The Origins of Stars
Daniel sat against the eucalyptus tree at night. He smelled the branches that hovered over the bluffs. He saw the stars so far away. He felt the cool breeze that flowed through his windbreaker, and he thought.
Stars fell from the sky tonight, so many that the child inside him began to fear that there would be no more in the sky. He wondered where they were going. He thought about what sort of thing would make something as powerful as a star fall, and why so many people were dying.
The dirt was imprinted with where he sat. He had sat there for what seemed like an eternity, and possibly was. Angels left no marks in the dirt where they walked, but sitting was a different matter. And if eternity was forever, he had not sat there for eternity.
He remembered when he watched his mother pass away. It was not peaceful and it was not quiet. He held her hand through it. And when he felt it clench one last time with the clasp of the dying, he thought about where he would find dinner. He was out of money.
After his mother's unmarked burial, he wrapped himself in his thin windbreaker. He had to find food, but on a night like this- so clear and transparently cold- he could barely bring himself to move. He hunched over against the chill and the pain in his stomach.
August had become much colder and the people were dying much faster. Nobody had food to spare. Nobody had a job to offer. There were dying people on the street. It had been night for weeks, and some people, like Daniel's mother, needed the sun to survive.
He thought it was funny that the freckled and weatherbeaten skin on her hand was transparent when she died. He thought about the easy way her mind slipped out of her body. He wondered if maybe his mind had gone somewhere else, too.
When Daniel died, there had been no sun for over 2 months. The world that he knew was collapsing in on itself, and so he was not so sad to go. He was curious, though. He thought maybe, wherever he was going, there would be some answers.
But when he got there, it was still night. An easy wind blew the gates open and closed, and the dilapidated opal sheen flaked off against the rusty hinges. Inside he saw nobody, and he was not really surprised. He started to walk, just like he had done so long in life. It was the only thing he could think to do.
When he got to the cliffs, he knew he had gone as far as he could go. So he sat and watched stars fall from the increasingly black sky. The tree behind him had yahweh+mary carved behind him, enclosed in a crude heart. He wondered who had carved that. He wondered how long ago it had been since it was carved.
The last stars were falling, one by one. Finally, one dim, glittering loner was left. He watched it, and it stared back at him. He stood, brushed the heavenly dirt off his pants. The star shimmered as he walked to the edge of the sandy cliff.
Daniel's windbreaker billowed out behind him as he leapt from the edge, and as he fell toward the dark ocean, the star arced gracefully down toward the horizon. The water and the edge of the world made no sound when he hit.
Stars fell from the sky tonight, so many that the child inside him began to fear that there would be no more in the sky. He wondered where they were going. He thought about what sort of thing would make something as powerful as a star fall, and why so many people were dying.
The dirt was imprinted with where he sat. He had sat there for what seemed like an eternity, and possibly was. Angels left no marks in the dirt where they walked, but sitting was a different matter. And if eternity was forever, he had not sat there for eternity.
He remembered when he watched his mother pass away. It was not peaceful and it was not quiet. He held her hand through it. And when he felt it clench one last time with the clasp of the dying, he thought about where he would find dinner. He was out of money.
After his mother's unmarked burial, he wrapped himself in his thin windbreaker. He had to find food, but on a night like this- so clear and transparently cold- he could barely bring himself to move. He hunched over against the chill and the pain in his stomach.
August had become much colder and the people were dying much faster. Nobody had food to spare. Nobody had a job to offer. There were dying people on the street. It had been night for weeks, and some people, like Daniel's mother, needed the sun to survive.
He thought it was funny that the freckled and weatherbeaten skin on her hand was transparent when she died. He thought about the easy way her mind slipped out of her body. He wondered if maybe his mind had gone somewhere else, too.
When Daniel died, there had been no sun for over 2 months. The world that he knew was collapsing in on itself, and so he was not so sad to go. He was curious, though. He thought maybe, wherever he was going, there would be some answers.
But when he got there, it was still night. An easy wind blew the gates open and closed, and the dilapidated opal sheen flaked off against the rusty hinges. Inside he saw nobody, and he was not really surprised. He started to walk, just like he had done so long in life. It was the only thing he could think to do.
When he got to the cliffs, he knew he had gone as far as he could go. So he sat and watched stars fall from the increasingly black sky. The tree behind him had yahweh+mary carved behind him, enclosed in a crude heart. He wondered who had carved that. He wondered how long ago it had been since it was carved.
The last stars were falling, one by one. Finally, one dim, glittering loner was left. He watched it, and it stared back at him. He stood, brushed the heavenly dirt off his pants. The star shimmered as he walked to the edge of the sandy cliff.
Daniel's windbreaker billowed out behind him as he leapt from the edge, and as he fell toward the dark ocean, the star arced gracefully down toward the horizon. The water and the edge of the world made no sound when he hit.
posted by Aermethys at 8:32 PM
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