I took a few careful steps backwards, not taking my eyes off the moving eyes gliding along in the water from one end of the pool to the other. Then I stopped, scrunched my eyes shut, and shook my head. When I opened them, the floating eyes in the pool were gone. I stood there for another moment scratching an itch on my elbow. She jumped at a noise behind her. It was her mother.
“Lily?”
“Mom, you scared me to death.”
“What’s wrong? You look pale.”
Given her mother’s reaction before when Lily pointed out the weirdness in the pool, she didn’t think her mother would believe her now. “It’s nothing. I think spent too much time in the pool today.”
Her mom checked her watch then looked at her daughter with a creased brow. “It’s only been 15 minutes. For you that’s no time at all.”
“What can I say?” replied Lily with a shoulder shrug. “For now I’m good.” She sped by her mother and into the house.
Later that night, Lily lay in bed reading when a small tap played out a rhythm on her door.
“Come in.”
The door opened, and her grandpa stepped into the room. “Hey, bug,” said her grandpa smiling.
Bug was her grandpa’s nickname for her since she was a toddler. “Grandpa!” shouted Lily, surprised. “When did you get here?”
“Oh, about 20 minutes ago. I couldn’t wait to see the new pool. It took some convincing your mom and dad to have it put in, but they finally caved.”
Lily’s mouth opened wide, not knowing how to respond at first. Then. “You? It was you?”
Her grandpa nodded his head.
“I wondered why mom and dad gave in so easily when I asked them. Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
“Your welcome, bug. As a matter of fact, how do you like the special addition to it?”
Lily cocked her head and looked at him. “What special addition?” She had an idea but didn’t know if it was what she was thinking or not. After all, she didn’t want her grandpa looking at her funny like her mom did earlier.
Her grandpa turned off her bedside lamp, walked over to her second story window, opened it, and knelt down in front of it. He motioned her over. “Take a look.”
She sauntered over to the window and knelt down beside him, rested her arms on the window sill and gazed out in the direction of the pool. The tiny round glass lights twinkled up at her like stars in the night sky. She opened her mouth to respond, then closed it, then opened it, then closed it again. Not wanting to take her eyes off the twinkling lights her eyes sat glued to the spectacle as she gave her head a slight turn in her grandpa’s direction. “Ummm. How? I mean, are they glow in the dark?” Given her experience earlier in the day, she figured there had to be some oddness behind the twinkling of the lights now but didn’t want to go there just yet. “Or, they’re electric right?”
“No, my child. They aren’t any of those things,” said her grandpa.
There was a more serious tone to his voice she’d never heard before. “Then, what are they?”
(To Be Continued)
WRITE TIME AND AGAIN 