I have parked on a small patch of open ground just at the side of the road and turned off the engine. I am surrounded by the dark silhouettes of the mountains, only a few scattered lights here and there down in the valley. Further down the road, the lights from trucks and cars play through the light evening mist. Here where I’m standing everything is dark and quiet, no houses, no cars, no people, just me and the sound of the crickets. I stand contemplating the darkness for a moment then I look up.

Up above, the sky is clear save for a few thin wisps of cloud, myriad stars twinkling all around with the bright crescent moon shining down on the peaks. So peaceful, so beautiful…then a truck roars by with blinding lights and the moment is gone.