It's Meteor Night Again

On a clear night in August, Shay and I swung through the Tim Horton's drive-thru for our usual late night decaf, and then drove out beyond the city lights in search of a dark road to better observe the Perseid meteor shower. We found an old tree-lined country road that meandered around corn fields, farms, wild meadows with quaint houses. It wasn't long before we found an ideal spot to pull over, so with genuine anticipation and coffee in hand we stepped out into the cool night air. The astrological timing felt right as we stood together on the damp grass, and with our backsides against the warm car we looked up into the vast starry firmament.

All of a sudden a meteor streaked across the sky like a bright firework, and it burnt up so fast that if you blinked you might have missed it. "There goes one!" Shay said pointing up at it wide-eyed.

"Make a wish!" I said, captivated by the flare, and happy that by chance we were both looking at the same piece of sky. After that excitement, we sipped our coffee and contemplated the mysteries of the universe while Mercury slowly rose in the west. There was no other stellar activity for a very long, long time after that; only the sound of crickets, Shay giggling, a few fireflies and various other nocturnal critters around us. There were times we thought we were seeing a faint or distant meteor, but it would turn out to be the running lights from random airplanes, or high altitude jets. And after seeing the real thing, we decided that the running lights look very dull in comparison.

As I sipped my coffee, I went into a stargazing trance and stood there patiently beside her when I heard a soft voice say, "This is like watching paint dry, lol."

Bursting out laughing I couldn't help but say, "you mean you're not utterly riveted and agog with awe?" We were giddy like free-range children combining fantasy with reality somewhere in the middle of nowhere, and I articulated that if we combined her faery dust with my angelic energies, we could attract more meteors.

"Ok, focus Shay!" I said, as our antics and laughter echoed down the long dark road.

"What do you want me to do?", said Shay, amused at the thought.

Like a coach with a game plan I reply, "I want you to bewitch and beguile the meteors in this direction while I sing an incantation to hurl your faery dust up through the spheres and glitter bomb their trajectory!"

Gathering more creative spirit she cackled and rolled up her sleeves saying, "Ok Vannie, we can do this!"

She watched me make my way to the middle of the road where I chanted to the heavens and began the ancient 'Clog dance of the Cherubim.' The fireflies seemed to take interest as I conducted Shay's faery dust, but somehow we needed more power.

"We need more dust!" I say vehemently.

"We do!" hollered Shay, as she shuffled her feet in the wet grass. And for reasons unknown, one of her sandals made a loud sucking sound similar to a plunger being separated with force from a damp surface. And at that very moment, the brightest meteor we'd ever seen streaked across the sky like a matchstick on a striker!

"It's working, lol!" I exclaimed in astonishment.

Now, if you know Shay, then you will know that at this moment she is doubled over and weak in the knees from laughter.

"Do that again!" I crowed gleefully. And Shay, leaning on the car for strength, began the plunger fan-fare and kept time as I danced and sang to the meteors, and there were more brilliant shooting stars in that moment of merriment than we had seen all night.

Coincidence? I think not.