Hiding in the Stars

“Stars. They’re fascinating aren’t they?” I said to my dad as he lay beside me in the grass. ”They definitely are kiddo. You know, grandma is hiding up there somewhere.” He said, smiling. “What do you mean she‘s hiding?” I asked. “Well, when someone passes away they can’t be seen, so, they hide behind stars so they can keep an eye on their families. I’m gonna head inside and get some sleep, I‘ve got that big interview tomorrow.” He said, getting up off of the ground. “Love ya, buddy.” As he went inside I closed my eyes, only for a second, dreaming of grandma looking down on me at this very moment. “Hi grandma. I miss you.” I said, chuckling. I laid my hands down beside me and slowly drifted off to sleep.

When I woke up I saw my dad getting in his car. He turned and waved at me before he pulled out of the driveway. I picked up all of my things and went inside. “Did you enjoy sleeping like an animal Jakey?” My mom said, laughing. “I did, actually. It was very relaxing.” I replied. I went to my room and turned on the television while I set up my new telescope that my dad had just gotten me. It took me hours of assembling just to put it most of the way together. The last pieces needed tools that I didn’t have. So, I left it alone so my dad could help me finish it later.

“Mom, what’s for su—” I paused. My mom was on her knees, crying in front of the tv. She turned around quickly to try to keep me from seeing what was on the screen. “Jake, go back to your room, now!” She cried. But I couldn’t look away. The only thing I could see on the screen was my dads “You’re out of this world” bumper sticker and the news line reading “One dead in tragic accident.”. My mom came towards me and hugged me, still crying as I continued to stare at the screen. A picture of my dad popped up on the screen as my mom took me outside to get in the car. That was the last time I

ever saw my dads face.

Hi, my name is Jacob Lesley Stine and this is the story of my life.

About three years after my dad died, on my fourteenth birthday my mom and I moved out of our quiet, little country town in Georgia in hopes of finding a new life. One where we didn’t have to live paycheck to paycheck. But first, we had to visit with my Aunt Bridget for a few days in South Carolina. She was my favorite aunt. When I was younger she would always take me to planetariums because she always loved stars too. “There’s my boy. Look how big you’ve gotten.” She said before giving me a hug. I smiled and walked away to put my stuff in my room. I put down my bags and sat down in the desk chair. On the desk was an old picture of my dad. Just when I picked it up to look at it, Aunt Bridget walked in. “Hey kiddo,” she said. “watcha lookin at?” I laid the picture face down carefully and looked up at her. She smiled at me and motioned for me to follow her. “Come on, I have something to show you.” She said, walking out the door. I followed her outside and into the woods behind the house until I could see a small shack in the distance. She turned back and smiled as we got closer to the small, wooden shack. She opened the door and there were stairs going down. It was dark so I was hesitant to go down. We walked down the stairs in the dark for a moment until she turned on a light switch at the bottom. The light was blinding for a second. As my eyes were adjusting I started to see large screens and posters of constellations. I was shocked when I turned around to see that I was standing in an underground planetarium! I gaped at the technology that was sitting in front of me, blueprints, and images of astonishing things in space. “Wow.” I managed to speak. “Does any of it work?” “Of course not.” She said. “This place has been abandoned for years. But, there is one thing that still works.” She walked past me towards a large object sticking out of the ceiling. “It’s a telescope.” She said, looking into the large object. I stepped onto the step ladder to take a look. I could see nothing but stars. Bright, beautiful stars. I continued to look out of the telescope for a few minutes, adjusting the zoom. I zoomed in all the way on one star and I saw a face. A very small face looking down, just before it ducked behind the star. “You won’t believe-” I turned around and she was gone. I stepped off of the ladder and walked up the stairs. I took one last look around the place and turned out the lights.

I woke up to the smell of bacon. I walked into the kitchen and Aunt Bridget turned and smiled at me. “Good morning sleepy head. Want some bacon?” I yawned. “Yes, please.” I replied. After breakfast, we went to the mall and mom and Aunt Bridget had a girls day. I walked around the mall by myself because I was embarrassed by them. I walked into a random store I’d never been to before. “You‘re missing a dollar ma’am.” I heard the cashier say as I was looking at some deadpool merchandise on a shelf. ”Okay, maybe I can put something back.” said a girl. I pulled out my wallet to see how much money I had left. “Here you go.” I said, pulling a dollar bill out of my wallet. “Oh no, thank you, but I don’t want to-” I stopped her before she could finish her sentence. “Please. It’s my good deed for the day.” I said. She smiled at me. The cashier handed her the receipt and she took the pen off of the counter and started writing on the back. She handed it to me and smiled before walking out of the store. The cashier chuckled and walked away. I opened it to see what it was. It read: “Thanks. You’re out of this world.” Followed by a little star. I ran out of the store to see if I could find her, but she was gone. I walked around until I found my mom and Aunt Bridget in a Macy’s. “Ready to go already?” Asked my mom. “Uh, yeah. I’m kind of tired and want to relax so.” We walked out of the mall and got in the car. As we were leaving I saw the girl. She smiled at me as we pulled out of the parking lot. I thought about her all that night.

”Jakey, start packing your stuff, we’re leaving tonight.” I heard my mom shout. I had forgotten that we were leaving to go to my grandparents house in Norfolk, Virginia. I started putting my things back in my suitcase. I wasted the day away studying some of the notes and photos I found in the planetarium. Before I knew it, it was getting dark. I wanted to put the things I took from the planetarium back so I ran back there as fast as I could and tripped over a stump and scratched my leg. I returned the papers and photos and got back to the house as fast as I could before it started raining. I cleaned up my leg before we left. I gave Aunt Bridget a hug and waved her goodbye as I got into the car. It was raining pretty hard and it was hard for my mom to see. So, she turned on the high beams and kept driving. It started raining harder and harder until it was impossible to see out if the windshield. I heard a loud thump before my mom slammed the brakes and started hydroplaning. I was trying to buckle my seatbelt but before I could a tree comes into plain view in front of the car. I heard my mom scream as I closed my eyes. I felt myself go through the windshield. I hit the ground hard after going through a few tree branches. I open my eyes and looked down to see that a tree branch impaled through my left shoulder. Not thinking, I pulled it out. Blood starts pouring from my body. I stand up and see my mom leaned against the steering wheel and a deer in the road. Then, I see headlights. I walk into the road in hope of getting the car to stop and help. Time slows. I see her. The girl. From the store. In the passenger seat, screaming. I don’t feel anything for a moment as I’m flying through the air. I hit the ground once again. As things fade to black I look up at the stars for the last time.