Flashes of Light
(June 1982)
Ennis stood there staring at the fire. The noise was swirling all around him. It felt like a dream, or like a half asleep daydream. The splinters were stinging in his hand. He closed his eyes and felt the heat of the fire, he saw the images flashing with the glow of the flames.
Ennis felt something in his hands. He opened his eyes, a plate with thick brown French fries and a hot dog in a bun were in his hands. “You better eat up, cowboy” he heard a voice say. He looked around, a woman was standing next to him. He couldn’t tell if she was old or young, she had dark hair streaked with some grey and warm smiling eyes. “Better eat up, cowboy” she said again, and then she turned around and disappeared behind the dancing fire amidst the scampering children.
Ennis stepped back and leaned against a tree and ate, not sure of what else to do. A figure was approaching him, he stared at the plate of half eaten food. “I made up my mind” a voice said.
Ennis looked up, Bill Jensen was standing next to him again. “Ever lived in a city?” Ennis shook his head. “I did, for awhile, feel just like I’m in a big traffic jam.”
Ennis just stared at him, Bill kept right on talking. “Ya know the feeling, you wanna move, you wanna go ahead, but you just keep going nowhere. Just goin’ nowhere, man” he said.
Ennis saw a flash of light before his eyes. “I made up my mind” Bill said, and then he turned, and headed back towards the fire.
Ennis leaned back against the tree. The flames of the bonfire were dancing, the light was shimmering before him, the voices were swirling all around him.