Stories Plus

The sky was gray. I missed the color from a clear day where the world is awake and shining. I could almost feel the impending rain upon my face making my socks soggy and my hair fall flat. I shivered from the icy wind as I trudged through the world devoid of color making my way to my apartment. I grilled a cheese sandwich and sat down on the sofa as I watched the rain patter against my window. Night fell and I longed for the inky blue of the night sky as the stars shined bright upon me. Gray blocked my view. I snuggled into my cool blue sheets listening to the constant drone of rain outside. The curtains, which usually swayed in the night wind, hung limply at the closed window’s sides. I turned my back from the blank slate lightly pounding on my window. My face sunk into my pillow, my own personal blue sky. 

I dreamed I was a blue jay with a gentle breeze ruffling my feathers as I flew through a long periwinkle sky. I navigated through white cotton balls and other birds flying free. I closed my eyes and sang, waiting for the others to join me, but when I opened my eyes they were gone. The sky was gray and the wind grew rough. I struggled to dodge the gray clouds trying to knock me out of the sky. The rain stung as it beat against my back. I dove towards the ground, but I couldn’t find it. There was nothing but a dark gray sky and angry winds trying to throw me into the abyss below. I cried out as a drop of rain hit my wing and I fell watching the clouds swirl around me.

I woke up to the faint ticking of a clock. I sat up and stretched before exiting the bedroom to make coffee and toast before walking outside for work. The sun was up and the sky was blue. The gray clouds lingered among the morning blue of the sky. The air smelled of wet grass and mud. Earthworms wriggled on the sidewalk while bluebirds swooped down to feed their children. I breathed in the morning air as I began my walk to work. It was a new day. A beautiful blue day.