The day dawned cold, ice formed along the cracks in the
window. Outside, the forest released
its deathly shadows and brought in a sweeping ray of sunshine. It was pale, but it still felt good on bare
skin after the long winter. The new sun
hurt my eyes, but after so long we tend to get used to it, which helps us blend
in. The forest was silent in the early
morning, and our footsteps were muffled by the soft undergrowth, keeping our
presence hidden from the occupants of the house. Our vision, acute, our hearing, sensitive, keeping us together as
one focused on our mission. We moved
stealthily, stalking to the large barn set behind the house, holding the object
of our desires. After all these long
silent years of waiting our chance had finally emerged; our excitement was
beyond grasp, but we had to keep perfectly agile to remain unseen. The large door opened silently, and we
slipped in, the darkness not an obstacle for our superior eyes. The barn was almost empty-the farmer had
long ago rid it of its livestock. We
flowed to the secret trap door set in the floor. It was doubtful the farmer even knew it was there. It was designed to be invisible, unless one
knew exactly were to look. We
knew. The door was opened, and we flew
down the stairs into the hidden basement.
There was dust and spiders, neither of which could bother us. It took several silent seconds to find what
we were looking for. One by one we
touched it with relevance, awed to be chose to stand in its presence. Our leader took it and carefully tucked it
away. Back up the stairs we flew. The trap door was re-hidden, the barn door
closed silently behind us. Long before
the sun had cleared the horizon, we melted back into the forest, gone, without a
trace that we had ever even been there.