The Clouds

The children were yelling that there were people in the clouds.

Cameron came running through the kitchen door from the Murphy backyard loudly proclaiming just that fact, a bunch of forsythia branches chock-a-block with vibrant yellow blooms clutched to his small chest, to boot. It was an April offering he had been gathering for his mom. Daniel, his four-year-old brother, two years his junior, was right on his heels. Beth noted the animated nodding of the younger boy’s little blond head offering wordless corroboration.

“Well, first, thank you, Cameron and Daniel, for these lovely flowers. I’m guessing these were broken off Mrs. Murray’s bush, but we’ll talk about that later. And I’m sure what you boys are seeing in the clouds are birds. Maybe large birds, like crows or buzzards, but birds nonetheless. If it’s a joke, April Fool’s Day was last week.”

Julia took the forsythia branches from Cameron’s little arms and set them on her kitchen table. She began searching for the right vase in her corner cupboard. There was a cut crystal vase she knew would be just perfect that was eluding her. But Cameron was not satisfied with his mother’s rational explanation.

“No! All the kids saw them. People! Right up there in the clouds. Over our own house, Mom! Over our house! And far away too. There were things coming out of the clouds!”