As I stepped out during my free block, the campus dynamic was laden with excitement.
Tables were adorned with eclipse glasses, and a throng of eager faces jostled for a pair outside of the Schoolhouse. It was a scene of organized chaos, as everyone prepared to witness a solar eclipse that would be nothing short of amazing. Once my friends got out of their classes, we made our way to the fives courts, grabbing one of the last volleyballs left out. We waited for the moon to progress, and, to pass time, we engaged in a rookie volleyball circle. It was a carefree moment, watching the ground beneath us get darker as we basked in the spring day.
The eclipse slowly grew nearer to its peak, the sky took on a surreal hue, and the sun cast an otherworldly glow over the campus. Afternoon practices were delayed, as both faculty and players alike paused to marvel at the celestial event happening right in front of us.
And then, it finally happened. As the moon's shadow reached its zenith, the gathered crowd was astonished. The world around us grew dim, the air cool against our skin. In that fleeting moment, we were suspended in time, enveloped in the eerie glow of the eclipsed sun. And as we returned to our daily routines after, the memory of this would linger, a reminder of the beauty that exists just beyond our horizon.