//Catch a Star
Tonight was the night. The night of the Astraeus Shooting Star, a stellar happening that occurs only once a millennium and Brynne was going to see it.
Brynne, even though he was only ten, had knowledge about the stars that surpassed the limits of his age. He could name constellations in the order they were named off the top of his head and state their names in their native language too. As much as he had researched and looked up this particular meteor, the only info he could find were some star charts and a journal from some Greek philosopher. Yet, by studying these charts and translating the journal, he was able to predict the star’s next passing to tonight.
He glanced at the wall clock hanging above the kitchen sink which read 6:50 PM. The sun was setting on this beautiful Autumn day and soon, something that hasn’t been seen for ages will be captured on film for future reference.
‘Mom comes home in a bit soooo I’ll leave her a note so she doesn’t worry ‘bout me’ thought Brynne.
He took out some paper from the family computer and started writing.
Brynne grabbed his telescope (not an ordinary telescope but a hi-tech one he had bought with his own money and can take pictures through the lens), slung it over his shoulder, and went off into the brisk fall air.
By his family’s apartment complex was a massive hill that Brynne affectionately referred to as “His Hill”. At the top of this particular hill was an oak tree of considerable size. It had been the bane of kite-flyers and remote control planes for as long as anyone could remember but Brynne still loved it. The view from the top of the tree was spectacular because you could see everything in the sky from all points of direction and it was so high up that not many people would even attempt to climb it.
To Brynne though, this was his true home. When he reached the tree, he quickly scrambled up all the way to the tippy-top. He knew every sturdy branch, every helpful foothold, and his big seat at the top.
‘This is the life,’ he thought placing his back against the back of the tree and took his telescope out. Now. where was that star? He saw Orion’s Belt, Big Dipper, Little Dipper, AHA! He saw his reference point, the Hikari star. Two stars to the left, one down, two more to the left and there it was. The Astraeus Shooting Star.
Brynne zoomed in with his telescope and gasped. The Astraeus Star was not a meteor or anything of that sort. It seemed to be some sort of object surrounded by a multitude of stars, all of which were twisting and turning, as if dancing in the light.
It was then that he was reminded of his built-in camera and started to take pictures from this angle and that, trying to capture as much of the peculiar object as he could. And, as he was taking pictures, he noticed that the light was beginning to dull. He zoomed in as far as he could and what he saw left him amazed.
The stars seemed to be escorts of some sort, each one leaving a couple of minutes after the last one, almost as if it was a set rhythm. And with each missing star, the light seemed to dim and more and more of the mysterious object was revealed. A glint of yellow here, a sharp point there, the strange thing’s identity was slowly becoming obvious.
“It’s… a star…”
Brynne stared intently into his telescope as the star came closer and closer to his location. 100 feet. 90 feet. 80. Pretty soon, the star would be within catching range and Brynne thought to himself with confidence, ‘I’m going to catch this and nothing is going to stop me.’
The star was now at the tip of the tree, Brynne slowly stood on his toes to reach up and grab the star and, surprisingly, the star was cool to the touch. He had been expecting a burn of some sort but was thankful that id did not happen. Brynne glanced over the star-shaped crystal in his hand, feeling it’s smooth surfaces, holding it up in the moonlight reflecting light over the whole of the tree. This star was a catch and Brynne knew it.
“Maybe it’s time to go home,” Brynne murmured.
Tonight was the night. The night of the Astraeus Shooting Star, a stellar happening that occurs only once a millennium and Brynne was going to see it.
Brynne, even though he was only ten, had knowledge about the stars that surpassed the limits of his age. He could name constellations in the order they were named off the top of his head and state their names in their native language too. As much as he had researched and looked up this particular meteor, the only info he could find were some star charts and a journal from some Greek philosopher. Yet, by studying these charts and translating the journal, he was able to predict the star’s next passing to tonight.
He glanced at the wall clock hanging above the kitchen sink which read 6:50 PM. The sun was setting on this beautiful Autumn day and soon, something that hasn’t been seen for ages will be captured on film for future reference.
‘Mom comes home in a bit soooo I’ll leave her a note so she doesn’t worry ‘bout me’ thought Brynne.
He took out some paper from the family computer and started writing.
Note
Dear Mom,
I went out to go make history.
Love,
Brynne
I went out to go make history.
Love,
Brynne
Brynne grabbed his telescope (not an ordinary telescope but a hi-tech one he had bought with his own money and can take pictures through the lens), slung it over his shoulder, and went off into the brisk fall air.
By his family’s apartment complex was a massive hill that Brynne affectionately referred to as “His Hill”. At the top of this particular hill was an oak tree of considerable size. It had been the bane of kite-flyers and remote control planes for as long as anyone could remember but Brynne still loved it. The view from the top of the tree was spectacular because you could see everything in the sky from all points of direction and it was so high up that not many people would even attempt to climb it.
To Brynne though, this was his true home. When he reached the tree, he quickly scrambled up all the way to the tippy-top. He knew every sturdy branch, every helpful foothold, and his big seat at the top.
‘This is the life,’ he thought placing his back against the back of the tree and took his telescope out. Now. where was that star? He saw Orion’s Belt, Big Dipper, Little Dipper, AHA! He saw his reference point, the Hikari star. Two stars to the left, one down, two more to the left and there it was. The Astraeus Shooting Star.
Brynne zoomed in with his telescope and gasped. The Astraeus Star was not a meteor or anything of that sort. It seemed to be some sort of object surrounded by a multitude of stars, all of which were twisting and turning, as if dancing in the light.
It was then that he was reminded of his built-in camera and started to take pictures from this angle and that, trying to capture as much of the peculiar object as he could. And, as he was taking pictures, he noticed that the light was beginning to dull. He zoomed in as far as he could and what he saw left him amazed.
The stars seemed to be escorts of some sort, each one leaving a couple of minutes after the last one, almost as if it was a set rhythm. And with each missing star, the light seemed to dim and more and more of the mysterious object was revealed. A glint of yellow here, a sharp point there, the strange thing’s identity was slowly becoming obvious.
“It’s… a star…”
Brynne stared intently into his telescope as the star came closer and closer to his location. 100 feet. 90 feet. 80. Pretty soon, the star would be within catching range and Brynne thought to himself with confidence, ‘I’m going to catch this and nothing is going to stop me.’
The star was now at the tip of the tree, Brynne slowly stood on his toes to reach up and grab the star and, surprisingly, the star was cool to the touch. He had been expecting a burn of some sort but was thankful that id did not happen. Brynne glanced over the star-shaped crystal in his hand, feeling it’s smooth surfaces, holding it up in the moonlight reflecting light over the whole of the tree. This star was a catch and Brynne knew it.
“Maybe it’s time to go home,” Brynne murmured.
