COSMIC

9 - The Man Who Sold the World

My first reaction was a gasp. I immediately tried to reason that I could have been mistaken-that if things played out the same as the previous night when we met David, I could expect him to appear at any second. But everything surrounding me remained quiet and a sinking feeling told me something was wrong.

Spinning around, I held my gaze with the sky and frantically searched the stars. But nowhere was the Starman's brilliant sparkle that I had seen only seconds earlier. By now I had grasped the attention of my friends, who stood up and lifted their heads to see what I was looking for. Nancy walked over to me and gripped my arm, stopping me in my tracks.

"Jamie, is he-" she said, following my gaze. Quickly, her face indicated she had arrived at the same conclusion as I did.

"He's gone," I said, turning my face back down to Earth.

"Wait," Kyle said, leading the gang to our side. "What are you talking about?"

"The star," I replied sharply. "The star I just showed you is gone."

"Oh. Well, maybe it was just a satellite like Josh said-or maybe we can't see it now. It's probably nothing."

"Kyle, stars don't just vanish like that. And it wasn't a satellite because it wasn't moving. I know what I saw was different."

"Why is it gone, though?" Nancy said, bringing our attention to the real question on my mind. "I mean, it was there, like all night and now it just disappears with a no-show. Why would he do that?"

"Whoa," Kyle said. "You mean you really think this star is that guy?"

"Yes," I said. "Haven't you been listening?"

"Yes, I have. I just didn't think you meant it literally."

Nancy turned away from him. "Jamie, remember how the star disappeared when he came last night? Maybe he's here now but he's just not showing himself."

"Well...maybe so," I said, facing the woods and peering into the darkness. "David? Are you here?" I stepped away from my friends and the flickering candlelight, trying to look for a figure among the trees. "David? Please, come out if you're here."

I stood in silence, listening for any response when I heard Kyle whisper instead. "Is she losing it?"

"Kyle, please," Nancy replied. "I know this looks crazy, but bear with us. You'll understand when he comes."

"I think I understand perfectly. This is quite an elaborate joke you two have going on. I wouldn't be surprised if some guy popped out of a confetti explosion."

"That's not what this is."

"Then what is it? Look-I don't care what you guys are getting into, but I'm not about to meet some guy that falls out of the sky and says he's a star."

"Where are you going?" Nancy said, causing me to turn around to see my friends beginning to walk away.

"Wait," I called, running up to them. "You're leaving?"

"Yes, we're leaving," Kyle said. "You can do whatever you want with your little ritual here," he gestured towards the candles, "but we're not getting involved."

"Guys, I'm sorry," I said, hoping to convince them to stay.

"What-sorry that you brought us all the way out here just to play a joke on us?"

"It wasn't a joke," I said, frustration beginning to seep through my quiet voice.

"Jamie, we should stop," Nancy mumbled. "Let them think it's a joke."