Twelve-year-old Dawn knew she was in trouble. She knew her mother had found out what she and her best friend, Muriel, had done. When she opened the front door, her mother was waiting for her.
"Muriel's mother called me and told me everything. I won't have you trying to sneak into the theater without paying. You're grounded! And, Muriel's mom said she saw you walking near the wall. Don't you even think of climbing over it."
"Mother, I can't even see over a twenty foot high wall. How would I climb over it? From the attic window, I can't see anything but darkness."
"Good. That wall was put up so long ago that no one knows if Time has been kind or not to the people living on the other side. No one wants to find out. It's better to leave it be."
At times like this when Dawn wanted to escape, she would sit among her Grandmother's collections and antiques stored in the attic. She liked slipping into a distant past. Today was one of those days when the past was brighter than any future.
Dawn climbed up to the attic and after sitting on the old couch for a few minutes, she paced the room. Then, she opened a small cabinet underneath the window. Inside she found an old box with a glass covering. There were a dozen butterflies mounted inside. She placed the box on the windowsill.
"What's this?" Dawn thought. "These butterflies are beautiful."
"Dawn, come down for dinner." her mother called.
"Coming."
*****
"This isn't fair. Grounded on New Year's Eve. I can't see any friends tonight." Dawn groused as she plopped down on the couch in the attic. She grabbed her smartphone and texted Muriel.
While texting her friend, the clock in her smartphone flashed the date and time. It was midnight.
"Happy New Year, my friend."
At that very moment, flickering lights appeared on the windowpane.
"What's that?" Dawn thought as she walked over to the window. "Oh, my. It's the reflection."
Inside the wooden box, the butterflies were wiggling and breaking free. They glistened with an inner light like fireflies.
Dawn lifted the lid. The butterflies fluttered in front of the pane.
"Oh, my God. They want out." Dawn thought. She opened the window and watched the butterflies fly beyond the backyard to the wall. When they flew over the wall, the small specks of light spread out in all directions.
Then, ever so slowly, the wall began to fade.
"It's disappearing!" Dawn exclaimed.
She ran to the attic door, raced down the stairs and out the front door. The sky beyond the wall was turning orange, pink and yellow.
Dawn gasped at the beauty, stood still and took a deep breath. With her heart racing and her mind in awe, she wondered, "Was Time kind to the people on that side of the wall?"
She ran to find out.
"Muriel's mother called me and told me everything. I won't have you trying to sneak into the theater without paying. You're grounded! And, Muriel's mom said she saw you walking near the wall. Don't you even think of climbing over it."
"Mother, I can't even see over a twenty foot high wall. How would I climb over it? From the attic window, I can't see anything but darkness."
"Good. That wall was put up so long ago that no one knows if Time has been kind or not to the people living on the other side. No one wants to find out. It's better to leave it be."
At times like this when Dawn wanted to escape, she would sit among her Grandmother's collections and antiques stored in the attic. She liked slipping into a distant past. Today was one of those days when the past was brighter than any future.
Dawn climbed up to the attic and after sitting on the old couch for a few minutes, she paced the room. Then, she opened a small cabinet underneath the window. Inside she found an old box with a glass covering. There were a dozen butterflies mounted inside. She placed the box on the windowsill.
"What's this?" Dawn thought. "These butterflies are beautiful."
"Dawn, come down for dinner." her mother called.
"Coming."
*****
"This isn't fair. Grounded on New Year's Eve. I can't see any friends tonight." Dawn groused as she plopped down on the couch in the attic. She grabbed her smartphone and texted Muriel.
While texting her friend, the clock in her smartphone flashed the date and time. It was midnight.
"Happy New Year, my friend."
At that very moment, flickering lights appeared on the windowpane.
"What's that?" Dawn thought as she walked over to the window. "Oh, my. It's the reflection."
Inside the wooden box, the butterflies were wiggling and breaking free. They glistened with an inner light like fireflies.
Dawn lifted the lid. The butterflies fluttered in front of the pane.
"Oh, my God. They want out." Dawn thought. She opened the window and watched the butterflies fly beyond the backyard to the wall. When they flew over the wall, the small specks of light spread out in all directions.
Then, ever so slowly, the wall began to fade.
"It's disappearing!" Dawn exclaimed.
She ran to the attic door, raced down the stairs and out the front door. The sky beyond the wall was turning orange, pink and yellow.
Dawn gasped at the beauty, stood still and took a deep breath. With her heart racing and her mind in awe, she wondered, "Was Time kind to the people on that side of the wall?"
She ran to find out.
