To Turn Day to Night

As far as Honeydew was concerned, the day had been like any other. At least, it had certainly started out that way. A pleasantly warm morning turning hot as the day progressed, bright sunny skies apart from a few scattered clouds. There was nothing that could be considered amiss, and certainly nothing that stood out as being out of the ordinary.

And as the day had progressed, this continued to be the case. The acrocanthosaurus went about her business, hunting and feeding, patrolling her territory, all the same as usual and all without even the faintest hint that this day was in any way different or more remarkable from any other. Not even the sky held any hint of what was soon to come, the sun shining brilliantly and largely undimmed by the few fluffy, scattered clouds that blew by.

Then it was the heat of the day, and Honeydew was resting in the cooler shade of the forest, the canopy overhead casting dappled shadows on her black and white blotched feathers. Gradually, she became aware that that dappled light seemed to have started to dim, but she thought nothing of it at first. Though small and scattered, there had been a few clouds in the sky, so there was nothing particularly noteworthy about it.

At least, not at first. Rather than the shadow passing and the lighted returning, however, it persisted, the light remained dimmed. In fact, was it her imagination, or was it starting to get even darker?

Of course, there was certainly at least a few perfectly possible explanations. Sudden storms sweeping in swiftly from the sea were not unheard of on the islands, or the sudden belching of smoke from one of the volcanoes. Though usually those sort of things came with at least some warning. Things like more wind, carrying the scent of imminent rain, or earth rumblings and the scent of soot and sulfur. All of which were quite absent at the moment.

Honeydew was not a particularly curious individual by nature, at least not that she would ever admit to, but the sheer strangeness merited at least some investigation. She couldn't get a clear view from her resting spot, and it wouldn't do to be caught off-guard, after all. Or so she reasoned as she hefted her massive frame to her feet, and strode to make her way out of the forest.

As she walked, the light continued to slowly but surely dim. Now it really was like a deep overcast, but as she neared the forest's edge, the glimpses of sky between the branches showed it to be as clear and blue as ever. Well, the blue was perhaps a bit deeper in hue, like the sky took as evening approached, but that only deepened the mystery.

The trees became smaller and thinner, and the underbrush crunched under the acrocanthosaurus's gray and green feet as she continued forward. Her pace slowed now and she began to look about, hoping to spot some clue that would solve the mystery of the slowly but surely darkening day. The woods, she noticed, had become strangely still for it being the middle of the day, the usual sounds of birdsong having become fewer and more scattered. And as the birdsong gradually ceased, the chirping of usually nocturnal insects began to replace it. It was strange indeed, eerie even, and after giving her head a quick shake Honeydew started forward once again. Her only hope at finding an answer would be somewhere outside the forest, it would seem.

She didn't have very far to go, at least, and her head finally cleared the trees as the light faded into something like a midday twilight. The birds had fallen silent, replaced by a chorus of night insects, and even the slight breeze felt a little cooler than the earlier heat. A few more great strides and she was free of the woods, able to at last get a proper look around and get to the bottom of the strange darkness.

First, she surveyed the surrounding area, looking for anything out of place. But beyond the simple darkness, there was nothing of note to be seen. Then, she glanced to the horizon. If there had been an eruption, or simply a sudden outpouring of smoke or steam, surely it would be plainly visible. But once again, there was nothing of the sort that she could spy.

Finally, Honeydew looked up, and a sound like a gasp and strangled grunt escaped her throat in surprise. For there, visible even right now in the middle of the day, were stars. And among them, in place of where the sun should have been at this hour, was a halo of light crowning a disc of darkness.

There was a dull thump and light shaking of the ground as the large acrocanthosaurus practically fell into a seated position in shock. What she was seeing was unprecedented, impossible, and yet there it was. Something had blotted out the very sun and called for the stars to shine at midday.

How long she sat there she couldn't say. Time itself seemed to stand still as she stared breathlessly, confused and amazed, filled with awe and trepidation. She was large and strong, capable of overpowering nearly anything that crossed her path, yet to alter the sky itself was a power so far beyond her as to be nearly incomprehensible. Surely whatever had done this, had changed day to night, must be greater even than flames spewed from the volcanoes and the storms spawned by the sea.

But with that thought came a realization: that whatever this was, it was so far beyond her that it was futile to even consider it, let alone fear it. There was no use in attempting to fight a flame or a storm, Honeydew knew, so all one could do was to hope to evade or survive it.

So she finally averted her eyes and rose to her feet, turning to head back to the forest. Then she paused, looking back at the eerily dark sky, and took a deep breath to roar her defiance. Now she was satisfied, and when she noticed faint shadows dimly beginning to reappear as made her way in amongst the trees, the light slowly beginning to make its comeback, she nodded slightly to herself. Like a storm or flame, she needn't worry that the strange midday night existed, merely wait and continue surviving until it passed. Though while she might never again see such a strange and terrible sight, the memory of it would still remain burned in her mind for ages to come.