Monday, October 29, 2012

A Perfectly Chilling Morning


When I stepped outside today, long before the dawn, there was a chill in the air, sharp against the ears, that carried a certain tang to the tip of the tongue. My dog's ears tracked leaves blowing in the street like radar dishes, panning this way and that.

The sky was a river, clouds blowing across the morning moon as they rode atop the currents of the heavens. Orion stood high and proud, further over my left shoulder than he does during the warmer months. His belt shone through the swirling mists, a stoic line demarcating autumn's grip upon the world.

I looked across the street, where tiny ghosts hung from the trees like so many legless horse-thieves dangling from the gallows. They danced in the chill wind. Beside them, skeletons clawed their way out of earthen graves, their animation suspended as if the cold had taken hold of their old bones, and locked them into permanent suffering, halfway buried, halfway free.

I turned to the house next to me, and smiled at the web of the giant spider that had enveloped it, wondering how anyone could get through such a thing without an enchanted elvish blade to hack free of the fibrous netting. Then I looked at my dog, shook my head at her reluctance, and brought her back inside the house.

...

Just a little bit of free writing today. Happy Monday, everyone!

30 comments:

Sarah said...

Perfect for the season, Matt. And as I've told you before, you really have a gift for description!!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

I liked it! Fits for our weather today.

Steve MC said...

Beautiful moment, with great writing.

And love the Hobbit reference.

Natalie Aguirre said...

Fun Matt. And it definitely fits today. The wind is howling out there. I'm trying to psych myself for my morning walk when it finally gets light out.

Stina said...

That reminds me, I still have to decorate for Halloween. But it's hard to do that when the ground is covered with snow and you expect to hear sleigh bells not little kids yelling, "trick or treat". :)

Great writing, Matt!

Angela Brown said...

Wonderfully written piece to start my Monday morning. Thanks, Matt :-)

Yvonne Osborne said...

Nice observations. I, too, noticed Orion riding high the other morning as the moon as full and settling in the western sky. And a great picture, by the way. The wind is howling this morning and I'm worried about the Eastern Seaboard.

Kristen Wixted said...

Yes, howling is the perfect word for our wind today! Especially last night--oh my goodness, that was a howl.

Sounds like you've done some great Halloween decorating!

JeffO said...

Very nice, very evocative.

Nick Wilford said...

That was great, very spooky. Nice description. Sounds like you're in the right frame of mind for Halloween!

Jen said...

Wonderful descriptions, Matt! It is pretty cold here in GA today; I thought the wind was going to blow the roof off the house last night!

Stay warm and keep writing! This was just wonderful :)

Cheers,
Jen

Unknown said...

Sounds like the perfect Autumn morning. I could see your wonderful description in my mind's eye.

farawayeyes said...

Great pic and fun fall mood. I love those cool crisp mornings when the weather has changed and the leaves are mostly on the ground.
Fall is my favorite time of year...EXCEPT, I live in the Caribbean now...spent yesterday at the beach enjoying the swells sent down from the howling wind of Hurricane Sandy.

But thanks, I enjoyed the sensory trip!

Dianne K. Salerni said...

Beautiful picture and a lovely description. I know those German Shepherd radar dish ears well.

We've got nothing so picturesque here: dull gray sky, leaves stripped from the trees, and pounding rain.

Liza said...

You put us right there with you! Stunning.

Hart Johnson said...

Oh, gorgeous chill there! Had you been at my house, the scarecrow might have reached out for you, though shelob is even scarier...

Jay Noel said...

Captured Halloween perfectly!

Sarah Ahiers said...

Yay for halloween and cold weather and writing!

Nancy Thompson said...

Nice! More, please!

LTM said...

*LOVE*!!! My favorite part = the tiny ghosts hung fromthe trees like so many legless horse thieves dangling from the gallows... awesome. :o)

And that picture. It's like the cartoons where the clouds close over the moon like hands? You know?

coolness~ <3

Michael Offutt, Phantom Reader said...

Excellent entry today Matt. Love the picture to go along with it too.

Angela Ackerman said...

Great imagery, Matt--totally got me into the Halloween spirit! :)

Johanna Garth said...

Beautiful writing Matt. I feel like you're describing my morning, of course, without the dog.

Old Kitty said...

Yes, it's best to stay inside on such a day!! LOL!! Take care
x

Andrew Leon said...

Okay, that thing with the skeletons was great. You need a whole story to go with that now.

Anonymous said...

I'd be happier if I was wrapped in a blanket and my Doctor Who scarf in my basement with my 360.

Donna K. Weaver said...

That was great, Matt. Very mood setting. Your elvish blade made me think of Frodo cutting through Shelob's web (we watched it yesterday). lol

mshatch said...

Fits right in with what I'm reading: The Graveyard Book!

Tonja said...

Pretty.

Laurita said...

Wonderfully descriptive. I especially liked the part about the dogs ears.