Stories from the Stargazer

At night, he lays awake. Watching, waiting, counting the stars above him until the universe speaks again. Despite having gathered a generous amount of stories from the universe so far, the Stargazer had become accustomed to the silence of space. In between his epiphanies and conversations with the oracle, the Stargazer often sat with his head on a tilt, patiently waiting for the next exposition. Face to face with these celestial objects, the Stargazer began to feel the immeasurable distance between them. His mind puzzled at the dense night sky above him.

“How could something so populous be so voided, something so intimate be so distant,” he spoke.

As he contemplated and contended, meditated and mused, the figures above began to change. A comet pierced through the night sky. Illuminating the horizon, it’s essence vaporized as it neared the place Stargazer called home. Casting light into the deep, leaving a trail in its wake, the comet spoke to him before being pulled in a new direction.

“Surely you're headed somewhere,” thought the Stargazer.

He wondered where the comet had been, what it had seen, and if it meant to go anywhere at all. After watching it pass by, he began to wonder how different the universe would be if it was constantly passing by him. How frustrating, to be caught in another's gravity, like strings for others to swing you in another direction. How lonely it might be to soar through entire galaxies without ever making an impact. The Stargazer wondered if the comet ever wanted, aimed, or meant to come this far. If it had anticipated the complexity of his journey, or the other planets that would throw him off course. Still, the Comet continued to soar. On and on, until striking the face of a nearby moon.

The moon lay still despite the impact, its surface already covered in scars from previous visitors. Half of the comet lay at the bottom of a large crater, the other still floating through space. The stargazer watched as what was left of the comet began drifting toward the neighboring star.

“Dear friend, she will only consume what's left of you,” said the Stargazer.

In the light of the sun, colors erupted from the comet once again. Beauty flared in its wake, its essence burning, its figure dwindling, until being consumed by the star's glory.

The Stargazer turned his focus toward the moon, which sat heavier in its orbit than usual after preventing yet another traveler from impacting its host planet. He watched as the moon sat in the doorway of its host planet, never to be invited in or told to leave. He watched as the moon controlled the tides and maintained the seasons of its host planet, without ever having any tides of seasons of its own. The moon spun around it’s beloved world, coursing through the ends of space, all while it’s world revolved around another.

“How the haughty always find their way,” he thought.

The sun, claimed the planets and outlined their paths, sat sovereignly in the center of the system. It’s heat and glory could be felt for thousands of miles, it’s light extended into other galaxies, and it’s influence gripped everything that came within reach. Overtime, the Stargazer had watched the sun consume planet after planet, moon after moon, story after story, until reaching the final member of its audience. What began as an abundant system, teeming with life and celestial faces, had dwindled to a small number of familiar faces. The sun, who sought to shine the brightest, had grown immensely and reached the end of it’s life. With nothing left to fuel its growing hunger, no nearby planets to bask in its light, and no witnesses of its former glory, she trembled.

The great shell of the star began to crack, pieces of it’s surface slipping inward, it’s light escaping in bursts. Overwhelmed by its own pressure, the star collapsed into itself.

“If you had only accepted your fate, there might have been a story left to tell.”

From the center of the former star's seat, a great flash erupted. Waves of light and stardust were cast in every direction. It’s final act was witnessed from neighboring galaxies, its pieces spread across the abyss. The force of the collapse removed the world from underneath Stargazer. Alone, aloof, and suspended in space once again with these celestial objects, the Stargazer found himself facing nothing. Watching, waiting, and counting the seconds until the blast returned, the Stargazer recited his final story.

“Do not aim without purpose, don’t give yourself to those who have nothing to give. Do not fly so close to the sun, don’t spend your life trying to impress others. And when it's finally time to go, remember those around you, because they will remember you.”

The second wave returned, as the force of the supernova began to fall back in on itself. Like the fabric of his robes, the star gazer watched as the fabric of the universe began to rip and tear before him. As the star's final transformation into a black hole finished, Stargazer was pulled from his seat in the universe. For a brief moment, apart from the constraints of space and time, the Stargazer found solace in the absence and silence of what is, and what was. With his eyes sealed shut, and his mind closed off from the universe around him, the Stargazer slipped peacefully into the abyss that he had spent his life facing.