Tangible

"In Svalbard, a cluster of islands between Norway and the North Pole, night time can last for two and a half months. Living there during that time must feel like you're in a different world." Elaine sits in the window alcove looking up at the sky. Wearing a sheer nightgown with almost the same material as the curtains, she looks pellucid in the light of the full moon; as if she may very well disappear. She closes her eyes, basks in the moonlight, and she's gone. She's as far away as the stars. Ace slips from the bed and comes to sit across from her. He places his hand atop hers and brings her back down to Earth. Her eyes peek open and meet his. Piercing blue eyes has his heart skipping a beat in his chest. He is struck by an overwhelming wave of emotions; love, longing, and fear. She sees it written across his face, as fleeting as it was, and grips his hand. "I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere.. not right now. Not yet." The last part is said softly and her grip falters for a second. Ace opens his mouth to respond, but she cuts him off. "Did you know the lights of the aurora borealis shine year round?" Ace purses his lips and lets her change the subject. "I didn't. Why is that?" She breaks eye contact and looks back to her stars. "Because people never stop dreaming. No matter what happens or who it is. Hope, if nothing else, stays alive. In the hearts of the wretched and the damned. From the sick child to the dying elder. They send their prayers up to the heavens and the light that shines in the darkest of places dances across the sky." Ace watches as she drifts away once more. And once again he's unable to let her go. Not right now. Not yet. He doesn't reach out this time though. He sends his plea up to whoever's listening. 'Come back to me.' She responds, "I haven't lost hope. Neither should you." She looks at him, "No matter what happens, I'll always be with you." Light glints off a silver chain around her neck and in her hand she clasps the locket that'd been hidden between her bosoms.

Ace looks out at the people gathered in front of him. He tries not to focus on the tear-stained faces and heartbroken expressions. "Elaine saw beauty in everything. In things like this," he clutches the tissue in his hand and swallows the lump in his throat. "In people like me. Before we met, my days were filled with hatred and resentment of this unfair world. This world that takes too much and gives too little in return. And I was too blinded by those negative emotions and self-pity to see the beauty of it all. She showed it to me, the light that could be found in the darkest of places. And I came to love all of it. From the," he looks up at the sky, beyond the sunshine and blue skies. "Like it says in one of her favourite books. From 'those who look up to the stars and dream' to 'the stars who listen and dreams that are answered.' It's not going to be easy to keep hope alive now that she's gone. But I will keep looking forward to a tomorrow that's better than today." Ace looks again at the crowd of her family and friends gathered in front of him. Tears are still falling, but he hopes he was able to move their hearts even just a little. Just as Elaine had done his. There's so much more he wants to say, everything and nothing at all. He wants to express ten years worth of passion, of learning to love not just the world around him but himself as well. Ten years of finally being happy. He wants to scream how painful it was to lose her and curse the doctors who said there was nothing more they could do. Instead, he says a quick, "Thank you," and lets the priest replace him at the podium and the rest of the procession passes by in a blur. Afterward, he tried to engage politely with concerned individuals, but in the end, he only managed to be dismissive. Talking to people was her realm after all. Eventually, they stopped trying. Except for her mother who stayed with him silently even after everyone had left. He kneels in front of Elaine's grave and reads the headstone over and over again. 'Elaine Mikalis. May she rest among the stars. 05.01.2026.' Eventually, her mother puts an arm around his shoulder and his composure finally shatters and he breaks down.

"What am I looking at here?" Ace peers through the cheap, amazon telescope. Elaine sits on the swing behind him. "Are you sure you're looking at the right thing?" "I think so. You said it looks like a dancing stick figure, right? I see it." he looks back and her for a second and asks, "What is it supposed to be again?" She stands and walks to the railing beside him. "You are looking at Astrea, virgin goddess of justice. She carries the implement of divine justice, the thunderbolt of Zeus. Zeus, who set her amongst the stars as the constellation, Virgo." She looks up at the night sky and the cluster of stars in awe. There is a brief moment of serenity that is quickly broken by Ace going, "I don't see it. Those Greeks were reaching dawg." Elaine scoffs in indignation and slaps his shoulder. "What? I'm just being honest." She just shakes her head and sits back on the swing and he joins her. "I know." they sway, softly, back and forth. It's a minute or two before she continues, "I know there's nothing inherently special about these distant, giant balls of gas and fire. But the Thomas Theorem states that actions are as real as their consequences. These stories are as real as the people who believe in them. As real as the feeling I get in my heart when I think about my memory being written across the stars." When she closes her eyes, Ace sets his hand atop hers and squeezes it softly. "Being forgotten. It's my only fear in this entire world." "Then it's a good thing your memory is written across my heart. I'm never going to forget you even when everything I am has turned to dust."

Years later, in Svalbard, Norway, a tour guide tells his visitors, "Did you know that while it is best to see the aurora borealis as we are in November, the lights actually shine year-round?" One of his guests says, barely audibly, "I did." "You did?" the guide responds without thinking, without even knowing who had spoken. Ace nods, "I even know why that is." The guide quirks an eyebrow, "Oh? Care to enlighten us?" He smiles, "Because people never stop dreaming. The hope of a better tomorrow, the light that shines in the darkest of places, dances across the heavens." Ace looks up at the sky, looking for that hope. The aurora borealis stretches across the sky in a brilliant shade of blue, a shade hidden in memories and dreams. He sees the end of his world and the beginning.