Brightening My Night

The sky was suddenly awash with color.

Reds and blues, blinding whites. Vivid greens and purples. Flashes of gold.

The crowd exclaimed, "Ooh…" or ‘Aah…" after each explosive burst. Children laughed with joy.

He sat next to me on the curb. I clutched his hand and stole glances of his face bathed in the reflected rainbow-hued light.

He was as so many of the youngsters surrounding us, the years suddenly melting from his face. I beheld that little boy I’d seen only in photographs. The boy who had not yet experienced the cruelty and disappointments of the world.

I smiled.