10.01.2004
The Cosmos, Chapter I
This is a story, or rather, a fairy tale, that I wrote for Sci10 class as my project. It's about the origin of the universe...
I have incorporated in here my own beliefs and idealogies about the subject matter.
Here's chapter 1.
~To Which We Are Introduced To Stella And Her Question~
Once upon a time, in the third planet from the sun Helios, in the planet we know as Earth, there lived a child who dreamt of stars, galaxies and universes beyond. The child’s name was Stella.
Stella had been fascinated by the stars as long as she could remember. Every night, she would gaze at the sky, marvel at how beautiful the heavenly bodies are and count all the stars that she could see (she never got discouraged at counting the uncountable at all.) and make out patterns amongst them that only she could see. (she had formed a bear, a W, a sheep...even that of a man!)And everyday, she never fails to ask her mother and her father questions about the stars, the moon, and galaxies far, far away.
"Mama, where do stars come from?" she would ask her mother every morning as Stella helped her in cleaning the house.
“Stars came from…other stars.” Her mother would answer every time.
“So you mean there are baby stars and mama stars, and baby stars came from mama stars just like babies come from mommies?”
Stella’s mother would then laugh a little and would pat her daughter’s head. It’s like that, but it’s more complicated.
“How is it more complicated then?” Stella would ask further.
“You ask too many questions. You’ll understand when you’re older. Why don’t you go ask papa?”, her mother would always answer, and Stella would always pout in return. She would then go to their living room and ask her father the same question she had ask her mother.
“Papa,” Stella would ask her father who was sitting on their couch, reading the morning paper. “Where do stars come from?”
Her father would then answer her without even taking his sight of the newspaper.“Stars were formed from clouds of dust and energy.”
“Dust and energy?” Stella would repeat, more confused than ever. “How do you make dust and energy then?”
Stella’s father would then put down the paper, adjust his glasses and pat her daughter on the head softly. “It’s complicated. You wouldn’t understand. Why don’t you play outside with your friends and ask them what they think about it?”
Stella would then pout in return, walk towards their door and put on her slippers, and play with her friends. Neither of her parents knew the answer…maybe her friends do.“Do you know where stars came from?” Stella would ask them before they played hide and seek, I Spy, tag and pretend.
“My mama said stars are the children of the sun and the moon.” One of her friends would reply.
“Papa said they were the tears of angels who lived in heaven.” Another of her friends would say.
“Stars are the crystals that the space pirates are after!” one of Stella’s male friends would answer. With this, all of them, except Stella, would laugh in delight and proceed with playing pretend space pirates hunting for priceless gems and other treasures.
Disappointed, Stella would proceed to her room, ponder on what the answer to her question might be, and draw suns and stars and moons and planets all day long.
Until one night, while gazing up at the night sky from her window, Stella saw a shooting star…
“Oh, shooting star, I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight…” Stella solemnly prayed. She closed her eyes for a minute or so, and yawned.
It was time to go to sleep, she decided.
Tomorrow, she would again ask her mother and father and friends the question that bothered her the most, and maybe they will know the answer by then.
But tonight, she would sleep, and dream of the stars…And of her wish.
I wish I could go up to where the stars are and ask them how they came to be.
***
Reported @ 10:34 AM
