Kurt stared up at the sky above him, perched in a tree. It fascinated him, the night sky; there was so much to it. He didn't know much about it, other than that he was drawn to it almost every night. His head was bent back, as his eyes wandered over the vast emptiness spread out above him. But it wasn't empty; Kurt knew there were hundreds and thousands of stars up there, and planets too. He made a mental note to ask his parents about it; they knew everything, they had to know about the stars and the planets and all the little things about space.
Kurt heard footsteps behind him, and turned around from where he was, sited in the tree.
"Kurt," he heard a light chuckle. "It's time to go home,"
Kurt whined. "Dad,"
"It's getting late. I've already allowed you to stay out here to see the stars,"
"And I want to keep looking at them, forever,"
His dad laughed again. "Never change, Kurt,"
"Dad?" Kurt asked, still not moving from the tree. "Can you tell me about the stars?"
His dad looked up at the sky, and sighed. "They're beautiful, aren't they?"
"Yes," the young boy replied. "They really are."
"Some of these stars are billions of years old. Some of them are newer. Some of the stars you see right now, they might not even be there. They're so far away, by the time the light reaches earth so we can see them, they might have disappeared. Stars are like us: they're born, they live for an amount of time, then they die. It's fascinating,"
Kurt's father seemed to be lost in the sky, much like his son, not paying much attention to what he was saying. He loved space, and was jubilant that his son seemed to have the same interest in it.
"Wow," was all Kurt could say. He couldn't even imagine how stars were that old, or how some of the ones he was seeing might not even be there.
"But come on," his dad said, breaking the silence that had fallen over them. "It's really too late to be out here. The mobs will be coming out soon; we don't want to get caught by them,"
Kurt gave up on trying to stay out, knowing his arguments wouldn't win. He hopped down from the tree, landing somewhat gracefully and trotting along next to his father. It was dark, but not so dark that they couldn't see.
"See that, Kurt?" His father said, pointing out something in the distance. "A zombie. We don't get a lot of mobs in our village, but this is where they spawn, out in these parts, where it's dark at night,"
Kurt looked at the creature, stumbling about and making random lunges at things Kurt couldn't see.
"You want to stay away from mobs. They try to hurt people,"
"What other mobs are there?"
"All sorts. Zombies, skeletons, spiders, endermen... Some special ones only spawn in the nether, like blazes and magma cubes. Others are much bigger or stronger, or both, like the Enderdragon, or Guardians,"
"Wow," Kurt said. "I thought the Enderdragon was a myth, and guardians too,"
"So few people have seen them, they're believed to be a myth. But they do exist,"
The two walked in silence as they approached the village. The streets were illuminated by various lamps, and the glow from houses too. Kurt loved this village.
"Why are there no mobs in the village?" Kurt asked.
"Mobs don't like light. They'll try to stay away from it. But some mobs don't mind the light, and will get in places like this even if there isn't a single bit of darkness,"
"Why doesn't that happen here?"
"We have a team of strong men who fight them, and keep everyone safe. They have swords and armour, and are very loyal to the king. They are treated with respect, and they are very nice people,"
"Wow," Kurt was left amazed. There was so much that he didn't know, so much that he had yet to learn about the world.
"Well, you really should go get some sleep, Kurt," his dad said once they reached their home. "It's late,"
Kurt nodded. "I love you, dad,"
"I love you too, Kurt,"
Kurt ran upstairs to his room, where he got into his bed quickly. His father chuckled to himself - Kurt was so eager to learn. He saw potential in him, that he could grow up to do great things. Amazing things.
-
Kurt sat in the tree, the one from oh so many years ago. The leaves hanging onto the trees were varying shades of brown and bronze instead of a happy green, as autumn was quickly swallowing up the summer. He stared up at the night sky, seeing the stars, the ones him and his father had sat and stared at for hours and hours on end. He would never get bored of it, never, though it brought him sadness, longing.
He stared at the brightest star, the one which reminded him of his dad, who had been his biggest inspiration, his role model. He sighed as he grabbed the rope, a necklace of hope, slipping it around his neck and letting himself fall, letting the rope burn on his neck and take all the air from his lungs, letting it steal away his life in just a few seconds. The last thing he saw was the night sky and all its vast beauty, and that last thing he heard, his father's voice echoing through his head:
"Never change, Kurt."
