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Mommy Come and SeeMommy Come and See!
By Sandra Tayler
"Mommy come and see!" Four-year-old Abby radiated awe and excitement in both her voice and face. I looked at my bills and thought about the waiting piles of laundry. I didn't really have time to go look at an interesting rock.
"Mommy please! You have to see this!" Abby had begun to bounce in place. Obviously whatever she had to show me was the most amazing thing she'd ever seen. Or at least the most amazing thing since the rock earlier this morning or yesterday's bug. I reminded myself that as trivial as these things seem to me, they are truly important to Abby. Children are little, and so small things are vital. Small things like mommy coming to see the newest discovery. Abby was tugging on my hand by this time, so I allowed her to pull me from my chair and accompanied her outside.
The first thing I noticed as I stepped out the door was warm air. The air was far too warm for January in Utah. I thought of all the times Abby protested wearing her coat, saying she wasn't cold. This was her world and it was warmer than mine.
"There!" whispered Abby in awe as she pointed to a cloud. It was an interestingly wispy cloud, but still, a cloud.
"Wow, that's a really interesting cloud." I feigned enthusiasm.
"No!" Abby turned on me in disbelief, giving me a look that declared my stupidity and utter blindness. "Not the cloud! Look at the horses!"
"Horses?" Puzzled, I scanned the sky again.
"See? They are dancing in the cloud." I didn't see. All I could see was cloud.
Then a warm breeze blew across my face and I blinked. Was there movement among the wisps up there? Yes there was. The more I watched, the clearer I could see the herd of flying horses. They did appear to be dancing.
Abby smiled at me. "They are dancing for the rainbows to come." Then she led me around the corner of my house to a place where it was summer.
In that place flowers bloomed. The dance of the horses must have worked, for a colored arch shafted through the sky to touch the earth and become a rainbowed river. In this place the fairies danced and Abby danced with them, more beautiful than them all. Then she rode upon a flying horse and danced in the sky to make more rainbows come. I stood to the side and only watched. These sorts of dances were not for me. My feet were too heavy with the weight of responsibility. But as I looked around I realized that this was a place I had been before in a time I only half remembered. In that long ago time I too had danced.
Afternoon fled and Abby was ready to return indoors. She happily ate a snack and ran off to play a computer game. But I was drawn to the window. The wispy cloud had long since blown away. I stepped outside. A chill January wind whipped past and made me shiver. Snow covered the place where Abby had danced among flowers.
A child such as Abby travels roads that are closed to adults. I think that tomorrow I'll follow her again to see where we go.
Copyright Sandra Tayler All Rights Reserved
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