Morning Light Clare Eberman ‘20
The world was cold and dark, and for just a moment everything was still. The thrumming within her blood calmed. Her muscles relaxed and her mind quieted. The dawn was a mere moment away, but for now she basked in the fading starlight of the wintery night that shone down on her. The skylight had not been her idea, but after spending nearly two weeks in the cabin it had grown on her. Waking up with the rising sun, once a begrudging task, was now a welcome daily ritual. The sunlight trickled through casting the room into an orange hue. If Jade were to describe the feeling of warmth, it would be in that moment when the room burned brightly. Within seconds the sun would crest over the mountain, hitting just the right angle to spill over the window sill DQG GLUHFWO\ LQWR KHU H\HV 6KH WUHDVXUHG WKHVH ÀQDO TXLHW PRPHQWV EHIRUH WKH GD\ RIÀFLDOO\ EHJDQ 7KH\ DIIRUGHG KHU time to catalogue the day ahead, the necessary tasks to keep up the cabin and keep herself warm and the indulgent tasks to keep her grounded and happy. Her mother had suggested the month long stay in the family’s cabin; she thought it would help her daughter regain a sense of normalcy. Jade’s mother ZDV D ÀUP EHOLHYHU LQ WKH KHDOLQJ SRZHU RI QDWXUH -DGH ZDV D skeptic, but willing to try almost anything to feel whole again. Jade snuggled down in the bed, tucking the multiple quilts stacked on the bed tightly around her body. She breathed in deeply, inhaling the cold mountain air that seeped WKURXJK DQ\ FUDFN LW FRXOG ÀQG LQ WKH ZDOOV 7KH FDELQ ZDV D meager sight to behold. One room with four outside walls, limited insulation. A makeshift bathroom was shoved into one corner, consisting of a composting toilet, a basin, and a converted horse troth that served as the bath and the shower. 18
