I Want to be with the Stars [COMPLETED]

I Want to be with the Stars Part 1

Have you ever noticed something spectacular that just seemed way too strange to be true? Have you ever shook your head over and over again, saying, "Nope. Nope. Not possible," and laugh? Len Nelson has.

    With the dream of being an astronaut and shooting off into space, he studied the stars. He noticed that when he stepped outside for a bit to escape the yelling of his parents who threw cereal boxes across the room and banged on the counter that the stars weren't bright. They were dim and were hard to see behind the cloudy sky, but even seeing that one star that shined brighter than the others calmed him.

    He sat against the left side of his house, the farthest away from the kitchen, and stared at the Northern star for several minutes to an hour. Sometimes, until his parents went to bed and the house had gone quiet again, perhaps even longer than that! With the noise gone, he could breathe normally, resting his head against the wall.

    The clouds seemed to part for him, and the stars were almost as bright as the Northern star. He noticed that his happiness made the stars brighter, like they were happy, too. This seemed to happen every time he ventured outside. This led him to believe that the stars were watching him like a spirit guide, despite how many times he denied it. He continued to believe it because he wanted to believe it was true. It was like having someone there to help him through all of the hard nights he had been through.

    Now, at the age of twelve, he could spot at least 25 constellations. That included both of the Dippers, Lyra, and Crater. His favorite constellation was Scorpius since Scorpio was his zodiac sign. It was also shaped like a J, which was his grandma's first initial, Jannett.

Jannett was a sweet, old lady. She was on the dad's side of the family. Jannett would sit little Len in her lap as she rocked her chair that sat on the porch and pointed up to the sky, naming each constellation and planet.

Len guessed that was where the love to look at the sky began. That was why he went outside when his parents yelled, the stars reminded him of his sweet grandma. She was always there to comfort him, so when she wasn't physically there, the stars were the next best thing. That was where the deceased went, at least, that's what his grandma told him.

    It was Halloween night, the breeze was chilly, but Len was quite comfy in his costume that he had bought with his birthday money two years ago. He wore it every year, an astronaut costume. He would walk around the neighborhood alone, with a grocery bag in his hand as he went from door to door receiving candy from the nice folk. When he was all done, he sat on his back patio with his legs crossed and sorted through his candy into "yes" and "no" piles.

    Milk and dark chocolate bars went into the "yes" pile, while gummy candies went into the "no" pile. Occasionally, he would look up from his sorting and try to catch a shooting star to make a wish. He never did see one, but if he had, he would wish to be like all of the other kids at his school. He wanted to be happy and stop the violence. He wanted a normal life with parents that smiled at each other when the other caught the other looking at them.

    Perhaps if the stars were watching over him, they would make his wish true, but he just wasn't lucky enough to get an opportunity. He had that wish in mind every night.

    If I catch a look at a shooting star, I want a normal life, he told himself, and he never did change his mind on his wish. After all, he wished for it every birthday and prayer, but the candles didn't watch over him, and he didn't think God did either, or at least, he wasn't certain. He trusted the stars more.

    When he was done sorting through his candy, he went inside and dumped the "no" pile into the candy jar that sat on the kitchen counter. He ran back outside and took a seat on the steps that lead to the patio. He grabbed an almond chocolate bar and started to suck on it. He tipped his head back, staring at the stars above. Len broke a piece of the candy bar with his teeth and held the remains, gradually eating more and more as he patiently waited for his shooting star.

    In a blink of an eye, a star appeared in his vision.

    "I want it all to end," He mumbled without thinking. He threw himself up off the step, "Ugh, crap! Please, I take it back!" He didn't want it all to end. Len wanted a new beginning, but if it ended, he didn't know if there would be another light.

    He pressed his forehead against clasped hands, whispering sorry over and over again to the stars. Praying that they didn't hear his wish.

He counted to ten, taking a deep breath in. He glanced up at the stars, hoping that he would find peace, but all there was was a cloudy sky. So dull. Sighing, he took his astronaut helmet and candy, heading back inside. He would sleep that night, hoping that his wish would wash away like a shell on the beach.