Short Story 10
consequences. Tears now flowed down Stjerne’s cheeks as well, realizing that this first time they ever embraced would also be their last goodbye. “Thank you, kauban. If it weren’t for you, she wouldn’t have seen me.” He started to fade faster. “No, Stjerne, hold on a bit longer.” kauban hugged him tighter, causing his coat to singe, but the younger pulled away. “I’ll make this an ending that she won’t dare to forget.” Stjerne glided as far away from kauban as he could. Not once did he take his eyes off his brother. He took a slow bow. kauban returned it, his face contorted with emotion. Stjerne started to double over, but he regained enough control to painfully straighten himself. “I always took you for granted, and for that,” he winced and grit his teeth with excruciating pain, “I’m sorry.” He looked above himself and started shaking violently. “Forgive me?” “Already done,” came kauban’s doleful reply. Stjerne nodded and tried to smile. “I suppose now would be a good time to say—” The white star faded completely and then lit again so brightly that kauban had to shield his eyes. Stjerne was nearly five billion times brighter than Earth’s sun. The shock wave from the explosion knocked kauban off his feet. Still unable to look, he waited for the intense heat and pressure to abate. Finally, he was able to look around himself. Stjerne was gone. All that was left of his once proud brother was dust and gasses. His brother’s death had created a spectacular display in shades of blue, white, and silver, which now floated leisurely in the space where the white star once stood. kauban’s tears flowed more quickly now, though he did not utter a sob. “Goodbye, brother.” He bowed once more and stuck his hands in his pockets. Feeling something cool in the left one, he pulled it out. He smirked and gave a pitiable laugh. Then, looking at the dusty formation, he whispered, “Thank you for the pocketwatch.” He gingerly placed the timepiece where Stjerne had left it. The red giant glided to where his brother last stood and solemnly watched as Earth passed below him. The astronomer was nowhere to be seen. She had been dead for at least 1,000 years, and kauban knew this, but he never had it in him to tell his brother. “Though you never would have believed me anyway,” he said to the memory of
Stjerne. He wiped his eyes on his sleeves and flew back to position, where he would never move from again. *** “Luke,” Dr. Farrawey called from the top of the observation tower. He was head astronomer at the Space Exploration and Mapping Research Center. Lately, he had been trying to discover the romantic concept of “space’s heartbeat” through novae and nebulae. A recent development in his research had just presented itself. “Come look at this!” His intern, Luke, came running up the metal staircase to see what Dr. Farrawey was looking at. “What is it, Dr. F.?” The head astronomer merely pointed into the midday sky at a bright point. “Do you see that?” “Hmm,” Luke thought deeply, “it appears to be a Type Ia Supernova. White dwarf, by the looks of it.” “Precisely.” Dr. Farrawey patted Luke on the shoulder. “And now we can use it as a standard candle marker. We’ll be able to see how far out in the galaxy that little guy was. Then that data can be used to map other stars and galaxies.” Luke nodded at what his supervisor was saying while continuing to gaze at the bright point, though it hurt his eyes. He smiled at the supernova and ran a hand through his curly orange hair. “Wow,” he whispered, rubbing his freckled chin, “I know of someone from 1,000 years ago that would have loved to see you.”
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