text: Above the city, the moon shined splendidly, but the stars that littered the nighttime sky were nowhere to be found. Bursts of thunder echoed throughout the city while streaks of lightning crawled their way across the sky, but the storm clouds that usually contained them were just as absent as the stars. “Must. Reach. The gate.” A man panted frantically to himself as he sprinted underneath a towering overpass. A trail of stars followed from behind him as he exited the concrete labyrinth and stepped into its desolate sandy outskirts. He stopped sharply to catch his breath and looked outward towards a royal, luminous gate. It was planted roughly 300 yards from the edge of the city, but it’s brilliant glow could be seen shooting upward towards the heavens from any hidden alleyway or cloud clinging rooftop the city had to offer. The man was dressed in a bright carrot colored 3 piece suit, with matching slip on loafers and diamond shaped cufflinks pinned to each of his sleeves. A pile of stars, once belonging to the cosmos, sat in his arm cradled to his stomach. He looked down at the stars and began shuffling through them with his free hand. “Sirius.. Where is Sirius?” He mumbled worrily. The flick of his wrist grew more aggressive as he fumbled through the pile in search of the missing star. He dedicated a short yet stressful 30 seconds to his search before giving up and turning back around to face the city. He began to survey the trail of stars that he had left behind and hopped up onto his tip-toes in efforts to catch a glimpse of the star’s glimmer from a slightly elevated point of view. His pupil caught the shine of the star almost immediately as it sat firmly in the sand a few feet in front of him. “Brightest in the sky, brightest on the ground.” He said to himself, as he began to walk toward the star. His heels sunk into the sand and kicked up small piles of the soft golden dust with each step he took. He counted out 8 sand sulking steps before he reached the bright blue ball of fire. He bent down, picked the orb up with his bare hands, and placed it in his inner jacket pocket. Several more of the sand scattered stars found themselves being picked up and placed into the man’s star pile before he finally stood up and turned back around. Once again, his heels flipped in and out of the sand as he made his way forward towards the gate. He took the same 8 steps back to where he initially stood, but this time, instead of being met with a bright burning cosmic bulb, his eighth step was met with a voice. “Hey, you there!” The voice shouted from behind him. The man paused at the sound of the unfamiliar voice. He flexed the muscles in his arm, securing the stars as tightly as he possibly could, and slowly turned his body back around. There in front of him, underneath the overpass he had run through just a few moments prior, stood a short, stocky, muscular man. The stars spilled on the sand between them shined a substantial amount of light onto the stranger, allowing the star snatcher a perfect opportunity to analyze him. He wore a thick, long sleeved dark blue shirt, baggy dark blue pants, jet black combat boots, and a white helmet with the word “POLICE” splattered on either side. A utility belt littered with handcuffs, keys, a large baton, a flashlight, and a standard issue Glock 22 was wrapped tightly around his waist. “Are you talking to me, officer?” The man replied calmly. “Who else would I be talkin’ too?” The officer spat back. His tone was as blunt and aggressive as the black baton that sat on his hip. “Ah yes, my apologies. Is there something I can help you with?” “Real funny. That sounds like somethin’ I should be askin’ you.” “Oh, you’re far too kind, but I don’t need any help. I’m doing just fine! Thank you for the offer though.” “Quit slitherin’ that silver tongue a’yours ‘fore I stomp my way over there and rip it out. Now what do you think you’re doin’ with all them stars you got there?” “No need to worry about all that. I was actually just leaving.” “Leavin’? Takin’ all those stars with ya? Where ya headed to?” “Well I believe that’s rather obvious. I’m off to the gate, of course.” The officer snarled and placed his hand on the top of his holster. “Like hell you are. Ain’t no man ever stepped foot in or outta’ that damn thing. ‘Specially not on my watch.” “Well it seems your watch may be broken, officer. I’ve traveled through this gate more times than I can count. You know, you really should get that watch looked at. After all, what good is a watch that can’t tell time?” “Alright, enough of the chit chat!” Barked the officer as he unbuttoned his holster. “Drop the stars and put your hands up high where I can see ‘em.” “But I’ve only just picked them back up.” “I said put your goddamn hands up! Do it now!” The man stood still and smirked. “May I just ask: Why does it matter what happens to these stars? You have no use for them. They’ve been scattered on the ground across this cesspool you call a city for quite some time now.” “That don’t matter. This is *my* city, and them stars don’t belong to you.” “Well of course they don’t belong to *me.* I was sent here to retrieve them.” “Sent by who?” “The king, of course!” “The king? Ain’t no king rulin’ over this here city.” “Yes, yes, this is *your* city, you’ve already made yourself very clear about that. Listen, I really don’t have time for these dramatics. The king is expecting me to arrive with his stars any minute now, and I can’t imagine he’d be very happy with me if I were to arrive even a second late. So if you don’t mind, I’ll just be on my-” “STOP!” Screamed the officer, as he ripped his handgun from its holster. He gripped it tightly with both of his hands and aimed it at the man’s chest. “One more move and I’ll shoot.” The man stood still and stared directly down the short barrel of the officer's gun. He felt his heart rate rise gradually, but continued to hold himself in a calm, cool, and collected manner. Tiny beads of sweat began to form at the brim of his hairline, and the hairs on the back of his neck sprouted upward. He shook his star bearing arm up and down hastily as his mind attempted to conjure up a way for him to escape. The officer, whose face was now just as bright as the man’s suit, took a step forward. “I ain't lettin’ you anywhere near that gate. You’re comin’ with me.” The officer said sternly as he pulled the handcuffs out from their waist-clipped holder. “I assure you, there is no need for this. You’d be committing a great disservice to the king and his people if you don’t allow me to travel back through the gate with these stars.” The officer ignored the man and continued to walk towards him. The man, although still maintaining his composure, silently began to panic. His mind began to overload with thoughts of what might happen if he failed to return the stars back to his king, or what his peers may think of him. As his thoughts continued to pile up, he found his lips begin to open. With no destination of where the words would end up, he began to speak. “Don’t you ever wonder how the stars managed to find themselves on the ground of your city?” The man asked curiously. “Hell if I know. I ain’t got no time to worry ‘bout all that.” The officer replied. “It’s because they’ve fallen. Surely you’ve heard of, or perhaps even seen a shooting star before?” “‘Course I have! But that ain’t actually no star shootin’ across the sky.” “I beg your pardon?” “Everybody knows shootin’ star’s ain’t actually stars! They’re just meteors, or comets, or space junk.” “No, no. My goodness, is that actually what they tell you down here? Those aren’t just space rocks, they-” The man paused. Suddenly, without warning, an idea had finally found its way to the front lines of his mind. “Officer, please allow me to tell you a bit about myself.” “I told you what I was fixin’ to do if you kept flappin’ that silver tongue ‘a yours.” Threatened the officer, who was now only one foot step away from being completely face to face with the man. “Yes, I know, but I believe you may find my background to be profoundly entertaining, and it in fact might just convince you to let me go. Besides, with a broken watch, time may as well be frozen still, right? I don’t suppose you have anywhere to be that couldn’t wait a few extra minutes?” The officer stared at the man for a moment and exhaled sharply before eventually lowering his pistol. He placed the gun back in its holster and snapped it shut, but he continued to hold onto his handcuffs. The man took his change of posture as his cue to elaborate. “You see, that gate you see there, it-” “What’s your name?” The officer interrupted. “I beg your pardon?” The man replied. “Y’know, your name. What do they call you wherever the hell you're from?” “Oh, right, my apologies. You may call me Alastar. Alastar Phoenix, of the Phoenix family. My family has served the King for generations, and I am the current heir of my family’s position.” “You keep spoutin’ on and on about this damn King, but I ain’t never heard a’ no king ‘round here.” “Well that’s because my King is not the King of this land. My Lord has many names amongst our vast universe - The Constellation King, The King of The Cosmos, The King of the Stars. Everything you see above you is ruled by my King. And just beyond that gate, that glowing, glorious gate, is his kingdom. That is my home.” “Alright, that's enough. I ain’t gonna sit here and listen to you spit all this hoo-donkey nonsense about some king in the stars. Drop the stars and put’chur hands behind-” “Have you ever heard of the war of constellations?” Alastar quickly interjected. “You must at least have heard of some sort of war throughout your planet's history, yes?” “‘Course I have. I ain’t no rookie to the battlefield.” “Ah, so you can understand! You see, right above you, although you can’t see it with your naked eyes, is a catastrophic, unparalleled ongoing cosmic war. For eons, my people have been giving their lives to defend my King, his kingdom, and the people who serve him. Regular people, just like the ones here on your planet, have been slaughtered for generations defending their King.” “You sure do spit a lotta’ fairytales. Ain't nobody ever heard ‘a no cosmic war down here. Where’s your proof of all this anyway? What makes you think I’m gonna believe a single word that slivers outta your mouth?” “My proof? Why, these stars are all the proof I need! They flood your city with their light, and their heat, and their glory, but nobody seems to care. You must hear the sounds of our war late at night, can’t you? The flashing, pulsating lights that fill up your nighttime sky? The eruptions that sound off throughout the night?” “You mean the storms?” “Storms? You believe them to be nothing but storms? Where is the rain? Where are the clouds? Surely you can’t truly believe in such a thing as an invisible storm.” “The News says it’s just storms.” “Your News networks lie. Your educators lie. Your governments lie!” “Well that ain’t no concern ‘a mine. Only thing I care about is keepin’ my city safe from people like you who sneak around and try to tarnish it. Besides, ain’t no war happenin’ down here. Least not nowadays.” “But of course there have been wars in the past. You yourself claimed to be no stranger to the battlefield! Don’t you remember how it felt to be a part of something so cruel?” “That ain’t none ‘a your business.” “But you must remember the heartbreak!” “Don’t push it!” Shouted the officer, as he took a step forward and grabbed Alastar by his collar. He pulled him into his chest and gripped his shirt with a force that Alastar had never experienced before. Several of the stars tucked into Alastars arm fell from their pile and sprinkled onto the sand below. The two men locked eyes, both of them refusing to blink or break eye contact from the other. The stare-off continued for what felt like an eternity before Alastar finally broke his gaze by aiming his sights towards the sky. “Please, you must understand. These are more than just stars. These are my comrades. I must bring them home.” Alastar begged. Small puddles of tears began to well along the underside of his eyelids. The officer’s eyes widened as he noticed Alastar’s composure begin to unfold. He took a deep breath, let go of his shirt, and allowed Alastar to fall to his knees before him. He watched as the poor, star scavenging man sobbed. “Before a soldier heads off to war, a part of his soul is collected by the King and is molded into a new star. This is treated as a badge of honor amongst the entire kingdom. An honor of the utmost righteous caliber. From there on, the star is sent outward into the heavens, where it will burn and shine nobly, while the soldier is sent off into hell to fight. If the stars continue to shine, that means our soldiers continue to fight. But when a soldier dies, the remainder of his soul dies with him, and all that’s left is the sliver of soul that sits at the heart of his star. And if his star doesn’t have enough time to age and grow into itself in the sky, that's when it falls. A fallen star signifies a fallen soldier. If a star stays put on the ground for long enough, it burns out and withers away. But if the star is retrieved quickly enough, it can be placed back in it’s rightful spot in the sky! If a star can be returned, it will once again shine proudly for all to see, never to be forgotten. Even after a soldier has passed, the light of his star can live on and prove to our enemies that we shall never stop fighting. We fight for our King! We fight for our people! We fight for the light! And that, my dear officer, is why I have been sent down here tonight. I must collect as many stars as I can and hand them over to my King, so he can place them back where they belong. These stars are more than just stars. I must not let them be forgotten.” A grueling gust of wind wisped its way through the two men, picking up piles of sand and dormant stars and flinging them several yards away from where the pair stood. The drums of war, once mistaken by the officer to be claps of thunder, pronounced themself assertively above the city. The officer huffed a deep breath, tilted his head upward towards the sky, closed his eyes, and listened intently. Alastar, who remained kneeling down in the sand, wiped the tears from his eyes and stared up at the officer. The men remained cold and motionless until the wind finally halted. Then, to Alastar’s astonishment, the officer opened his eyes, looked downward, and held his hand out to him. Alastar stared at the veiny hand for a moment before reaching out and taking it. He used every ounce of will and strength left in his bones to plant his feet in the sand, and with the help of the officer, he stood up. “Alright. ‘S’go.” The officer grumbled, letting go of Alastar’s hand and placing his handcuffs back into their designated waist holder. “You’re letting me go? Honestly? Oh sir, I can’t thank you enough! Truly, you have no idea how much this will mean to my King and my people. I promise, once I-” “What’d I tell you ‘bout that damn silver tongue?” “Right, right. Well then.” The two men walked together side by side, silently, and finally calm. They walked sluggishly, each kicking up small piles of sand with their heels after each step. Alastar stared down and flipped his fingers through his pile of stars, mumbling each of their names one by one. “Polaris.. Vega.. Betelgeuse.. Rigel..” It took the men 3 measly minutes to travel the 300 yard trek from the tip of the city to the gate. Upon their arrival, they were greeted by a dull, comforting blanket of heat. The gate hummed somberly, and a hint of ominous purple light could be seen leaking out from the crack in the middle where the two doors would part once they were opened. Alastar turned to face the officer, who was staring at the gate in a temporarily hypnotized state, and smiled. “Lift your sleeve.” Said Alastar. “What’s that now?” The officer replied, breaking loose from his trance. “Lift your sleeve. I want to take a look at your watch.” The officer obliged and lifted his left sleeve up to his elbow. Underneath it sat a shiny, silver, non-ticking watch. “Just as I thought.” Whispered Alastar. He smirked, pulled the left breast of his jacket forward, reached his free hand inside, and pulled out the star he had tucked inside of it just moments before the two met. “This is Sirius. The brightest star in the sky. And a very, very good friend of mine.” He reached his arm out towards the officer and placed the star on the top of his watch. He held it there and watched as its shine briefly intensified for about five seconds, before eventually returning to its original glow. As he pulled the star off of the officer's wrist, the watch began to tick. “There you go. All fixed.” Alastar said with a smile. “Well, I must be going now. The King will have my head if I'm even a millisecond late.” “Now just wait one second.” Interjected the officer. “Now let’s say I really do believe everythin’ you told me t’night. All them stories ‘bout the war, and the king, and the souls in the stars and what not. Now, if all that’s true and not a whole load’a hoo-donkey.. Well then why do they lie to us down here?” Alastar paused and thought about the question. He was unsure of how to answer it without upsetting the officer, and he had no intentions of adding fuel to the fire of an already unstable society by telling him that his entire planet was seeded in deception and corruption. “Well, I suppose they may not be aware of the real truth, so they create fantasies to appeal to the masses.” “But that still don’t make no sense to me. Why lie? We ain’t as dumb as they might think, y’know. We can think for ourselves. All they gotta do is just tell us they don’t know the real answers.” “Well officer, not everything is as it seems. Let me put it this way: When a star runs its course and finally burns out, the light it let’s off can still be seen for years to the people on the planets who surround it. Light needs time to travel far distances. So even though a star has burnt out, it still appears alive and well to the naked eye.” “I don’t think I’m gettin’ get what your tryin’ ‘a say.” “Even the stars lie, officer.” The officer stood silently and motionlessly. His eyes latched onto Alastar’s and didn’t let go. Alastar had surprisingly grown rather fond of the officer in the final few minutes they had shared together, but he had officially run out of time. “Well, I must be going now. Thank you again, Officer...” “Don.” The officer replied sharply. “Right. Thank you, Officer Don.” Officer Don nodded his head and released a faint yet noticeable smile. He looked down at his wrist and watched the small hand on his watch tick. “Oh, one last thing.” Alastar proclaimed. “Once I walk through this gate and the doors close behind me, keep an eye on that watch. Stare at it for 30 seconds, and then look up.” Alastar smiled, glanced outward at the city one last time, and then turned around to face the gate. He lifted Sirius up to the doors of the gate, and held it there as its shine intensified. The gate made a loud, clunky sound, which indicated the star had done its job by unlocking it. Without anymore hesitation, Alastar closed his eyes, took a deep breath in, tightened his grip on his pile of stars, and pushed through the doors. A strong ray of purple light flooded the sandy outskirts for just a moment as Alastar walked through the gate, and then quickly vanished the moment the doors closed. Officer Don did exactly as he was instructed and immediately looked back down at his watch. He watched the small hand tick slowly and counted down along with the watch. As the hand hit the 15 second mark, he felt a single tear begin to form in the corner of his left eye. He remained there, steady, unblinking, and counted down the last five seconds. “5.. 4.. 3.. 2..” On the final second, he dropped his arm back down to his side, and aimed his sights upward. He watched in awe as the nighttime sky began to flood with stars right before his eyes. One by one, each star popped back into existence, just as Alastar said it would. He felt the tear drop fall from his eyelid and slowly make its way down the side of his face. His cheeks began to rise, revealing his teeth that shined just as brightly as the new stars in the sky. He pointed out some of the stars he remembered and listed them each, just as Alastar had done. “Polaris.. Vega.. Betelgeuse.. Rigel.. Wait, but.. Where is-” Just before he was able to mutter the star's name, Sirius flashed its way into existence. He bellowed out a deep, powerful laugh, and allowed his eyes to shower his cheeks with tears. He took a seat in the sand and kept his gaze on the heavens. He placed both of his hands in the sand, leaned back, and ran his fingers through the warm, blonde powder. The sky was shining brighter than he had ever seen before. His heart beat slowly and steadily, and for the first time in his life, he felt at peace. He sat comfortably in the sand and spent the rest of his night listening to his watch tick, and watching the stars shine in all their glory.