Heaven’s Path
“Behold!” The stars rejoiced so brightly that they almost touched, the skies shimmered with infinite arrays of light!
The celestial witnesses that stopped time itself to recognize the beauty that would outshine any immaterial concept or any material reality that would occupy the heavens in appearance and purpose!
So, tell me!
Why was it so that those eyes which looked at me with such beauty and splendor, turned cold at the thought of my cries for connection for those down there? Those eyes that said: “you’re not wanted here”! Why was it so?
Suddenly, the border separating dreams and reality turned into darkness.
“A-!“ …And who would be there to hear her screams?
…
…
…
BANG! The sound of thunder crackled through the atmosphere, and it sounded dangerously close!
“Ahh!” Aria screamed as she gripped her flashlight more tightly.
“Geez,” Xavier sighed, his breath misting in the frigid air. “Who told her to vanish again, especially on a night like this?”
Snowflakes clung to their equipment, which were quickly washed away by the relentless rain battering their trench coats. Lightning shined occasionally, thunder reverberated every so often, while a fog obscured their vision. A terrifying whirlwind of elements! And yet…
“Where is she? She needs to come back now before anyone else notices...” Aria’s voice tinged with slight unease and frustration as she moved her flashlight in multiple directions, searching.
“It’s almost impressive how she manages this so consistently. And no one sees her too…If she wasn’t so smart she would be called insane.” Xavier responded.
The storm raged on as they pushed forward, their flashlights illuminating patches of frost-glazed sand. Shadows seemed to shift just beyond the edge of the light of the observatory and the lightning, and the air itself felt heavier, laden with an electric tension.
“Do you think this has anything to do with the ‘upper realm’ she talks about?” Xavier spoke up again.
“Has to be. Apparently, her theory points to Polaris shifting through an entire hemisphere, and this would prove it exists! It’s a shame there’s such bad weather…” Aria said almost sarcastically.
“Well, when has she ever been wrong about something?” Xavier asked, catching on to the sarcasm.
“Someone has to be wrong at least once in their life,” Aria giggled slightly, as slight thunder echoed. “Maybe it’s tonight, and that’s why she’s so desperate..I get it, since no one is able to understand her.” Aria whispered this, as if she instinctively felt something overheard her.
The wind howled its eerie symphony.
“Do you hear that?” Aria whispered, looking behind her.
“Did you see that?” Xavier said, pointing his flashlight at a strange yellow glowing strand, branching off from a dark silhouette.
Aria looked back in front of her, and saw nothing. “Yeah, no.” Aria then began to point her body to the direction of the observatory. “She’ll come back-”
Faint, yellow eyes glowed in the distance…
Dark skin that wasn’t visible in such darkness…
Long blonde hair that flowed ceremoniously…
It was her, Dr. Astra Sera.
“What the-” Aria’s heart almost dropped!
“Did you find her-” Xavier spun around, and he too, saw her, flabbergasted.
There she was, wearing nothing more than her robe.
“Why are you like this, Dr. Sera?” Xavier shouted in exasperation.
“I’m sure both of you know why.” Astra said coldly, her voice audible. She walked closer to both of them, and even at such a distance, her tall figure overshadowed them. “This was my life’s work, and I wanted to see it happen.” Astra stopped and stared at them, her body still not fully visible. “Maybe you’re right Aria, maybe I am desperate…”
Hairs stood up from their skin.
It was at this moment the duo fully understood that Astra’s behavior was unlike anyone else’s.
Sure, she had a strangely personal passion - to the point where she even left her family to pursue her dreams, but that’s because she’s dedicated as a scientist! Sure, she was a genius, but it allowed her to rise to chief NASA astronomer at age 17, revolutionize astronomy, and inspire millions! Sure, even though she does not feel a connection with other people when she talks about other realms and dimensions, she was still able to socialize effortlessly! Sure, she was weird, but also outstanding! Plus, every human is weird in their own way.
However…on this night, Astra didn’t feel human at all.
Astra sighed. “It doesn’t seem like it’s happening after all…”
“Why are you outside in the first place…? There is equipment-” Xavier began, but…
“That won’t work in this weather. My eyes are better suited for that.”
Aria laughs nervously. “What are you, an alien?”
“If I say that I was, would you believe me?” Astra asks.
“Um…”
“Perhaps that’s the reason for my strange behavior, right? Perhaps my nature just allows me to be this way, right? Perhaps that’s the reason why I came out here, to chase something that ended up being a false signal?”
Astra smiles.
“Yes, maybe if I was a normal human, none of this would have happened, and I would’ve enjoyed time and connected with everyone here properly instead of pursuing something I never fully understood.”
The duo was speechless. This was the first time Astra had ever shown any of this type of emotion. What can they possibly say to someone like her? They thought.
Suddenly, the wind stopped, and the air began to heat up. Soon enough, the rain began to stop, and the snow vanished.
An eerie, ringing-like sound echoed. Then nothing happened, and a short silence ensued.
…
And then, the entire night sky shattered like glass! Xavier and Aria were paralyzed in astonishment as they looked!
Shockwaves reverberated throughout the atmosphere like ripples on water, the sound of a thousand thunderbolts accompanying the cracks like a divine dance!
Iridescent colors and light spilled out of the cracks and started to fill the sky like paint spilling out of a bucket. A bright white light shone through these colors - so much so that it can be mistaken for daytime. This was not merely a natural event, like a storm, this thing was alive, and reality bent itself to pave way for it.
The heavens had come down, and it wanted the one who cries out for connection, Astra Sera!