Inkster of the Week:

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She wanders between celestial bodies.

Slowly, gracefully, filled with grief.

Some nights they say you can see her drift through the sky, and some nights they say you can see her lonely tears illuminating the sky.

“They’re brighter than the stars, some of them.” Father told me.

A question came to my head.

“How long has she been doing this for?” I asked Father, curious about this story.

Father thought for a while, which surprised me. Father was a man with many answers. He could satisfy my childish curiosity easily.

After a while, he said, “I don’t know, but my father, your grandfather, has told me that the story has passed through our town for centuries.”

“Well, wouldn’t she be bored?”

“What do you mean? Wandering through space, finding mystical, arcane celestial bodies, while being immortal? You get to enjoy all of God’s wonders.”

“But she’s lonely!”

“Hmm? I guess she is. But maybe the stars provide her company.”

I didn’t believe my father.

I decided to stop questioning him. I rested my head on the ground again, staring back up while adjusting my pillow. We both stared back at the stars. It was peaceful and tranquil. Until another question popped up into my head.

“Do those stars ever disappear?”

My father didn’t spend a second and replied with: “Yes, nothing in this universe lasts forever. That’s just how it works.” He then stared at him with a cheeky smile. “That’s why you should also do your chores and homework!”

No, no, not a chance in a million.

I wonder if that woman will be exploring the universe forever.

***

The universe is a big place. I would personally know.

I’ve seen all types of planets, big and small, violent and peaceful. Stars have died and exploded in front of my eyes.

It was a wonderful sight, seeing God’s miracles in action. So why did I feel so… empty?

I felt so small, so insignificant looking at celestial objects as massive as they were. It made me feel…

Useless.

Well, no time to keep on contemplating life.

My next stop is here.

A small planet, coloured like a blue marble, with green splattered across from a child. White spirals circled random parts of it.

Something about this place seems… different. It feels lively. It feels as if it has a purpose.

***

I was about to drift off, until I saw something. My eyes opened up wide, as I saw a sparkle, and the faint shape of a lady with an umbrella slowly drifting across the sky.

My legs started moving towards the sparkle. I was hypnotised; my mind was racing.

When I got there, my knees buckled slightly, and I recollected my breath for a second.

In front of me was a lady with an umbrella.

“Hello,” I said, “Do you drift through the universe?”

She presented a confused face, a face filled with a shock, as if she had never seen a human before.

“Um, yes.”

I looked up, with my curious eyes, and asked her,“Do you ever feel lonely?”