Hellish Cold

It was an overcast sky and I despaired of any sighting when the miracle occurred. About 10 minutes to near-totality, the sun burst through the clouds, a flashing crescent on the edge of a black ball. It became eerie twilight and silence. For about a minute, I was in thrall. Then the sun retreated behind the clouds, the street lights suddenly came on, and the spell was broken.

In an instant the celestial order had been upended. The insignificant moon generally is obscured by or reflects the sun's light. In life, the natural order is the eclipse of the ego by the Light of the World so that the totality of the self is reflected. I had this overwhelming feeling in that one minute that Hell was not hot but cold. 

Michael Dias,
Markham, Ont.