Illumination
For the longest time I have wished I was born human, to perceive the world as they do, so create with my own hands - however I was not born with such luxuries.
"Calem, hit the lights, it's dark as hell in here."
"Gotcha." I reply, making my way to the light switch and flipping it upward. Levi grunts in response to the immediate brightness, blinking a few times before returning to his obsessive cleaning behaviors. It's a daily ritual, having my close companions ask for my assistance with human-related technology- however I am the only one here who has the patience and will to even comprehend what some of the most simple of inventions they have made and how to operate them. Light switches are one of those conventional items, as well as door handles and latches. Knowing how to use these tools is both a benediction as well as a condemnation- I basically now have the freedom to go wherever I please and whenever, however the staff here do not seem to enjoy the fact I have that ability.
Humans have always intrigued me, if I am being truthful. Their culture, behaviors, and especially the objects they create and their overall ability to invent them in the first place. I remember the first time I successfully flipped the latch to my stall door; my mother was in hysterics and the caregiver was frantic in his pursuit to usher me back into the small confines. I learned how to operate light switches much later, however electricity has always been something that has fascinated me since I was young. With the flip of a switch, the turn of dial, you can power a whole building, a town, or a city. Imagine a world plunged into darkness without the ability to offer any sort of illumination other than natural sunlight.
It makes me wonder how the world looks from up in space at nighttime. Is it dark, or is it so bright that it rivals the sun? Maybe the lights are scattered in an almost organized, yet scattered fashion, more light concentrated in some areas than others. I wonder if there is a possibility you can see the state lines from there, or if the globe looks like one large mass of blue separated by patches of greenery. For the longest time I have wished I was born human, to perceive the world as they do, so create with my own hands - however I was not born with such luxuries.
"You can hit the lights now, Calem. The place doesn't look as much of a pig-sty as it did anymore." I hear Levi mutter irritably, the clatter of the scrub brush loud as it makes contact in the plastic bucket below him. Returning to his side, I follow him out of the barn and into broad daylight, squinting my eyes as they try to adjust to the sun's rays. I watch as the ill-tempered stallion begins his trek toward the riverside, and I debate on whether to follow after him or to let him fly solo. Looking east, the fields are alight in the vividness of wildflowers, the foals born earlier this spring romping around in the mass of coloration. Charlotte watches over them, Aphrodite moving to stand beside her and chat softly. Maybe I will join them.
When Night falls, I am sure someone will ask me to turn on the lamps that border the pasture, and then afterward someone will insist I brighten up the barn as well. However until then, I will find peace in the presence of my friends, and will possibly continue practicing how to turn on the air conditioner.