Days Gone By
Colleen McEuen
Standing in the dark barn, he noticed the straw falling down in the sunlight. As he looked up, he saw the sunlight filtering through the knotted and splintered wood. The sunlight warmed him and the musty smell of hay reminded him of days gone by.
"Back then, this ole barn was full of life," he said out loud, but there was no one there to listen. He remembered the sounds that filled this barn. He loved the way the nay of the horse, the moo of the cow, and the clucking of the chickens blended together to form a barnyard chorus. Now the only sound heard was the creaking of the rusty hinge on the barn door as the breeze caused it to sway.
As he looked up into the hayloft, he noticed a weathered pitchfork stuck in a pile of hay. He cracked a smile and climbed the ladder leading to the loft. The old wood cracked and splintered under his weight, but it supported his climb to the top. He lay down in the hay remembering stolen moments with the girl down the road on cool summer nights. The sunlight streamed onto his face reviving him from his thoughts.
He left in sadness because the barn was no longer full of life, it was full of holes.
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