campanella,
“The entire universe in which we live in, the glowing expanse of stars that we see above us are all just empty, burning balls of gas that float around in space.” Gio closed the book that his friend lent him. He loved the stars; he loved looking out of his window and staring at the glittering river above. Gio always thought stars contained towns or villages, or even strange people who also looked down at him, but the book said otherwise. His reverie was cut short with a call from his mom, “Gio! Go and buy me some spices from the market for dinner for tomorrow, okay? No need to rush. And while you are at it, why not visit the planetarium to check the stars, like you always do? Just don’t forget to be back before it’s very late! And look out for the boy in the cape!”
Gio was filled with excitement as he hopped off from where he was sitting by the window, put his shoes on and started to walk. He didn’t mind the stories of the boy in the cape that was coming from his mom. She would usually tell Gio that this boy was like death and would take Gio away from her so he should stay away. Gio didn’t believe this tale for he always thought that his mother was way too superstitious.
“Take care!” his mother called after him.
Gio passed by a shop that sells telescopes and yet again, the thought of the book about the empty burning gases being somewhat wrong entered Gio’s mind. He began to imagine what it would feel like if he was right. What sorts of people would I meet in a star such as the Polaris? Perhaps a boy of 9 like my age? And what about the Alpha Centauri? Centaurs probably! Gio chuckled at this thought and decided to move on before he forgot the task at hand.
Since his mother did say that he didn’t need to rush, Gio decided to make a little detour. He followed the river that perfectly reflected the moon and then he entered a forest guided by fireflies and his memory of navigating through. Gio thought that the amount of fireflies that were present were odd, considering that it was not really the season in which fireflies came out often but he dismissed the thought with a shake of his head. Maybe I’m just tired, I keep seeing unusual amounts of fireflies.
Passing through, he got to a clearing full of dandelions. He felt tired so he laid down for a moment and closed his eyes for a quick nap knowing that no one passes by the field at that time of the night.
Gio felt someone staring at him so he opened his eyes and there he saw a boy smiling at him. He was wearing a cape of some sort and he had hair that stood up at its ends just like spines on a porcupine. “I’m Raffy. Welcome to Polaris,” he said. There was something on the back of Gio’s mind telling him that he knows Raffy but he can’t recall where he’s seen the other person.
“What?” Gio was utterly confused. “So what you are telling me, Raffy, is that I’m on the star, Polaris? And that there are plenty of other stars that are like this?”
Gio and Raffy sat in the middle of a field of dandelions talking for quite some time with Raffy mostly explaining stars and Gio staring at the sky trying to absorb all the information that Raffy was throwing at him.
“There are other stars such as the Alpha Centauri and Betelgeuse that also have people and animals living there, like me. All that it takes is for us to hop on the other star, it’s not a very far distance, you see.” Gio suddenly stood up. If star-hopping means he would get to prove that stars aren’t empty burning gases, then why not try it out? With shining eyes he proclaimed, “Let us go star-hopping, Raffy! I think we’ll be good friends!”
The pair stood at what you could call edge of Raffy’s star. They held hands and closed their eyes, focusing on a particular star, Alpha Centauri, as their destination. They felt a slight tug and warmth on their chests, and a squeeze.
Then they opened their eyes. Before them was Alpha Centauri. There, they were met with a rather tall looking half-man, half-horse, which they realized was a centaur who was shooting arrows at nothingness. He was rather grouchy and when the boys asked him about his star he just answered with “This is the best star out there. Have you ever seen a star that is as big as this? Do the other stars have me, the Alpha Centaur, who is the best archer there is? No! Of course not!” And at that he laughed heartily and continued to shoot arrows.
Gio and Raffy were given bows and arrows by the centaur since he felt like he has responsibility as the Alpha Centaur to teach those who are under him to be as strong as him. They also tried to shoot arrows but their strength was not the same as the Alpha Centaur so the arrows ended up only a few feet in front of them. Because of this, the Alpha Centaur became mad and uttered in a loud voice, “Begone you feeble children! Only the strong shall be welcomed on this star!” And so the boys went on their way.
Once again, they stood at the edge of the star, closed their eyes, held hands, and focused on Betelgeuse as the next destination. Gio and Raffy felt the tug, the warmth, and the squeeze once more and opened their eyes.
They arrived at Betelgeuse, a rather large star that had a railway station that had a sign that said “FOR THE GALACTIC EXPRESS” and railroads that extended off to the horizon. The boys waited for the train to arrive at the empty station.
“So, Gio, what do you think of Alpha Centauri?” Raffy asked, “Do you think you are strong enough to be welcomed by me, the Alpha Centaur, in this magnificent star?” he mocked. Gio pondered a bit about this. True, the Alpha Centaur was a weird creature but he wanted the best for his star and which is to have only strong archers.
“Odd and cranky dude that’s for sure,” Gio replied.
Soon enough, the train arrived. A short and stout man who introduced himself as Sir Real, the train conductor, hurriedly made them step inside as he muttered, “Oh dear, we are late, you lot need to move faster!”
He pushed the boys inside and made them sit in the middle car.
The train coach was rather well-lit and looked very fancy. The seats were a very comfortable leather that had little buttons sewn onto them. The table was made of fine wood that had been polished neatly. Sir Real, the train conductor holding trays suddenly appeared standing beside the now seated Gio. He handed out the plates full of odd dishes for the two boys. Gio’s stomach growled for he has not yet eaten for a very long time now. In front of him was a gray mush that resembles gray mashed potatoes but when eaten, weirdly tasted like cake.
After eating, Raffy pulled up the coach window and stared at the sky. Gio did the same thing and marveled at the sight. It was not much different from the view back home but the stars seemed to shine even more brightly in Betelgeuse.
“I read somewhere that this is the most wonderful place to look at them,” Raffy’s eyes mirrored the illumination of the stars, “don’t you agree, Gio?” Gio simply nodded, unable to formulate words that could give justice to what he was seeing.
“Now, boys, let me see your train tickets,” the conductor held out his hand expectantly. The boys felt a flash of panic. Raffy answered, “Well you see, Sir Real, we were simply star hopping and did not know how to purchase train tickets.”
Sir Real sighed, “I’m sorry boys, but I’ll have to ask you both to hop off on the next train stop.” The train conductor paused, checked his map, and smiled, “Well, you boys are lucky, the next stop is a new star and both of you are going to be the first ones in it. We will arrive in a few moments.”
Finally, the train stopped on a barren star, with no animals, or trains, or even a name. The only thing that the star had was a river. Gio and Raffy hopped off and the train chugged off.
The boys circled the entire star which was not big at all. The river did, however, mirror the stars beyond it, making the water look like it was sparkling. Gio and Raffy sat by the river and recalled the adventures that they had that night, the centaur with his arrows, the train with its odd food and beautiful view, and Raffy’s home filled with dandelions.
“Gio, what are you going to do after all this?” Raffy asked looking at the other boy with enthusiastic eyes.
“Probably go back home and buy the spices that my mother asked me to buy. You?” Gio answered, still staring at the river.
“I will maybe stay on my star and wait for you to come back so that we can go star-hopping again. Maybe it’s not yet time for you to stay here, your mother still needs you,” Raffy said sadly.
There was silence between the boys as they stared at the river thinking of what would happen next. Gio turned toward his friend and saw that the seat beside him was empty. There was no indication of Raffy ever sitting there. Gio stood up quickly and became dizzy because of this. He swayed a little and fell into the starry river where he was enveloped by darkness.
Gio bolted up from where he was lying down, in the field of dandelions where he fell asleep. His heart was pounding and his cheeks were wet with tears. He looked up and saw that the stars were still the same. Feeling confused and sadness tugging at his heart for some reason, he stood up and walked home.
He passed by the planetarium to check out the stars. As if his dream was real, he saw the centaur shooting an arrow on one star, a train with a stout conductor on another, a bright shining river, and a boy with an odd cape and pointy black hair like a porcupine’s spines smiling down on him.
Literary: Star-hopping
“The entire universe in which we live in, the glowing expanse of stars that we see above us are all just empty, burning balls of gas that float around in space.” Gio closed the book that his friend lent him. He loved the stars; he loved looking out of his window and staring at the glittering river above. Gio always thought stars contained towns or villages, or even strange people who also looked down at him, but the book said otherwise. His reverie was cut short with a call from his mom, “Gio! Go and buy me some spices from the market for dinner for tomorrow, okay? No need to rush. And while you are at it, why not visit the planetarium to check the stars, like you always do? Just don’t forget to be back before it’s very late! And look out for the boy in the cape!”
Gio was filled with excitement as he hopped off from where he was sitting by the window, put his shoes on and started to walk. He didn’t mind the stories of the boy in the cape that was coming from his mom. She would usually tell Gio that this boy was like death and would take Gio away from her so he should stay away. Gio didn’t believe this tale for he always thought that his mother was way too superstitious.
“Take care!” his mother called after him.
Gio passed by a shop that sells telescopes and yet again, the thought of the book about the empty burning gases being somewhat wrong entered Gio’s mind. He began to imagine what it would feel like if he was right. What sorts of people would I meet in a star such as the Polaris? Perhaps a boy of 9 like my age? And what about the Alpha Centauri? Centaurs probably! Gio chuckled at this thought and decided to move on before he forgot the task at hand.
Since his mother did say that he didn’t need to rush, Gio decided to make a little detour. He followed the river that perfectly reflected the moon and then he entered a forest guided by fireflies and his memory of navigating through. Gio thought that the amount of fireflies that were present were odd, considering that it was not really the season in which fireflies came out often but he dismissed the thought with a shake of his head. Maybe I’m just tired, I keep seeing unusual amounts of fireflies.
Passing through, he got to a clearing full of dandelions. He felt tired so he laid down for a moment and closed his eyes for a quick nap knowing that no one passes by the field at that time of the night.
Gio felt someone staring at him so he opened his eyes and there he saw a boy smiling at him. He was wearing a cape of some sort and he had hair that stood up at its ends just like spines on a porcupine. “I’m Raffy. Welcome to Polaris,” he said. There was something on the back of Gio’s mind telling him that he knows Raffy but he can’t recall where he’s seen the other person.
“What?” Gio was utterly confused. “So what you are telling me, Raffy, is that I’m on the star, Polaris? And that there are plenty of other stars that are like this?”
Gio and Raffy sat in the middle of a field of dandelions talking for quite some time with Raffy mostly explaining stars and Gio staring at the sky trying to absorb all the information that Raffy was throwing at him.
“There are other stars such as the Alpha Centauri and Betelgeuse that also have people and animals living there, like me. All that it takes is for us to hop on the other star, it’s not a very far distance, you see.” Gio suddenly stood up. If star-hopping means he would get to prove that stars aren’t empty burning gases, then why not try it out? With shining eyes he proclaimed, “Let us go star-hopping, Raffy! I think we’ll be good friends!”
The pair stood at what you could call edge of Raffy’s star. They held hands and closed their eyes, focusing on a particular star, Alpha Centauri, as their destination. They felt a slight tug and warmth on their chests, and a squeeze.
Then they opened their eyes. Before them was Alpha Centauri. There, they were met with a rather tall looking half-man, half-horse, which they realized was a centaur who was shooting arrows at nothingness. He was rather grouchy and when the boys asked him about his star he just answered with “This is the best star out there. Have you ever seen a star that is as big as this? Do the other stars have me, the Alpha Centaur, who is the best archer there is? No! Of course not!” And at that he laughed heartily and continued to shoot arrows.
Gio and Raffy were given bows and arrows by the centaur since he felt like he has responsibility as the Alpha Centaur to teach those who are under him to be as strong as him. They also tried to shoot arrows but their strength was not the same as the Alpha Centaur so the arrows ended up only a few feet in front of them. Because of this, the Alpha Centaur became mad and uttered in a loud voice, “Begone you feeble children! Only the strong shall be welcomed on this star!” And so the boys went on their way.
Once again, they stood at the edge of the star, closed their eyes, held hands, and focused on Betelgeuse as the next destination. Gio and Raffy felt the tug, the warmth, and the squeeze once more and opened their eyes.
They arrived at Betelgeuse, a rather large star that had a railway station that had a sign that said “FOR THE GALACTIC EXPRESS” and railroads that extended off to the horizon. The boys waited for the train to arrive at the empty station.
“So, Gio, what do you think of Alpha Centauri?” Raffy asked, “Do you think you are strong enough to be welcomed by me, the Alpha Centaur, in this magnificent star?” he mocked. Gio pondered a bit about this. True, the Alpha Centaur was a weird creature but he wanted the best for his star and which is to have only strong archers.
“Odd and cranky dude that’s for sure,” Gio replied.
Soon enough, the train arrived. A short and stout man who introduced himself as Sir Real, the train conductor, hurriedly made them step inside as he muttered, “Oh dear, we are late, you lot need to move faster!”
He pushed the boys inside and made them sit in the middle car.
The train coach was rather well-lit and looked very fancy. The seats were a very comfortable leather that had little buttons sewn onto them. The table was made of fine wood that had been polished neatly. Sir Real, the train conductor holding trays suddenly appeared standing beside the now seated Gio. He handed out the plates full of odd dishes for the two boys. Gio’s stomach growled for he has not yet eaten for a very long time now. In front of him was a gray mush that resembles gray mashed potatoes but when eaten, weirdly tasted like cake.
After eating, Raffy pulled up the coach window and stared at the sky. Gio did the same thing and marveled at the sight. It was not much different from the view back home but the stars seemed to shine even more brightly in Betelgeuse.
“I read somewhere that this is the most wonderful place to look at them,” Raffy’s eyes mirrored the illumination of the stars, “don’t you agree, Gio?” Gio simply nodded, unable to formulate words that could give justice to what he was seeing.
“Now, boys, let me see your train tickets,” the conductor held out his hand expectantly. The boys felt a flash of panic. Raffy answered, “Well you see, Sir Real, we were simply star hopping and did not know how to purchase train tickets.”
Sir Real sighed, “I’m sorry boys, but I’ll have to ask you both to hop off on the next train stop.” The train conductor paused, checked his map, and smiled, “Well, you boys are lucky, the next stop is a new star and both of you are going to be the first ones in it. We will arrive in a few moments.”
Finally, the train stopped on a barren star, with no animals, or trains, or even a name. The only thing that the star had was a river. Gio and Raffy hopped off and the train chugged off.
The boys circled the entire star which was not big at all. The river did, however, mirror the stars beyond it, making the water look like it was sparkling. Gio and Raffy sat by the river and recalled the adventures that they had that night, the centaur with his arrows, the train with its odd food and beautiful view, and Raffy’s home filled with dandelions.
“Gio, what are you going to do after all this?” Raffy asked looking at the other boy with enthusiastic eyes.
“Probably go back home and buy the spices that my mother asked me to buy. You?” Gio answered, still staring at the river.
“I will maybe stay on my star and wait for you to come back so that we can go star-hopping again. Maybe it’s not yet time for you to stay here, your mother still needs you,” Raffy said sadly.
There was silence between the boys as they stared at the river thinking of what would happen next. Gio turned toward his friend and saw that the seat beside him was empty. There was no indication of Raffy ever sitting there. Gio stood up quickly and became dizzy because of this. He swayed a little and fell into the starry river where he was enveloped by darkness.
Gio bolted up from where he was lying down, in the field of dandelions where he fell asleep. His heart was pounding and his cheeks were wet with tears. He looked up and saw that the stars were still the same. Feeling confused and sadness tugging at his heart for some reason, he stood up and walked home.
He passed by the planetarium to check out the stars. As if his dream was real, he saw the centaur shooting an arrow on one star, a train with a stout conductor on another, a bright shining river, and a boy with an odd cape and pointy black hair like a porcupine’s spines smiling down on him.
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