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Sunrise, Sunset By: Katie Lynn Malone on 4/12/2004; 6:20 AM The Englishman stared anxiously at the horizon. From inside the cozy little bungalow, his wifes screams pierced the early morning air, with each scream causing the Englishman to cringe. Although a devout Christian, he silently offered a quick prayer to Legba, god of childbirth. Suddenly, the screaming stopped. Turning around, the Englishman was startled to see one of the Negro servants standing behind him. A delighted smile lit her dark face, and she stretched out her arms. Nestled in a tiny bundle of blankets, surrounded by warmth, lay the tiniest human being the Englishman had ever seen in his life. He reached out his hand and tenderly stroked the newborn babys cheek. He opened his arms and carefully accepted the bundle, scarcely able to keep his eyes off of his offspring. The sun was just peeking up over the horizon, ready to do battle with the waning night. The sky paled, and fading stars trembled almost violently, as if they were unwilling to die. As the sun overcame the night, and the skies over Africa grew lighter and lighter, the baby opened its eyes for the very first time. It looked directly at the sunrise. It cooed and giggled. At that instant, the Englishman knew that the tiny infant had managed to capture his heart. An infant born with the sun. The baby was strikingly attractive, even at a few hours old. The wife couldnt help but run her slender fingers through the newborns wispy blonde hair. The Englishman marveled over the babys eyes and compared their color to that of Victoria Falls. The Negro servants were in awe. They had never seen a white child before, and their interest was unparalleled. The entire morning was spent not in household duties, but in doting over the newborn. Only one refused to spend time with the child. He was occupied with worry. The elderly Negro had heard chilling stories of a strange fever spreading amongst the Boran tribes of the area, and he knew it had reached them when later that morning, the cook collapsed while preparing lunch. There was no hope for her. Within minutes, her body became an empty shell. The Africans worry increased that afternoon when a maid who had been with the cook when she died was tending to the baby. Soon after leaving the nursery, the maid fainted and never regained consciousness. The Englishman and his wife heard about these unprecedented deaths, and paralyzed with anxiety, rushed to the nursery, where they found their beloved child shivering violently despite the savanna humidity. The wife immediately panicked, and instructed a servant to go to her tribe and bring back an herbal remedy. Hours passed, and the servant didnt return. As evening began to shift into night, the Englishman sat just outside the bungalow, his feeling of utter despair reaching an all-time high as his child wailed in his arms. The infant was flushed with fever; whenever the Englishman felt its forehead, it felt to him as if he had stuck his hand into a roaring fire. He watched as the sun began to disappear over the horizon, as day was overtaken by twilight. The infant ceased to cry, and began to shake violently all over. The Englishmans heart broke. He realized that the baby was staring Death in the face, and yet was fighting for dear life. As much as the Englishman wanted his child to live, he knew that the time had come to say goodbye. He swallowed, trying to keep the tears back, and whispered to the infant: You came into this world with the sun, and now you must leave with it. Go with the sun, my child. May God and the angels protect you always. The sun vanished, and the babys spirit with it. The Englishman let the tears come. He looked up at the darkening sky and saw the stars coming out. One seemed to sparkle more than the others. The Englishman took it as a sign that the child was safe and sound in heaven. A child born with the sunrise and taken away with the sunset.
RE: Sunrise, Sunset By: Ben C on 9/11/2004; 7:25 PM quite a good short story, nicely sad but awfully pretty
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