New Suns

Cold air seeped into the tent and crawled along the ground. It burrowed between blankets with an unrelenting hunger for any heat. Its prodding, uncomfortable at first, surged to drain heat and hope. It seeded dreams filled with mists and shadows. The temperature drop snagged on something in my brain and snapped me to attention.

"Talia, wake up. Wake up!" She was in a deep sleep.

Outside a mist had spread across the forest floor. The leather pouches of the backpacks were tense from the cold. I found the Valerian and crushed the tiny white flowers in my hand.

"Talia, wake up!" She coughed after inhaling the pungent smell of old socks from the flower. "The mists are here, we need to go!"

Muscle memory kicked in as she had the blankets packed and backpack on her back in under a minute. I lifted our son from his perch, hung from the tent's main pole. His eyes were open. We were walking in under two minutes. Question and response were important in the mists. They had a dulling effect on the senses, falling asleep again could prove disastrous.

I started with, "Did I tell you the story about how the Sun was made?"

Talia didn't miss a step, "Yes, the sky lit up but it wasn't a ball of fire yet. Do you know what they saw?"

The rhythm continued . "A golden chariot arching across the sky. It carried the sun to its destination. Why did they come?"

Talia cleared her throat. "Such a being of light and glory surely came to guide, warm, and protect the land. But, they weren't alone..."

My eyes shot open as Talia jammed her elbow into my side. I shook my head and took a deep breathe. I had already been dreaming about walking in the mists toward a shadowy form.

"But, they weren't alone..." she repeated.

My line fit in after her pause. "The dragon swept up into the sky and ate the sun. Its egg dropped into the sky and became the moon."

She slid into the next line. "The cycle repeats each day so while there is nothing new under the sun, there is a new sun each day."

In a few minutes, the mists had been left behind. And the new sun had already started it's chariot ride across the sky. The cold of the night evaporated along with the urge to dose off. Our pace slowed to take in the sight. We had survived to see another day.