Stars

by Amy W., 16

Ari gazed upwards. She traced constellations with her finger: a dog, a cat. There was the brave archer, the faithful horse. A meteor shot across the night sky, and she put her arms back behind her head, the grass wet against her back.

When was the last time she had lain like this? She couldn’t remember. But she did remember her older sister, who’d died saving the village when the enemy set fire to the fields. Why did she do such a thing? Had she forgotten about her little sister? Ari felt a stab of resentment, like she had every day, ever since her sister died. And then she was overcome with a wave of guilt. What if she forgot about her older sister? After all, it’d only been a few months yet she couldn’t recall the freckles on Maria’s face anymore.

Maria had always been adventure prone. Maybe that’s why she repeatedly ran towards the fire, holding buckets of water in order to combat it. Leaning back, Ari remembered the last time they’d sat together under the stars.

“Ari,” her older sister said, “do you see that? Looks like the farmer’s old dog, doesn’t it?”

“But Maria,” Ari replied, “That’s not a constellation!”

“Of course it is,” Maria had laughed, “those scholars have it all wrong, if you look closely you can see the remnants of people who’ve passed on. That’s why we grow wiser each generation, because we have the guidance of those people and animals.”

Ari thought she saw the shape of the beloved, faithful dog.

“And do you see that? Over there, the shape of a bone—that’s your puppy Rusher’s favorite toy,” she continued.

“Maria, that could be any bone!” Ari exclaimed.

“Everyone sees it differently. To me, it’s his favorite toy. Maybe to the widow down the street, it’s her husband’s favorite hat.”

“It … It looks like his collar,” Ari said finally.

Maria smiled. “There you go!”

Still looking up, Ari thought she could see her sister’s figure. Part of her knew it was only part of a constellation the scholars had named, but the other half was glad her sister was still somewhere.

Bellevue, Washington