Sensory Detail: Starry Night

Class Projects - image 1 - student project

It was unusually bright that night. The moon seemed brighter than ever, and the stars were trying their best to shine brighter than each other. Perhaps they were so energetic that the clouds had to step aside. The cool breeze on my skin was chilling and refreshing. The trees were roaring like they were trying to fight off the strong winds. I could almost see the whole village from the rooftop of my house that perched on the hillside. I wondered how many of the villagers were on their rooftops, bearing witness to the brightest night.

Unexpected Details

Class Projects - image 2 - student project

It was a cool and pleasant evening. We were playing chess on the lawn in Ivy's garden. Feeling the soft grass under my feet and the cool breeze on my face fired up the chess-thinking parts of my brain. Ivy is a silent player when it comes to chess; she says it helps her think better. There are times when she won't speak for more than an hour while playing, even if I am. I guess for her, it's silence that fires up the chess-thinking parts of her brain.
"Ivy, are you aware that you haven't said anything in fifteen minutes? I know it's chess, but I am not a robot," I said, while it was her turn.
She surfaced, and her eyes grew big, as if she'd just realized the winning move! She checked the time on her phone and bolted towards her home, which was a few yards away.
"Follow me," she said.
I was puzzled, but I followed her. She sat down near a rose plant that was next to the main entrance, hugging the foundation of the house.
"He's always on time and I don't want to miss greeting him," she said, as she stared at the ground with unsettling focus. She might have been counting the pebbles at her feet for all I know. I was happy she spoke, but this was not what I expected.
"Ivy, you are scaring me a bit. Why are we staring at the ground? Who's going to crawl out of it? Have you buried someone alive?"
"Ha ha! Of course not, Emi. You'll see, just a bit longer."
"Ah! There he is." She pointed towards the ground.
I couldn't see it at first, but something crawled on the ground!
"It's a snail!" I exclaimed. It had a big yellow shell and a constantly moving pair of antennas. "Ivy, how on earth did you know the exact time he was gonna show up here?"
"That's a secret! Back to the game," she said.

Andrew

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