Andrew Byron 

American Voices

Mrs. Raffaele 

January 22, 2025 

The Lightkeeper 

Levi dreamt in vibrant hues of warm oranges and yellows. He dreamt so brightly that his colorful imagination illuminated the walls of his shoebox-sized bedroom. Before the sun broke through the uneven shutters that failed to shield his closed eyelids from the world, he arose. It was 4:11 in the morning. “Ugh. Again!” Levi uttered. For the past week, Levi woke up earlier each evening in a stir from his echoing dreams of orange and yellow. 

It was Saturday morning, which meant Levi would travel to his grandfather’s house in just a few hours. He would help with menial tasks such as cleaning the bathroom, stacking the wood, and mowing the lawn. And oddly enough, Levi found enjoyment in each of these chores. To Levi, there was something about Grandpy that made time stop, yet, fly by much too fast all at once. Often, before bed, Levi pondered if every person in the world had someone who carried the same effect that his grandfather had on him. Even if it rained outside, Grampy made Levi feel every shade of amber and gold on the inside. That was just his grandfather’s natural effect. Usually, thinking of a world greater than his own put Levi right to sleep. It was an exhausting idea. Levi had only traveled out of Missouri once in his life and that was for his uncle’s funeral when he was only 10 years old. As Levi drifted from such overwhelming thoughts, he yearned for dreams of orange and yellow. That was where he found calmness. That was where he found the scent, smile, and essence of his Grampy. 

As Levi peered at his fluorescent digital clock, which clicked to 4:12, he felt stuck in his dream of warm oranges and yellows. This was new. Until now, Levi would wake up to nothing but darkness after those familiar dreams. However, on this early morning, as he opened his eyes, he saw things differently. The walls glowed bright shades of amber and gold. His door beamed with apricot and coral. Immediately, he grabbed his blanket to pull his head beneath the covers. However, when he looked down, he was met with sheets of honey-stained yellow. As he fearfully looked around himself, Levi watched as his room danced like a star, bright enough to light the night sky. 

After what seemed like a few minutes of watching his room glow, Levi’s alarm went off. It was now 6:30. His vibrant visions went with the sound of the alarm. Levi was relieved to see them go, but he felt as if he had left something behind with them. Though, he wasn’t sure what it was. But he knew it was something. 

Levi knocked on the door at 7:00 sharp. He knew that his grandfather appreciated timeliness. Once his grandfather swung open the brown cedar door, Levi felt radiance entrapping his eyes. A comforting warmth flooded his body as he looked into his Grampy’s golden eyes. Still, Levi felt like a pie with a hole cut in the center. Something was askew within his universe. As he embraced his Grampy, new colors flooded his atmosphere. They were shades of midnight blue and royal purple. Levi closed his eyes and squeezed his grandfather harder, attempting to wish away such bleak pigments. Yet, they would not escape him. Quickly, before Levi could react, Grampy swept him away for chores. 

As Levi went about his day, he was clouded by the muted tones that obscured his visions of orange and yellow. It was unlike Grampy to criticize Levi’s work. But today, he found himself reminding Levi to turn the faucet off and to close the shed doors. Levi continued on with his chores, hoping that his true colors would reappear soon. 

Levi’s favorite part of going to his grandfather’s house was getting to work on the old tractor that lay abandoned in his backyard. Every time they finished mowing the lawn, Grampy would bring Levi a cold Cola and they would begin to fix the tractor piece by piece. In these moments, Levi felt most himself. Today, as Levi attempted to reattach a loose bolt onto the tractor, he saw golden flecks of light reflecting off of the metal, shining through his clouded vision of blue and purple. As he peered closer into the bolt, he saw himself glowing bright shades of orange and yellow. Immediately, he knew what he had left behind in his dreams of amber and gold. The truth.