Bits & Pieces

Starry Night #1

As the boy was walking in the approaching twilight, he notices that he is lagging behind. They are walking inside a canopy of trees, as he follows a trail in the darkness behind a group of trekkers. This new-found hobby proved to him that he quite enjoyed going on treks for excursions, as a nice break from the dreary routine of daily life. Though he took pleasure in it, the boy still finds himself always nervous whenever he comes to a new place. He felt that he did not really fit inside the zeitgeist of his times — clubs, booze, and chaos. Thus it came off as a surprise when he found out that people were excited about going on a trek. No matter how much you convince yourself that you don't need people to be happy, the inner anxiety of how to behave when with others betrays that emotion.

He was secretly looking to find people, to get someone to share his thoughts with. Sometimes he observed them from a distance, eavesdropping in their 'bilateral' conversation just to get a sense of who they are. It is an art perfected while standing still and quiet in corners of rooms inhabited by people unaware of the wallflower that blooms outside of their view. Hence by walking behind the crowd, he can be the silent observer, and usually, he found himself envious of all the fun he observed. But something is different this time. As the trek proceeds, he noticed that the distance between him and the crowd decreases, and he eventually becomes part of the trekking formation. Being close to a group, he observed its members without any prejudice. There are surely people who fit a mold — the jolly guy who talks with everyone, the knowledgable guy sharing wisdom, the passionate girls who wax poetic lines about oneness with nature. It might be that they are unreal idealistic representations of the boy's romantic brain. But the conservations they share are real and the boy felt the need and want to join their group.

They reached the very top, aiding one another at the top of the big rock that sits at the peak, and sat there huddled together. Everyone was quiet, trying to take in all the sounds and lights of the view. The boy, while laying on his back, looked at the stars and was mesmerized by their luminous glow as if the white light piercing was coming from the heavens itself. This was extremely different from the cities where you no longer see the stars. Thus sighting them again in their glory made him feel sentimental. However, he felt unsure if he should risk this newfound rapport by being weirdly sentimental about stars. Before he could say anything the girl speaks out — "Don't the stars make everything alright." He smiles as he looks towards her and adds, "YES. How can be anyone petty knowing we are but tiny specks floating in the infinite expanse". And then someone else adds — "We can thank the infinite glowing stars to remind us of our insignificance."

The boy, then and there, realizes that he is not alone in his worship of stars. He feels a connection to these people, realizing that the world is full of people who he can connect with, who will be his redemption from the lonely world he has constructed around him. There are indeed people who share his destiny and he decides he would never let go of them, whatever they may ever do. The stars... they truly do shine for everyone. With that startling discovery, the boy vowed from this day forward that he will be there with His People to look at the stars together forevermore.