Short Story : First And Final Light
Norman’s brand new telescope was the best present he had ever received.
His uncle had bought it for his twelfth birthday, and told him that it was the sort of present that a teenager would love. Norman wasn’t a teenager for another year, but the idea of having what he saw as a grown up present made him feel very mature. Plus he absolutely loved astronomy.
The night of his birthday, Norman changed into his pyjamas and, as a special treat, his parents allowed his uncle to help him set the telescope up next to his bedroom window. It didn’t take long, and Norman took the first look through the eyepiece, looking forward to a close inspection of the night sky.
“I can’t see anything,” he said to his uncle, sounding more than a little disappointed.
“Give it a minute,” his uncle said, looking round at Norman’s mum and dad who were standing patiently in the doorway, “You need to focus the lenses, then you’ll see something.”
Norman focussed the lenses, following the instructions that had come with the telescope, but it was no use. He still couldn’t see anything.
“Maybe it’s too foggy out,” Norman’s mum suggested, even thought the weather was perfectly clear, “You can try again tomorrow night.”
Norman frowned at his parents, then frowned even harder at his uncle.
“Why didn’t it work?” he asked the three adults, “I wanted to see the stars.”
“You can try again tomorrow night,” his uncle said, “If you’re very lucky, you might have a clear night.”
“Okay then,” Norman said half-heartedly, watching his uncle leave the room with his parents. He climbed into bed and pulled the covers up to his chin as his bedroom door slowly closed.
Once the door was shut, Norman sprang back out of the bed, running over to the telescope. He grabbed the focus knob and twisted it left and right, peering through the eyepiece in the hope of seeing something.
Anything.
After what seemed like hours to Norman but had in fact only been a couple of minutes, he finally saw a light!
The first light he’d seen through a telescope.
“Wow!” Norman mouthed quietly, watching the light twinkle in the night sky. It was the only visible light in the entire area that he could see, and Norman couldn’t tell if it was a star or a distant planet. The possibilities raced around Norman’s head as he thought about what it might be. Maybe it was a star that no-one else had ever seen before! He could name it.
Norman’s Star!
No. That was ridiculous. If he could see it on what his parents insisted was such an overcast night, the chances were it was an ancient star that had been discovered hundreds of years ago.
Still, he could dream.
The next morning, Norman bounced out of bed and ran over to his telescope. He looked through the eyepiece in the hope of seeing the light again, even though the sun had been up for at least an hour.
Surprisingly, the light was still in the sky.
And just as visible as the night before.
Norman couldn’t believe his luck. If anything the light looked brighter than last night, and he was so pleased that it was still there that he raced downstairs to tell his parents over breakfast.
“I found a star!” Norman beamed as he grabbed a box of cereal from the dining table and poured it into a bowl.
“That’s brilliant, Norman,” his mum said, “I hope you weren’t up all night looking for constellations.”
“No mum, I only found the one star” Norman poured milk over his cereal, “And it’s still there this morning.”
“That must be a very bright star,” Norman’s dad chuckled, “Are you sure it isn’t a lamp post?”
“Don’t be silly dad,” Norman felt more than a little upset about his dad’s comment, “I think I’m old enough to tell the difference between a star and a lamp post.”
“It might be Venus,” Norman’s mum said supportively, “Sometimes that can be seen in the day and it looks like a star. I think they even call it the Morning Star.”
“I think that’s the Evening star, dear,” his dad corrected.
“Actually you’re both correct,” Norman smiled. After all, he did know a fair bit about astronomy, “It just depends on what time of day you see it.”
Norman’s dad humphed, not liking being told that he’d corrected his wife for no reason.
“Do you want to come and take a look?” Norman asked his parents, “You might still be able to see it. It’s really pretty.”
“Maybe later on,” said his mum, “We’ve got to get ready for work, and you’ve got to get ready for school.”
Norman frowned. He didn’t want to go to school, not when he could be playing with his new telescope and looking at his new star.
But he did what his parents told him to.
After school, Norman raced home and ran up the stairs to his bedroom. He threw his school bag onto his bed and grabbed hold of the telescope, peering back though the eyepiece at his special star.
Norman looked away, feeling confused, then looked back through the eyepiece.
The star looked even larger.
“That can’t be right,” Norman told himself, taking another look. It was definitely larger, and now Norman could make out the outer edges of the star. They flickered with light, what looked like flames licking off the edges and churning into the cosmos.
This was amazing!
He had to tell his parents!
Norman ran down stairs, where he found his mum preparing dinner in the kitchen.
“Mum! Mum!” he shouted.
“What is it, dear?” she asked patiently.
“The star,” he said, “it’s getting bigger!”
“Don’t be silly,” his mum told him, “Stars don’t get bigger. Maybe you changed the magnification.”
“I didn’t!” he insisted, “I had it set on maximum last night and this morning. That star is definitely bigger.”
“Maybe it’s a different star,” his mum suggested, “Maybe you moved the telescope and you’re looking in a different direction.”
“There are no other stars,” Norman ensured her, “This is the only one I can see, and it’s getting bigger.”
“I told you, stars don’t get bigger,” his mum insisted.
Norman looked down at his feet, thinking hard.
“Maybe it’s getting closer!” he cried.
“Now Norman,” his mum said, sounding angry as she put down her dish cloth, “I’ve had just about enough of your silly stories. Now go to your room and do your homework until dinner’s ready.”
Norman stared at his mum, wanting to shout at her for not believing him, but he did what he was told and went to his room.
But he didn’t do his homework.
Instead he looked at the star, watching it flicker in the late afternoon sky.
“Maybe it’s a comet,’ he thought to himself, “That would make sense. Maybe it’s moving towards us, not getting bigger.”
But it wasn’t a comet.
The next morning Norman bounced out of bed to check on the object in the sky. Just like the morning before, it appeared to have increased in size. Norman couldn’t be absolutely sure, but he thought he could see it rolling over and over, flames flickering off its body as it continued its journey.
It was definitely getting closer.
After about a week, Norman started noticing other strange things, and he wasn’t the only one.
The weather had become decidedly warmer, and considering it was November in London, this was not normal.
The weatherman on the news commented on what he referred to as an ‘Indian summer’, but no-one had mentioned the star, comet or whatever it was heading their way. Maybe Norman was the only one that had seen it, but after a week of watching it through his telescope, Norman could now see it quite clearly in the sky without the aid of any magnifying tool.
His parents finally listened to him and came to look at the object in the night sky.
“What is it?” his dad asked.
“I don’t know,” his mum replied, “Maybe it’s just a meteor.”
“It looks pretty big for a meteor,” Norman commented, “And if it was, it would have hit by now. Unless it’s incredibly huge.”
The next morning, finally, someone mentioned the object on the news.
“I told you it was a star,” Norman smiled as the news anchor told the breaking news story.
The story was not good news.
“A star appears to have been ejected from its galaxy at some far distance from our own solar system,” the anchor tried to explain in layman’s terms, “This may have happened hundreds, if not thousands of years ago, and the star has been heading our way ever since on a deadly path of destruction. This explains why the night sky has seemed so empty in recent weeks, in spite of mostly clear nights, as the star has been destroying star systems in its wake. Scientists estimate that the star will not make contact with the Earth for at least another fifty years, but its effects on our own sun may be felt in a matter of days. High temperatures should be expected, and we recommend that everyone stay inside. We advise you all to contact your loved ones and prepare for the inevitable”
Norman stared at his parents, who looked terrified.
“What does it mean?” he asked, not quite understanding what the news reported had just said.
“I don’t know, son,” his mother said, looking out the window at the ball of flame that seemed to be increasing in size even as she watched, “I really don’t know.”
“Are we going to die?” Norman asked, looking imploringly at his parents, “Is this my fault, because I saw it through the telescope? I wanted to see the stars, but not like this.”
“It’s not your fault,” Norman’s dad smiled weakly, tousling his son’s hair as he put his other arm around his wife, “Sometimes these things just happen, and there’s nothing anyone can do.”
Originally Posted 1/4/2015
Result - 1st Place
His uncle had bought it for his twelfth birthday, and told him that it was the sort of present that a teenager would love. Norman wasn’t a teenager for another year, but the idea of having what he saw as a grown up present made him feel very mature. Plus he absolutely loved astronomy.
The night of his birthday, Norman changed into his pyjamas and, as a special treat, his parents allowed his uncle to help him set the telescope up next to his bedroom window. It didn’t take long, and Norman took the first look through the eyepiece, looking forward to a close inspection of the night sky.
“I can’t see anything,” he said to his uncle, sounding more than a little disappointed.
“Give it a minute,” his uncle said, looking round at Norman’s mum and dad who were standing patiently in the doorway, “You need to focus the lenses, then you’ll see something.”
Norman focussed the lenses, following the instructions that had come with the telescope, but it was no use. He still couldn’t see anything.
“Maybe it’s too foggy out,” Norman’s mum suggested, even thought the weather was perfectly clear, “You can try again tomorrow night.”
Norman frowned at his parents, then frowned even harder at his uncle.
“Why didn’t it work?” he asked the three adults, “I wanted to see the stars.”
“You can try again tomorrow night,” his uncle said, “If you’re very lucky, you might have a clear night.”
“Okay then,” Norman said half-heartedly, watching his uncle leave the room with his parents. He climbed into bed and pulled the covers up to his chin as his bedroom door slowly closed.
Once the door was shut, Norman sprang back out of the bed, running over to the telescope. He grabbed the focus knob and twisted it left and right, peering through the eyepiece in the hope of seeing something.
Anything.
After what seemed like hours to Norman but had in fact only been a couple of minutes, he finally saw a light!
The first light he’d seen through a telescope.
“Wow!” Norman mouthed quietly, watching the light twinkle in the night sky. It was the only visible light in the entire area that he could see, and Norman couldn’t tell if it was a star or a distant planet. The possibilities raced around Norman’s head as he thought about what it might be. Maybe it was a star that no-one else had ever seen before! He could name it.
Norman’s Star!
No. That was ridiculous. If he could see it on what his parents insisted was such an overcast night, the chances were it was an ancient star that had been discovered hundreds of years ago.
Still, he could dream.
The next morning, Norman bounced out of bed and ran over to his telescope. He looked through the eyepiece in the hope of seeing the light again, even though the sun had been up for at least an hour.
Surprisingly, the light was still in the sky.
And just as visible as the night before.
Norman couldn’t believe his luck. If anything the light looked brighter than last night, and he was so pleased that it was still there that he raced downstairs to tell his parents over breakfast.
“I found a star!” Norman beamed as he grabbed a box of cereal from the dining table and poured it into a bowl.
“That’s brilliant, Norman,” his mum said, “I hope you weren’t up all night looking for constellations.”
“No mum, I only found the one star” Norman poured milk over his cereal, “And it’s still there this morning.”
“That must be a very bright star,” Norman’s dad chuckled, “Are you sure it isn’t a lamp post?”
“Don’t be silly dad,” Norman felt more than a little upset about his dad’s comment, “I think I’m old enough to tell the difference between a star and a lamp post.”
“It might be Venus,” Norman’s mum said supportively, “Sometimes that can be seen in the day and it looks like a star. I think they even call it the Morning Star.”
“I think that’s the Evening star, dear,” his dad corrected.
“Actually you’re both correct,” Norman smiled. After all, he did know a fair bit about astronomy, “It just depends on what time of day you see it.”
Norman’s dad humphed, not liking being told that he’d corrected his wife for no reason.
“Do you want to come and take a look?” Norman asked his parents, “You might still be able to see it. It’s really pretty.”
“Maybe later on,” said his mum, “We’ve got to get ready for work, and you’ve got to get ready for school.”
Norman frowned. He didn’t want to go to school, not when he could be playing with his new telescope and looking at his new star.
But he did what his parents told him to.
After school, Norman raced home and ran up the stairs to his bedroom. He threw his school bag onto his bed and grabbed hold of the telescope, peering back though the eyepiece at his special star.
Norman looked away, feeling confused, then looked back through the eyepiece.
The star looked even larger.
“That can’t be right,” Norman told himself, taking another look. It was definitely larger, and now Norman could make out the outer edges of the star. They flickered with light, what looked like flames licking off the edges and churning into the cosmos.
This was amazing!
He had to tell his parents!
Norman ran down stairs, where he found his mum preparing dinner in the kitchen.
“Mum! Mum!” he shouted.
“What is it, dear?” she asked patiently.
“The star,” he said, “it’s getting bigger!”
“Don’t be silly,” his mum told him, “Stars don’t get bigger. Maybe you changed the magnification.”
“I didn’t!” he insisted, “I had it set on maximum last night and this morning. That star is definitely bigger.”
“Maybe it’s a different star,” his mum suggested, “Maybe you moved the telescope and you’re looking in a different direction.”
“There are no other stars,” Norman ensured her, “This is the only one I can see, and it’s getting bigger.”
“I told you, stars don’t get bigger,” his mum insisted.
Norman looked down at his feet, thinking hard.
“Maybe it’s getting closer!” he cried.
“Now Norman,” his mum said, sounding angry as she put down her dish cloth, “I’ve had just about enough of your silly stories. Now go to your room and do your homework until dinner’s ready.”
Norman stared at his mum, wanting to shout at her for not believing him, but he did what he was told and went to his room.
But he didn’t do his homework.
Instead he looked at the star, watching it flicker in the late afternoon sky.
“Maybe it’s a comet,’ he thought to himself, “That would make sense. Maybe it’s moving towards us, not getting bigger.”
But it wasn’t a comet.
The next morning Norman bounced out of bed to check on the object in the sky. Just like the morning before, it appeared to have increased in size. Norman couldn’t be absolutely sure, but he thought he could see it rolling over and over, flames flickering off its body as it continued its journey.
It was definitely getting closer.
After about a week, Norman started noticing other strange things, and he wasn’t the only one.
The weather had become decidedly warmer, and considering it was November in London, this was not normal.
The weatherman on the news commented on what he referred to as an ‘Indian summer’, but no-one had mentioned the star, comet or whatever it was heading their way. Maybe Norman was the only one that had seen it, but after a week of watching it through his telescope, Norman could now see it quite clearly in the sky without the aid of any magnifying tool.
His parents finally listened to him and came to look at the object in the night sky.
“What is it?” his dad asked.
“I don’t know,” his mum replied, “Maybe it’s just a meteor.”
“It looks pretty big for a meteor,” Norman commented, “And if it was, it would have hit by now. Unless it’s incredibly huge.”
The next morning, finally, someone mentioned the object on the news.
“I told you it was a star,” Norman smiled as the news anchor told the breaking news story.
The story was not good news.
“A star appears to have been ejected from its galaxy at some far distance from our own solar system,” the anchor tried to explain in layman’s terms, “This may have happened hundreds, if not thousands of years ago, and the star has been heading our way ever since on a deadly path of destruction. This explains why the night sky has seemed so empty in recent weeks, in spite of mostly clear nights, as the star has been destroying star systems in its wake. Scientists estimate that the star will not make contact with the Earth for at least another fifty years, but its effects on our own sun may be felt in a matter of days. High temperatures should be expected, and we recommend that everyone stay inside. We advise you all to contact your loved ones and prepare for the inevitable”
Norman stared at his parents, who looked terrified.
“What does it mean?” he asked, not quite understanding what the news reported had just said.
“I don’t know, son,” his mother said, looking out the window at the ball of flame that seemed to be increasing in size even as she watched, “I really don’t know.”
“Are we going to die?” Norman asked, looking imploringly at his parents, “Is this my fault, because I saw it through the telescope? I wanted to see the stars, but not like this.”
“It’s not your fault,” Norman’s dad smiled weakly, tousling his son’s hair as he put his other arm around his wife, “Sometimes these things just happen, and there’s nothing anyone can do.”
Originally Posted 1/4/2015
Result - 1st Place
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