Dreaming Of The Stars

Asta sat by the guest bedroom window gazing at the stars while wondering what it would be like to travel to outer space and maybe see aliens. Lately she had trouble sleeping and found looking out of this bedroom window soothed her enough to go back to sleep so her parents allowed her to come to this empty guest room now containing only her chair where she could see the stars better. The moon had already set and all the neighborhood lights were off so the only light was from the stars. So many stars she could not count them. Some twinkling white, some pale yellow and some blue. It was like looking at diamonds. 

Suddenly she heard a knock at the opposite window. She was on the third floor so who or what could be knocking at her window? Then she remembered that the fire escape was at that one. Slowly and carefully she rose from her chair and crossed the bedroom. She stood to one side and peeked through the gap between curtain and wall. She saw nothing. Maybe it was a night bird of some sort. They sometimes saw a reflection then tried to attack the other bird and their wings beat against the glass. She turned to go back to her bedroom but the knocking started again. This time she pulled the cord and completely opened the curtains. 

At first she saw nothing just as before. She moved closer to the window and saw an orange ear just above the sill. Then an orange tabby paw reached up and knocked against the pane. She recognized Jazzy, her mother’s new familiar she had not seen yet. She opened the window and let him into the room. “Jazzy, what is going on that you knocked on my window instead of mother's?” 

Jazzy answered with silence.

“You have some explaining to do and you had better start doing it or I’ll call mother.”

Jazzy finally sent his telepathic message to her. “Bad things are happening in town tonight. The town council has decreed no normal people are allowed to live there anymore. The normals are fighting back and slaying every witch they encounter. Most of the council are already dead. I dared not use the usual entrance because the first floor houses normals and they are killing every cat they see. We need to get your parents and leave immediately before they come for us.”

“I know I am just a novice witch right now but give me a moment to think,” she sent back.

“Jazzy, I remember a spell in one of my books I am studying. It creates a stronghold out of everyday structures. I finally have use for it. Watch!”

Asta went to the bookcase she had moved into this room and selected one of the more slender books. She opened it then began chanting. Jazzy soon joined her and they changed the house to a fortress within minutes. The spell was so strong no one could get through any door or window of the house. The walls were now like hardened steel that only another knowledgeable witch could break through. 

Next Asta selected another book and turned to a spell Jazzy did not know. She gathered some herbs and the special oil she had brought home that day after school. Next she placed a white candle on the fire escape window sill with the herbs and oil. She lit the candle and began the chant. Jazzy saw nothing happening until she ended chanting and blew out the candle. Jazzy looked behind him when he heard a strange noise. 

The window began changing. First it shimmered like the stars she watched at night then it changed from rectangle to circle. The glass was no longer flat. It bulged like a dome and tilted upward. Another noise drew his attention behind him and he turned just in time to see the fire escape window was broken into slivers that fell to the ground. In its place he watched strange shapes develop from the fire escape. It slowly developed into conical shapes as the window closed around them.

Where her chair had sat was now changed into an instrument panel and the chair was now a pilot’s seat. Next to it was a smaller seat just like it. The bed was gone but the space now housed some kind of motor. The book shelf and bathroom remained in their places. He wondered what the rest of the house looked like. 

"What will your parents do?”

“I may only be sixteen but I have finally learned to really use my powers. I will no longer look at the stars from a distance. I will be among them.”

“But, but you don’t know anything about running a rocket ship. You don’t realize how far away those stars are. How will we breathe? How will you cook? What about your parents?”

“I don’t need to know much about flying the ship. Everything is automatic.. Part of the engine is a device that manufactures oxygen. I won’t have to cook. I just say a spell over the food and it is ready to eat. If we decide to land somewhere, I will conjure space suits with oxygen supply built in. It doesn’t matter how far the stars are because this ship will fly faster than any normal made ship can. We can cover light years in the blink of an eye. Think about all the wonders we will see close up. We might even make the first alien contact. My parents will remain in a state of suspended animation until we are out of earth’s reach.”

“I don’t know. So many things could go wrong. What if the hull gets a leak? What if the engine quits? What if the aliens aren’t friendly?”

“You seem to forget I am a witch and it is time I make my own choices. The books on the book shelf contain spells for everything. As we float among the stars, I can read and learn every spell in them. The hull is already impervious to anything even denting it. The autopilot is set to take over if something knocks us off course. If we leave the ship, our space suits will prevent anything or anyone from harming us. We will always be safe, well taken care of and friends.”

“How long do you plan on this adventure?”

“I haven’t decided. We may be gone for a few years or we may never come back. It depends on ow much fun we are having. ”

“I still don’t feel right about this. Can’t we wait a while before you launch us?”

“No, because the launch is already started. I preset for launch as soon as all components were complete. We have actually been in space for the entire time we have been talking. Look out the forward window and you will see the moon is almost close enough to reach.”

Jazzy looked up and saw the moon just as she had said. He had not felt any movement yet they were among the stars. Suddenly he heard strident bells ringing. 

It was just Asta’s alarm rousing her for another school day. They were in her bedroom. She left the bed and went toward the bathroom. He looked all around and the room was back to normal. No more rocket ship anywhere. A knock on the window startled him but it was just his girlfriend, Cindy, beckoning him to come out.

He had dreamed the whole thing! Asta was not a witch and he was not a familiar. He jumped off the foot of the bed and pranced to the fire escape window. He signaled to his girlfriend he would meet her at the front door and left the bedroom through the partly open door. It was great to be back on good old Mother Earth where he could walk instead of float and could spend time with Cindy. He would not eat any more catnip before bed.