted in the darkness "I want to show you something."
Shyshie perked her ears up questioningly "Where is it?"
"Outside," he held his arms out to her "Come with me?"
She reached upwards and Coe scooped her up, wrapping his coat over her to keep away the chill.
"Hold on, tightly," he whispered as he stepped back onto the sill and pulled the window shut behind him.
Instead of descending to the street below, Stepstone edged along the eaves and with an easy swing crossed the gap between Shyshie's house and the neighbor's.
Up he mounted with a soft step, to the peak of the roof and descended with equal quiet. Onwards, he went, leaving a trail of bootprints in the accumulated snow behind him.
"Are we going down to the docks?"
Coe paused in the shadow of a chimney to look down at his little cousin "How did you know?"
She blinked up at him "I can smell the water."
"Hm," he sniffed at the air "I don't smell anything."
"Well I can."
Coe shrugged "Alright, if you say so."
And he continued on with his moonlit trek above the streets until they came to the row of warehouses. Moonlight flashed off the water, sending glints of light between the buildings as Coe settled in a crook with Starwalk next to him.
"Cold," she said, white air puffing out from her mouth.
With a hum Stepstone shed his coat and tucked it around her, pulling the collar up to protect her face from the chill.
"What're you showing me?" she asked, slipping her arms into the too long sleeves.
"Over there," Stepstone gestured towards a dark patch of sky "Keep your eyes over there."
She pursed her lips, confused, but did as she was directed, focusing intently on the indicated bit of horizon with her hand tucked under her chin.
A moment passed and she was beginning to fidget when, with a shrill whistle, Stepstone's surprise revealed it.
The firework burst over the sea with a dazzling crack and Shyshie gasped, her jaw dropping.
That firework was followed by a near barrage of rockets spewing their lights into the sky and filling the night with whistles and booms. For every second Shyshie was fixated, her eyes wide as saucers and her half open mouth tilted into a smile.
The display would only last a for a few moments, but Stepstone didn't care or even hardly realize that he was missing it as he stared down at the expression of awe on his little cousin's face.
Her smile was small, but her eyes where huge and dancing with the caught light from the fireworks. A trio of red and yellow sparklers spread across the sky, mingling with the falling snow, and Shyshie leaned forwards a little, enraptured.
The night was freezing, but Stepstone barely felt it.
Soon, it was over, and it was just the two of them atop a warehouse roof. Shyshie, dazzled, but loosing her battle against drowsiness, and Stepstone, feeling strangely light.
He gathered up the sleepy girl who was snugly wrapped in his coat, and carried her back to her bed.
There, he cocooned her within her blankets and reclaimed his jacket before again stepping up onto the windowsill.
Coe took one last glance over his shoulder at her, bathed in the thin moonlight, safe in her bed and smiling, and found as he turned back into the night, that he was smiling as well.
688 words
Shyshie awoke to a tap, tap, tapping at her window and a shadow cutting across her rug.
She slipped out from between the warm blankets to the window. The tapping paused at her movement and she could feel an unseen gaze settle onto her as she reached to lift the latch.
"You're a'pposed to use the door," Shyshie chided as she let a fluttering cloud of snow and the shadow come tumbling into the house.
"I know," Stepstone steadied himself before kneeling down in front of his young cousin "But I think I have good enough reason to make exception."
She crinkled her nose "What's a 'ception?"
His smile glinted in the darkness "I want to show you something."
Shyshie perked her ears up questioningly "Where is it?"
"Outside," he held his arms out to her "Come with me?"
She reached upwards and Coe scooped her up, wrapping his coat over her to keep away the chill.
"Hold on, tightly," he whispered as he stepped back onto the sill and pulled the window shut behind him.
Instead of descending to the street below, Stepstone edged along the eaves and with an easy swing crossed the gap between Shyshie's house and the neighbor's.
Up he mounted with a soft step, to the peak of the roof and descended with equal quiet. Onwards, he went, leaving a trail of bootprints in the accumulated snow behind him.
"Are we going down to the docks?"
Coe paused in the shadow of a chimney to look down at his little cousin "How did you know?"
She blinked up at him "I can smell the water."
"Hm," he sniffed at the air "I don't smell anything."
"Well I can."
Coe shrugged "Alright, if you say so."
And he continued on with his moonlit trek above the streets until they came to the row of warehouses. Moonlight flashed off the water, sending glints of light between the buildings as Coe settled in a crook with Starwalk next to him.
"Cold," she said, white air puffing out from her mouth.
With a hum Stepstone shed his coat and tucked it around her, pulling the collar up to protect her face from the chill.
"What're you showing me?" she asked, slipping her arms into the too long sleeves.
"Over there," Stepstone gestured towards a dark patch of sky "Keep your eyes over there."
She pursed her lips, confused, but did as she was directed, focusing intently on the indicated bit of horizon with her hand tucked under her chin.
A moment passed and she was beginning to fidget when, with a shrill whistle, Stepstone's surprise revealed it.
The firework burst over the sea with a dazzling crack and Shyshie gasped, her jaw dropping.
That firework was followed by a near barrage of rockets spewing their lights into the sky and filling the night with whistles and booms. For every second Shyshie was fixated, her eyes wide as saucers and her half open mouth tilted into a smile.
The display would only last a for a few moments, but Stepstone didn't care or even hardly realize that he was missing it as he stared down at the expression of awe on his little cousin's face.
Her smile was small, but her eyes where huge and dancing with the caught light from the fireworks. A trio of red and yellow sparklers spread across the sky, mingling with the falling snow, and Shyshie leaned forwards a little, enraptured.
The night was freezing, but Stepstone barely felt it.
Soon, it was over, and it was just the two of them atop a warehouse roof. Shyshie, dazzled, but loosing her battle against drowsiness, and Stepstone, feeling strangely light.
He gathered up the sleepy girl who was snugly wrapped in his coat, and carried her back to her bed.
There, he cocooned her within her blankets and reclaimed his jacket before again stepping up onto the windowsill.
Coe took one last glance over his shoulder at her, bathed in the thin moonlight, safe in her bed and smiling, and found as he turned back into the night, that he was smiling as well.
