ohjackylee
When 12-year-old Mia's father Daniel departs aboard the *Voyager* to explore Proxima Centauri's habitable planets, time becomes their hardest barrier: 20 years in space equals 50 on Earth. To bridge the light-years, they rely on "stardust letters"-messages coded into stardust, beamed via asteroid relays at light speed.
Mia's first letter carries small joys: falling sycamores, her new bike, the yellow rose Daniel planted. Four years later, his reply arrives-written on *Voyager* hull metal, dusted with Proxima's red stardust-filled with cosmic wonders (Jupiter's Great Red Spot) and tender memories (a succulent, just like the one Mia once killed). Fueled by longing, Mia grows into a 25-year-old aerospace engineer, cutting letter travel time from 4 to 2 years.
When Daniel's second letter comes-blue stardust from Proxima's moon, telling of his return and a stardust necklace for her-Mia knows: love, like stardust, doesn't fade with distance. It travels, waits, and finally converges, guiding them home.