Owl Stare

Excerpt from the short story by Christian De Matteo…

Jasper had been asleep when he first heard the owl. At first, he’d thought it part of his dream, a dream wherein his parents were taking him to a Disneyland comprised of personified Crayola crayons who drew funny pictures on your face as you entered rides all resembling his Grandpa’s ancient Ford Explorer. The hoot seemed to emanate from the gleeful riders until he realized the timing was off.

He rolled over in bed, eyes creaking open, pupils dilating to see in the dark room. Across the room, through the window left open to diffuse the hot air, in the tree he secretly fantasied about climbing from the window down to the yard on every night, was an owl. The owl was staring at him. Jasper crawled to the foot of his bed, looking closer, deeper into the owl’s impossibly wide eyes. Jasper understood the owl was considering him, judging him, asking him with its singular expression if tonight would be the night he climbed down the tree to the yard, at the moment, Jasper realized, actually his deepest desire.

The owl blinked and Jasper felt the blink as a twang in his eye sockets and he sunk onto the rumbled covers, deeply asleep.

… Comic coming soon….