The Sun Shines Inside
A short story by Saren Dobkins
Jay opened her eyes and slowly looked around her room. The sun was bright and she could hear the birds signing. She was feeling fine, but she wasn’t going to school today. Everyone was doing their best to stay safe. This meant staying away from other people for a while. This meant she couldn’t go and play with her friends. Jay was a little sad and confused. While Jay was eating breakfast, she looked about the dining room. Her Mum and Dad were watching the News and they were a bit worried. The people on the television were talking about a virus. ‘It was a bug’, her Mum had told her, ‘that could make her sick.’ Jay imagined they were tiny monsters and she was a little scared. What did they look like and if she found one, what would she do? Her cat, Four Paw asked for more milk. He wasn’t scared of anything. Except when the door slammed. Then he jumped and ran and hid under the bed.
Jay was missing her friends. She went outside and sat on the swing. It was quiet. There was no one around to push her. The cat flap slapped back and forth and Four Paw managed to push his way through the small opening. Jay called out and he walked towards her. Jay jumped off the swing and hugged her cat.
“Why are you sad?” he asked her.
“Because I’m scared. Everything feels strange. Nothing is like it should be and I’m worried it will stay like this. I’ll never see my friends again.”
"Is the sun shining? Four Paw asked her.
“Of course it is, you silly billy.”
“Did you read your storybook this morning?”
“Yes, and I loved it.”
“Did you sleep in your comfortable bed last night?”
“Of course I did. Where else would I sleep?”
“Can you skip and do somersaults?
“Yes, watch me!” Jay replied. She did three somersaults in a row and finished with a star jump. She was getting very good at these.
“Mmmmeow.” Four Paw said. “It looks to me like not much has changed at all.”
“You don’t understand.” Jay replied. “Everything has changed! Even Papa is staying home. I heard him say, we should expect the worse.”
“How about you imagine what you do want to happen. How does that make you feel?” Four Paw had a great imagination. Jay knew that. He had told her that when it looked like he was sleeping all the time, he was actually closing his eyes and imagining all the lovely things he wanted to experience and see. It was his favourite thing to do.
“That’s why I purr.” he had told her once.
Jay lay down on the grass next to Four Paw, closed her eyes and began to imagine all the wonderful things she wanted. She saw herself running into the school yard and all her friends jumping with joy to see her. She saw herself getting a gold star for reading all her library books. Then she imagined, for the fun of it, her running so fast, she came first. She could almost touch the medal. She imagined Mum and Papa packing the car and taking them on a holiday to the beach. She was certainly starting to feel a whole lot better.
She felt the drops of rain and she opened her eyes. The sky was dark, the clouds were heavy and grey. It had grown cold and Jay shivered. Four Paw nudged her and she looked at her furry companion.
“You see Jay, even though it looks dark and the sky is full of rainclouds. Behind the clouds the sky is blue and the sun is still shining. It’s always a good idea to remember”, he said, “that no matter how dark things look like on the outside, the sun inside you, never stops shining.”Jay jumped up and ran towards the shed. A few minutes later she reappeared. She had put on her yellow wellington boots and was carrying a bright red umbrella. She stomped in the puddles, splashing and laughing as she walked towards her cat.
“Let’s play!” she sang.
“In a little while, said Four Paw. “I need to have a lie down.” And winked at her.
Saren Dobkins
mindthismoment@gmail.com
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