Different Yet Alike

A cold breeze blew through the still air. A shiver tingled down my spine, and I pulled my blanket tighter around me. The sun was slowly working it's way down into it's dark grave, giving space for the moon to rise. I sat on the top of the grand canyon, one of the largest cliffs in the world, and stared out into the vast valleys far below.

I huddled closer to my mother who turned and gave me a smile. I grinned back at her, and she put her arm around me. I laid my head on her shoulder and and we both looked out into the beautiful colors that seemed to be pulling us in. We squinted as we tried to discern which colors were which.

The yellow, orange, and purple hues mirrored the redness of the cliffs, and all the colors seemed to mesh as one. Although it was already dusk, and the sky was turning a grayish blue, the sun that was left still lit up the world for miles. We sat out there till the night was a charcoal black, then made our way back to the campsite.

I searched the area around our camp, with a lantern, and picked up any sticks i found. I brought them over to an area where my mother had set up a circle of stones, and set them down. We built them up into the shape of a Tipi, and lit the smaller sticks inside. The fire started slow, and winding, as if going through a maze. I watched as it grew faster, feeling as if my heart was beating on the same rhythm.

The fire rushed up towards the heavens like the hands of a man in prayer. We edged closer to the fire trying to get as much warmth as possible. I watched the fire burning and thought about how much it resembled the sun. I looked closer, trying to figure out how many colors were hidden inside. Like the sun, the fire had many brilliant colors radiating out toward me, trying to pull me in.

Two things so different yet so alike. As the fire began to die down, we unrolled our sleeping bags and crawled into them. Within a few minutes i heard my mothers breathing soften and slow, and i knew she was sleeping. I folded my hands under my head and stared up into the starry night.