Brighter Than a Shooting Star

Sparkling, wondrous and full of mysteries. The sight of the stars made me wonder about the unknown that was far beyond. In my opinion, stars represented endless infinity and hope. All the constellations and the stories behind it, such as Orion’s Belt, intrigued me to no end. Boards filled with information surrounded me as I studied each one with curiosity. They each described different aspects of stars: the different constellations, how stars were born and how they died. After I skimmed through all the boards, I strolled outside and enjoyed the calm atmosphere that blanketed the area.

It was chilly outside and the wind whistled gently in my ear. Cheerful murmuring could be heard all around along with soft, gentle footsteps on the grass. Excitedly, I sprinted across the field to join my family and stared up in wonder. Cuzco is near the Urubamba Valley of the Andes mountain range which is why this was the perfect place to stargaze at the planetarium. The ancient and magnificent mountains in Cuzco towered over all the houses. Telescopes were set up around us – different views of the stars could be seen with each one.

 

Before we could all settle down and take a proper look at the stars, the director led everyone into a cozy circular room. Slowly but surely, people filled up the benches and I wondered what they had in store for us. After everyone had entered, the director that was in charge of our tour group switched the lights off and what I saw left me star-struck.

Above us were all the different constellations you could possibly find: Aquarius, Cassiopeia, Lyra, Leo and even Pisces. Elated at the sight, I squealed internally and held onto the few remaining minutes I had before they turned the lights back on.

I gushed about how amazing I thought the constellations were to my brother as we headed back out to the field. He yawned and nodded absentmindedly at my incessant talking. Some people laid out picnic blankets to lie down on, some settled down on blunt rocks and some just stood on the grass, gazing upwards. I braced myself for what I was about to see and unknowingly held my breath.

Spectacular.

I exhaled in wonder. It was like nothing I had ever seen before. Many different stars were scattered across the night sky, some glowing brighter than the others. The sky was littered with twinkling stars and it was as if someone had sprayed silver glitter all over a midnight-blue piece of paper. I took my time in admiring the sight in front of me and I imagined my eyes taking pictures of everything, storing them away in my memory for me to reminisce over in the future.

I wondered if everyone else was just as amazed as I was and if they shared the same thoughts as me: what was it like out there? Is there a reason that stars could form patterns and constellations? Was it meant to be a sign for something? These all raced through my mind and I was filled with curiosity because of them – they were questions with no answers.

A few minutes had passed and I was still frozen, rooted to my spot in awe. I tuned out everything else around me and focused on the beautiful view I had in front of me. Time seemed to have stopped as my eyes traveled leisurely from star to star, lingering on each and every one. Suddenly, I was snapped back into reality when I felt a hand persistently shaking my shoulder.

“It’s time to go home, Tricia.” My mother told me gently with an amused look on her face.

I sighed in disappointment before replying in a subdued voice, “Alright.”

With one last look over my shoulder, I turned my back and trudged off with my family. The unforgettable view would be forever imprinted in my mind. That night, I fell asleep with the endless variety of stars and constellations on my mind.

Tricia