I Remember

Chapter 14

Asher puts me down next to a window. I can tell this is the top floor since he walked up almost 15 flights of stairs. The window is miraculously open, or should I say, broken,  due to how old this hospital is. I still lean against Asher to keep me stabilized even though he put me down.

"What are we doing here?" I say confused. Without an answer, he bends down and goes through the window.

"Asher?!"

Surprised that he didn't fall, he looks back towards me. "Here," he says putting out his hand. I grab it, and he pulls me through.

I find myself standing on a roof that was surprisingly not that steep. Asher starts to slowly sit down, so I sit down with him. The sky was starting to become a lighter blue tone but still pretty dark, so I could tell that in a few hours, it would be morning.

"So, what did you want to show me?" We are both laying down by now, side by side, looking up at the stars.

"I come here once in a while to look at the brilliant stars when I need an escape from reality. I usually stay here for a few hours watching night turn into day, it's magical, so I wanted to show you."

"Ooo so romantic!" I say giggling obviously being sarcastic. He starts to laugh, too.

"You see that star right there?" He points his finger at a 45 degree angle, exactly on the brightest star.

"Yea, what about it? I ask.

"I have a little story."

"Go ahead! I'm excited!"

"That star, Altair, in the Aquila constellation,  symbolizes a poor shepherd boy named Niu Lang. The star next to it is Vega, from the constellation Lyra symbolizing a weaver girl named Zhi Nu. The two fell hopelessly in love with each other. Both their parents forbade the relationship and separated them from each other. There are various stories about the reason their love was forbidden. In one of those stories, the shepherd boy was born to a mortal family and the weaver girl created by the gods. In another story, their parents are unhappy about the lovers neglecting their chores. In all stories the lovers are separated by a river. In the sky, Altair and Vega are separated by a galaxy. Once a year the two stars move closer together. The legend says that the boy and the girl can only meet by crossing a bridge that is formed by magpies who had come to their aid. The constellation Cygnus serves as the magpie bridge over which the shepherd boy and weaver girl can meet. Tonight, July 28, is the date they meet in all of the stories."

"Wow, how did you know that?" I say while turning my head to look at him.

While still looking up at the sky he said, "I searched it up a few days ago, no other reason." He has a smirk on his face. I playfully hit him on the arm while laughing hysterically.

"Maya?"

"Yes Asher?" He turns his head to look at me.

"Stars can't shine without darkness."

I suddenly find myself putting my hand in his.