For the Sparkles in the Dark Sky

The outside world was unknown to her, but she could see a glimpse of it through the window in his room.

Little Glow had learnt Zoom’s daily routine as if it was hers. She would usually wait for him to leave the house to access the window. But lately, Little Glow had been taking a bigger risk. She couldn’t help it. Once every two weeks wasn’t enough anymore. Seeing the sparkles in the dark sky was all she was dreaming ever since she discovered them. Even if it was for seven seconds. “It’s better than nothing,” she thought.

Zoom had no idea Little Glow had find out about his disguised window. The only direct visual on a world that the RIGHT WAY had entirely turned into darkness. All that could be perceived as beauty had been covered intentionally to make people look away. And eventually, they did. The streets, buildings, houses had been painted in black by the X Soldiers. A big part of nature had been killed by a devastating virus that was surely toxic for humans as well. People didn’t look at the window no more. Why would they?

Everything was so dull outside, and the screens could take people in these beautiful worlds, full of healthy nature. If people felt like change, they could explore any infinite universe that were created every day. Just for them. Moreover, if the population wanted to look outside, bold enough to face the ugly reality, they could select one of the billion cameras that had been put in the streets to make sure anyone could see what was going on. Even if it was all black and nothing much happened. It was difficult to recognize a RIGHT WAY guard’s car from a person’s car. Or even an X Soldier’s car. It was safer to look at a screen in one’s house than to go out and face a terrible X Soldier. That’s what the RIGHT WAY had declared. Unlike most people, Zoom didn’t buy their story.

Despite the hopelessness that all citizens of the world attached to the outside, Little Glow kept on generating love and excitement at each of her breath. She was constantly wondering what it would be like to physically meet people on the screens. They looked so much fun and different. Of course, she had Zoom by her side. Still, meeting others in real life, hearing them laugh and play with them was one of the girl’s biggest desire.

Zoom had promised her things would change one day. He didn’t mention how they would change, but he had always been convinced that there was another way. He had experienced it in the ancient world. He took care of transmitting this excitement for change to Little Glow. Although lately, she had seen his hope and passion diminish. Something had shifted in his mood. When he was giving her lessons, he had lost a part of the light that would brighten up his eyes. When they were cooking together, the joy he would be animated with was turning into something heavy. Little Glow didn’t know what it was and didn’t want to trouble him with those questions. Zoom taught her to always ask any question that would come to her mind. Whether it was during their lessons, about one of the many fabulous objects in the house, or something she had seen on a screen. But no question regarding Zoom himself. He would be the one to give personal information, whenever he wanted or not. Little Glow understood that very well.

As the last note of Zoom’s favorite song vanished, Little Glow knew he could get out of the blue room anytime. She hurried and closed the wardrobe in which the window was hidden. The girl was not aware of how much technology had been installed on the window to keep it secret from the RIGHT WAY. The guards had covered all the windows with a screen that would project an altered vision of reality, considering that reality was too dark to look at now. According to their official speech, ‘’ A look at what the world has become could cause serious mental health issues. It is our duty to protect you from that’’. Inevitably, they had to come up with an idea to save the population from suffering. ‘’The screens are the key to all problems’’ they claimed. They had provided free screens for everyone, and everyone looked away.

As Little Glow was cautiously putting back the objects she had move to access the window, the sparkles in the dark sky appeared in her mind. She smiled and hummed his favorite song, dreaming of being outside and singing for the enlighten obscurity.

“Little Glow!” Zoom called. ‘’I’m setting the table for the game in the orange room!”

She held her breath. Smoothly, the girl went out of the room and tiptoed to hers.

‘’I am coming!” she shouted from her room.

Zoom didn’t believe in the utility of indoor cameras. Following the tendency of the rest of the world was the last thing that occupied his mind. He had it his way, and despite all the troubles that believing in his vision had caused him, he was happy to do things as he wanted them to be done. At least, in his house.

Little Glow walked to the stairs. She joyfully touched all the exotic vegetation of the green corridor that was laying there since her arrival. It was her way of saying good evening to these plants, considered as friends and family. Zoom started collecting them a long time before Little Glow had entered his life. But it was only after he’d let himself truly love the little girl that the plants became that radiant. Admiring the starflower she was passing by, Little Glow thought about the window. It resulted in a negative emotion. She felt bad for sneaking into Zoom’s room like this, knowing he trusted her. She didn’t want to face the disappointment of the man who had taught her so much. But she could not stop thinking about the sparkles in the dark sky and the feeling that would shake her while she was looking at them.

One night, Zoom and the rest of the world discovered the new images of the greatest telescope ever built. Contemplating these surreal pictures of the cosmos, Zoom’s enthusiasm was so loud that it woke up Little Glow. The girl’s curiosity made her run to him.

“Everything’s fine Little Glow, he said. Look.” She was fascinated. Zoom told her they were called stars and that we were made of their dust. This explanation reinforced the girl’s belief that everything was magic. Every human being, every house, every screen. Even the obscure outside world had its magical composition. You just had to look harder sometimes. The night Little Glow found out about the window, she understood that the most powerful form of magic would always be visible, even in the darkest sky. For the girl, they were two completely different things. The stars on the screens and the sparkles in the dark sky.

When the RIGHT WAY started covering all windows with their screens, Zoom couldn’t accept the idea of another piece of his freedom being taken away. He focused on his next invention. A technological device that would allow him to see through the screen from the inside, and make it look like it was operational from the outside. The trickiest part involved hacking the system to make the screen appear as if it was perfectly working when it was off. Otherwise, the guards would’ve come to change it.

Zoom had always been a curious character. In the best possible way. From scientist, to inventor, from artist to biologist, one could’ve said he had done it all. Living in the ancient world, he was recognized as one of the most influential visionaries of all time. He became well known and rich as a king. As the free man that he was, he strongly reacted to the RIGHT WAY’s plan. He told people not to believe the air had been contaminated and it was ruining the ecosystem. He warned them no to be guided by their fear of the X soldiers in the streets. He advised everyone to cultivate their ordinary habits. But regarding how things were changing, everyone chose to believe in the security measures that were recommended by the RIGHT WAY. No one listened to Zoom. He had been turned into an outcast. One after the other, he had lost all his loved ones. “You need to adapt”, “Some things change” people said.

Depression knocked on his door. Loneliness had dragged him down. Sometimes, it only takes a moment to get back on track. As he was looking at his window, his passion burned. Staring at the stars, he suddenly remembered his love of life. His instinct told him not to let go of the things he loved, which was all that nature had to offer. There was hope. Zoom travelled tirelessly. He had one obsession: collect all the remaining elements of a loved world that was slowly fading. That included all kinds of plants, objects of the daily life, like cards, books, pens. He took an incredible number of pictures and downloaded as much information about the ancient world as he could. Eventually, many websites on the subject were deleted, until none was left. It was very painful for Zoom, but there was no time to cry. Acting was his only option.

Walking down the stairs, Little Glow admired the gigantic living room. She laughed as she saw the purple collection car in the middle of the space. She thought it was funny to have a car inside a house. She wondered: “Can we really call it a car if it is not used for what it was built for?”. But she knew how passionate Zoom was about cars and that having one in his house comforted him from not being able to drive anymore. Little Glow would pass by it every day, yet it would always make her smile. She was always in the contemplation of the fantastic objects that were displayed in the house. Every room had its theme. The girl’s favorite was the one she was walking to, the orange room. It was filled with many instruments of the world, of all sizes, sounds and shapes. Paradise on earth for a girl who loved music as much as she did. She started singing on her way to join Zoom, thinking about how lucky she was to live in such a house, with such a friend.

Zoom’s financial situation had made many people envious. Especially when the RIGHT WAY announced that everyone was banned from going outside because of the danger it represented. Seven years had passed between the first action taken by the RIGHT WAY and this new law. People didn’t panic because they knew they could go to the undercity. But with the rise of the robotic use, all the workers of the undercity shops and factories had been progressively replaced by machines. Everything they needed was delivered right at their door by robots. Meals were pre-cooked, clothes would fit people perfectly after their bodies had been scanned, they had all the entertainment they could dream of right on their screens. The places they lived in become their whole life. Apart from a few rebel minds like Zoom’s, people didn’t seem to complain. It became the new normality.

Zoom didn’t care about people’s hatred towards his house or beliefs. He was guided by a mission above all that. As soon as the process had been launched by the RIGHT WAY, Zoom’s guts got on alarm mode. He knew something terrible was about to happen, but he didn’t know what. The man dedicated his whole time doing what his inner voice was telling him to do: gather the things he loved. These objects and plants from the ancient world were meant to be conserved. One day, they would be shown to all. People would then realize what they had been missing on. Life. Zoom had a feeling that things would go this way.

He was also convinced that there was one action that would be necessary for the world to open for change. One thing that would be said or done, that all citizens of the world would see. A great transformation would occur after that. He had this vision the day before the RIGHT WAY banned the access to the outside world. Deep down, Zoom knew that this action had to take place outside, where everyone could see with the cameras of the streets. That’s the reason why he kept the key to his entry door around his neck. A symbol of freedom that he carried around, hoping that the solution would hit him like his vision did. Times were getting harder, but nothing could turn down Zoom’s faith. At least, that’s what he told himself as he was hanging the key around his neck.

The same day Zoom had his vison, someone knocked at his door. He was in the blue room, where all his machines and technical devices were set. He grabbed a screen and activated the camera that was in front of his door. A lady, dressed in white with a big yellow bag, was standing there. Zoom detached the key from his neck and opened the door to face her, not knowing what to expect.

“Hello Zoom. It’s me, Jessica,” said the lady.

“Jessica? Is this some sort of joke?” asked Zoom, confused.

“You don’t recognize me…?” she said, sadly.

“Listen lady. It is no time for any jokes of this—

“Jessica Roberts. We studied biology together.”

“Oh my… I’m so sorry Jessica. Of course, I remember. It’s been such a long time”

The lady smiled at Zoom as he was remembering their studies in the ancient world. For both, it had been the best time of their life. Zoom felt ashamed. How could he had forgotten about that girl he fell in love with twenty years ago? He never had the courage to ask her out and there she was, about to change his life.

“Zoom. I don’t have much time. What I’m about to ask you is…” she looked at the big yellow bag she was holding in her arms.

“What is it?” asked Zoom, worried.

“Tomorrow, I’ll be locked in a tiny apartment with my family. Despite what my husband says, we’ll never be able to afford another place. I don’t know where all this is going, but I feel that it’s about to get worst.”

“Jessica, you have to hold on to your hope. Everything is temporary”, replied Zoom.

“I want you to take care of her,” Jessica said firmly as she handed the yellow bag to him.

“What do you mean?” said Zoom. “Who do you want me to take care of?”.

Zoom took the bag mechanically.

“I feel like I have no other choice,” said Jessica as she started crying. “Her life will be much better in a place like yours than in the misery we live in.”

Jessica took a step back and looked at Zoom, crying out of despair.

“No, Jessica. I don’t—” mumbled Zoom.

“All she needs is love. Farewell” said Jessica as she ran away in the obscure street.

“Understand.”

Back in the house, Zoom placed the yellow bag on the living room’s table. At first, he was afraid to look inside of it, even though he knew what he would face. He was walking around the table frenetically. “I can’t, I can’t,” he told himself. This baby was a burden. How could he take care of her and keep on working to make a change happen? At this moment, he thought it was the worst thing that had ever happened to him. “Why me?”. The baby started crying. He had no choice but to take her out of the yellow bag. “I have no idea how to do this.”

He took the baby delicately out of the bag. As soon as she faced him, she stopped crying. Her eyes were wide opened and she smiled at Zoom. He was intrigued by how bright the baby’s skin was. It was the first time he was holding one in his arms. He laughed considering how absurd the situation was. “You’re going to be the end of me Little Glow”.

From this day, Zoom took care of the girl. He had no idea how to proceed. But this man was brilliant at learning how to do things. On the side of finding the solution for change, taking care of his house, the plants, the fruits and vegetables he was growing to eat, creating a network of people who would share his ideas around the world and all his other activities, he was now learning how to take care of a baby. For a couple of years, Little Glow would remain a burden for Zoom and his duty.

Around the age of three, Little Glow started singing the melody of the songs Zoom would play. For him, it was no big deal as she had heard the songs many times. His perception of her shifted when she started singing the melodies of songs she had never heard before. It seemed to him that the more this little girl could express herself, the more joy was coming out of her. Eventually, she started dancing to the music and singing even when there was no music. Zoom couldn’t deny it any longer. Little Glow was special. No matter what happened, she would always give out the light of unconditional love. Zoom became fascinated by her. “What if a little glow became a huge light?” he thought. “What if she was the solution for change?”.

Zoom was filled with a new hope. He believed Little Glow was it. Even without knowing what act would be necessary, he felt that she would be the one to do it. He had been chosen to take care of her, to transmit all the knowledge he had in order to prepare her for great things. Everything became livelier in the house, clearer in Zoom’s mind. Finally, he started loving Little Glow as if she was his own daughter. Everything he knew, he would teach her. Everything he had, he would give her. Zoom kept on being amazed at how fast the girl would learn, how wise her perception of life would get, and how bright she would become day after day. She was pure love, and her glow was meant to touch the world.

“Here I am!” Little Glow sang as she entered the orange room.

Zoom was patiently waiting for her, seated at the table where the cards were displayed. They smiled happily at each other.

“Why did you change room? We never play games here,” she said.

“Change is always important, even when you think that you don’t need it anymore,” Zoom replied. Little Glow took the cards and started ordering them.

“How did the research activity go today?” the girl asked joyfully.

“Pretty well I have to say. I met a woman on the other side of the globe that is taking care of the last white tulip. It’s thrilling. She has the equipment to reproduce it.” Zoom had a tear in his eyes just at the thought of it. It was the most optimistic news he had had in a long time. Little Glow could feel how happy he was.

“Amazing. So that’s why we’re in the orange room,” she said, as Zoom was nodding. “And that’s why you played…” Little Glow got up and went to the piano to play a melody. She sang along. His favorite song. Zoom was melting. The girl’s voice got louder. Soon, the room was filled with her blissful aura. Zoom grabbed a Kora and joined her. They finished the song in a burst of laugh. Little Glow gave him a big hug. He could feel the unlimited strength of love flowing in his body and mind.

“You’re such a Little Glow,” he said. She was glad to see that despite his light being recently dimmed, he was still the fun crazy Zoom inside. There was hope.

They both sat on their chair and started the game.

“What about the action for a change?” she asked. The atmosphere got heavier.

“No ideas today.”

“Did you talk about it with the tulip lady?” she continued.

“I need to know her better before that,” he said, focused on his cards. Little Glow was attentively observing his reactions.

“Why are we playing this game?” she questioned him.

“Because it’s Wednesday,” replied Zoom.

“I know. I mean. Why are you making me play this game, what’s the lesson?”

“I told you the lesson the first time we played,” he said in a neutral way.

“I don’t remember”.

“Yes, you do”.

“I’m not too sure Zoom,” insisted Little Glow.

Silence. They looked at each other, nothing said but everything spoken. Sometimes, the girl was just too smart. Zoom understood what she was doing. He took a deep breath.

“The lesson of this game is to always stay focus. Chance may make you win or lose, but a whole part of the game lies on your concentration. You might only have a few cards left, but as long as you believe you can win, the game can change.” “So never let go,” Zoom and Little Glow said together. She smiled at him. He was breathing heavily, looking all around the room. It reminded Zoom of how much he had already done. He didn’t notice that Little Glow was about to play a song on the jukebox. She danced as if she was alone, with her whole heart. Zoom admired her. He kept on thinking that she was the solution to change. Love was so easy to see through her. But another voice was battling with him. The voice of fear. How could he let her out there, left on her own, when anything could happen? He knew that the air was sain and that all rumors around nature’s sickness was a lie. When the vegetation started to die, Zoom had suspicions about the story the RIGHT WAY was telling the people. So, he examined one of the dead flowers and found poison. It was all intentional. Unfortunately, that wasn’t his only concern. The X soldiers were still taking the streets.

“Come on! Let’s dance, just like he says!” shouted the girl as she took Zoom’s hand.

That night, they both went to bed with their heads full of dreams. Little Glow was so happy to see that a spark of hope had animated Zoom again.

New day, new possibilities. They took their breakfast together, as usual, talking about how the first movie had been made. Little Glow laughed at Zoom’s way of telling stories when they heard a big explosion.

“What was it?” asked the girl without an ounce of fright.

“I don’t know,” replied Zoom as he took a screen and looked through the street cameras of the neighborhood. He was afraid. Fear was something that Little Glow had never experienced, but she could sense it when Zoom was taken by it.

“I think it’s the X Soldiers,” he said with a small voice.

“But why?” the girl asked.

“I don’t know. To keep on spreading fear.”

And this was enough for him to decide to never let Little Glow out of the house. There he was, all worried again, his hope being drained. Little Glow didn’t like what she was seeing.

Zoom had not been able to determine who the X Soldiers were, where they came from and why they first painted everything in black, before getting violent with the population. They were sometimes chased by the RIGHT WAY’s guards, but not always. According to the official announce, the X Soldiers could irrupt anywhere at any moment. And even though the guards could take them down, they were not able to protect the whole population because of how unpredictable they were. It resulted in the RIGHT WAY advising everyone to stay home, before making it illegal to go out. Zoom had his doubts about this story as well.

They both parted, Zoom in the blue room to work and Little Glow in the red room to study. The mention of the X Soldier reminded her of that night when she discovered the hidden window. It was one of the nights where Zoom was off to the undercity to buy some flour. His love of bread was so big that he would travel far away to one of the few shops that still provided raw material. Like everyone else, he could have ordered a pre-cooked bread. But he could not abandon the pleasure of making his own and sharing this precious moment with Little Glow. On his way to the stairs that all houses and buildings had to access the undercity, he heard the guards alarm in the neighborhood. He ran to a screen and saw that a guard’s car was chasing an X soldier’s car. He could not miss the opportunity to see them, it had been too long. Driven by his passion, Zoom ran to his room and looked at the window, waiting to see the cars. He didn’t take the time to close the door, thinking Little Glow was asleep. But he had wakened her up, and she had seen him go in the wardrobe before going back to her room. As soon as Zoom left the house, she walked into his room to discover the secret window. She had wondered why he was hiding it from her.

“Little Glow! Baking time!” Zoom said when the evening came.

Everything was ready in the kitchen. The girl approached and looked at Zoom as he turned on the oven. He seemed to be in a great mood.

“How did people think about doing bread?” she asked.

“Because they had to feed themselves,” he said.

“Yes. But how did they think about making flour? And then mixing it to water? Why did they choose to bake it this way?” she kept on going.

Little Glow’s sudden obsession on bread made him laugh. His laugh got louder when he realized that he didn’t really know what to tell her. But he had to come up with something.

“Well, they started by crushing the grains, like we still do. Like the machines do. Then they mixed it with water, baked it in the oven et voilà!” he said gladly.

“You taught me how to make bread Zoom. But how did they have the idea?” asked Little Glow.

“You know how people lived together before. They were all sharing ideas and trying them. Someone must have suggested to crush he grains, then experimented. Someone else probably came up with another idea. Why not mix it with water? Then, realizing raw dough wasn’t the best, they tried different ways of baking it. They surely failed a couple of times until getting it right,” finished Zoom. Little Glow was amused.

“And they all celebrated the invention of bread by sharing it with one another. Fun fact, that’s where the French word for “friend” comes from. Copain, comes from the latin cum panem, which means “with the bread”. When you’re friends with someone, you share your bread with them.”

“So why do all people on the screens call themselves friends when they have never shared their bread together?” Little Glow asked seriously.

“Because things have changed.”

“But you keep on saying that things always change. So we could go back to that!”

“Yes…” said Zoom as he sighed.

“You’ve changed. I miss the Zoom that told me everything was possible,” she said, upset.

“I’m trying to find a solution Little Glow.”

“Try harder!” she shouted.

“I can’t…”

Zoom’s hopelessness made the girl very angry. She had to make him react.

“I know about your window,” she said coldly. “I love to look at the sparkles in the dark sky.”

“How did you… I told you not to go in my room alone,” Zoom said, confused.

At first, Zoom remained calm. Then he panicked until paranoia hit him.

“It’s too dangerous. You might have mixed up the wire. They could see you and take you away. No. I’m disconnecting the system.”

Zoom ran to his room. They thought of never seeing the sparkles again crushed Little Glow’s heart. She ran after him.

“No! You can’t! I need to see them!” she cried. “You’re just afraid!”

As Zoom opened the wardrobe, Little Glow jumped on him and pulled his shirt. “Stop!” she shouted. Zoom got her off his back disconnected the system. He didn’t feel that Little Glow had ripped the key off his neck. When he understood, it was too late.

The girl ran as fast as she could in the obscure streets. When she thought she was far enough, Little Glow stopped and looked up. There it was. The giant dark sky full of sparkles. She was so amazed. She heard a car getting closer. Little Glow felt something taking her whole body, like a poison that paralyzed her. She realized it was fear. The news of a little girl running in the streets spread like fire. The whole world was watching her. The car was close. She remembered what Zoom once told her: “If you ever feel afraid, do what you love.”

That night, the action of love overcoming fear changed the world. It was as simple as a little girl singing for the sparkles in the dark sky.