The Secret of Stars

I looked up at Ursa Major and began to sketch its beauty. Ursa Minor right next to it also shone as if it wished to be recorded. The constellations were incredibly vivid tonight. It was as if they were dancing in my telescope lenses or maybe it’s just because I drove out to the mountains to get a better view or-  maybe it was them just wishing to be seen? Funny huh? Stars are supposed to be the ones granting wishes but instead they are asking for them instead.

Looking up now, I still can’t comprehend the vastness of it all, it was painting from the lost civilizations of the old and it was an abstract painting at that. There were secrets hidden away in both the light and dark of space. Despite the bright light given off by the stars, everything was tightly sealed away under a cloak of darkness. Surely, some secrets have been discovered about the universe. Black holes for certain had to have been a secret that space hid away from us. It’s amazing to know of such a thing’s existence but let alone understand it! There are endless theories on what happens upon entering a black hole but how can we test it? Who will fly into one for humanity to learn? Or can we even fly near one? I mean, not all of humanity even understands that the Earth is round. Knowledge doesn’t really appear to equal power on this planet.

Now I must think of all the other planets out there. Sure I may be able to see Venus certain nights and be blessed by her beauty and radiance but what about the planets in Andromeda? Maybe we’ll find out when our universe finally collides with it, but in the meantime all we can do is wonder. Surely we may not be the only life in the solar system. We’re not even the only animals on our planet! There must be other life, even if they’re not bipedal. They may be at different stages, such as barley becoming bacteria or evolving into some sort of alien equivalent of a trilobite. Thinking about alien trilobites made me think that to some other life form we may still be in a primitive state or less evolved state that still has a long way to go. But how will we ever know if we deny their existence and refuse to even look for them?

I stared at the stars a bit longer hoping in some sort of magical way they would reveal the secrets they held. They were full of matter and energy yet part of me was hoping they were some form of living so that they may speak to me. They could tell me if Asgard was truly hidden up above as well as other heavens. Walk me through how old the universe truly was and all the lives that lived before mine. How long they've been burning as well as all the things they've seen in the million years of their existence. Surely all of that time has left  a lot of stories to tell that came before the Greek myths. 

I decided that it was the time to sleep and that these questions were probably not to be thought about right before bed but oh well. I packed away my telescope along with my sketches and climbed into my tent. Such a shame I couldn’t fall asleep looking at the stars, but I also didn’t want to get attacked by a bear while looking at the bears in the sky. So I decided to just settle and sleep in my tent.

It felt like I had only been asleep for a few hours when a sudden rush of cold woke me up abruptly. I jolted and frantically looked around. It was summer, yet it felt like a winter night. When I looked around for what I believed was just a torn tent with fully awake eyes I realized all I saw stars.

Where in the hell did my tent go? Did someone take me out of it? I feel so unsettled. Oh my god! My stuff was probably stolen!

As I scrambled up to check but then I realized I couldn't feel any of the ground. I looked down and realized I was floating. There was only darkness under me along with a few twinkling lights. 

Like any person in my situation would do I naturally started screaming and within those screams is when I heard it.

“Shh, do not be afraid.”,a gentle voice said from behind me. I was already confused with nothing else to lose so I turned around to see who spoke to me.

All I saw were the constellations. Enormous but yet still visible and seemingly light years away from me.

“It’s us who are speaking to you.”, the voice said again to me.

“I don't have any idea on who’s talking. Please show yourself to me.”, I called out in response.

“My child, you are already looking at us. It's us; the stars who are speaking to you.”, now there were multiple voices. All with the same gentle and tenderness as the first one I had heard. So many questions ran through my mind. I was scared. What was going on?

 “You asked many questions earlier so we figured you would like some of those answered. Here’s one; yes, we stars are alive more than you humans think.”, the voices spoke again. Now I was in awe instead of fright.

“So all these times you really have been watching over humankind. You’ve seen every beginning and every end so far. Can you tell me what you’ve seen?’, I asked.

“I wish we could but my dear, you humans do not simply live long enough to hear the whole story.”, one of the voices responded sounding a bit playful.

“Well what can you tell me?”, I asked with a bit of expectation the stars would continue to keep their secrets.

“For now what we can tell you is that we do in a way try to help and influence all of you, even in the most minimal ways.”, a voice answered.

“I’m sorry but what exactly does that mean.”, there was too much interpretation to unpack in that statement.

“You have used us to navigate your way and have depended on our light even if it doesn't burn as bright as the morning star. You have also used us to find out about your own lives.”, this new voice sounded almost maternal in a way.

“Wow, I’ve never thought about that. I’ve always thought about everything in a more modern way. Is there anything else you can tell me?”, despite floating around in the vastness of space I felt comfortable and only wanted to talk more.

“I truly wish we could but surely we must not reveal all our secrets. It would be nearly impossible to comprehend in your life. I promise however that once your soul departs the earth and joins us, that we will then tell you all it is you wish to know. But for now we must say our goodbyes.”

I had no time to even respond to that voice that spoke to me as it suddenly felt that cold rush once again and the feeling of my eyes opening. I was back in my tent. Had I slept the whole night? Was that experience a dream my subconscious created for me to fulfill my desires? 

I shook off all those thoughts and headed outside to clear my mind as well as get a breath of fresh air. And outside is where I saw it.

Up in the sky were Ursa Major and Ursa Minor shining even brighter that any other time I had seen them before.