Let's Talk About the Stars

Crickets, frogs and the gentle lapping of the clear water against the rocks are the only sounds tonight. The natural rhythm puts her at ease, creating a bubble of quiet calm around her on a dark night.

With her toes in the water, Estrella leans back against the still sun-warmed rock so she can look up into the sky. She tries to block out the sides of her vision with her hands, imagining herself falling into the ocean of stars for a long, meditative moment before bringing herself back to the present.

A terrible memory nags at her thoughts, and she tries to acknowledge it each time it comes up, but she wishes for reprieve. A night to forget, or maybe an hour where the pain doesn't weigh down in her stomach. She shakes her head free of the memory, allowing it to drift into the background until it decides to visit her again.

The stars, that's what she needs right now, a distraction, a moment to enjoy without a caveat.

Her eyes have turned skyward once more when she picks up the snapping of a branch. Her shoulders stiffen and her pupils widen. She tells herself it must be a deer, or a racoon. The woods are full of wild things simply going about their business - it's certainly just an animal, she thinks.