TONIGHT, ONLOOKERS MAKE A WISH UPON A SHOOTING STAR

Article by Pacel H. Eldor

27th June 2022

Over the past few months, there's been a build-up of excitement all over the globe, regarding the approach of the infamous Wishmaker's Comet- which reaches perihelion tonight, and will be visible from every corner of the world with the naked eye.

The Wishmaker's Comet is a periodic comet, which means that it comes back around Earth's neighbourhood after a certain amount of time. This comet in particular swings by every 20 years, give or take; the last time it did so was in the August of 2000.

According to urban legend, originating from the quaint, minor city of Gloomytown, the Wishmaker's Comet grants exactly one wish out of all those who wish upon it, during the night it shines brightest.

So, how do you spot this comet? Well, it... read more

  The stars were endless.

  That was the first thought of Madison Perultan and Akeidat Hart, as the two opened their eyes in the strange, void-like realm. All around them; above and below and left and right and forwards and backwards, there were stars, shining distantly, and endlessly.

  They weren't floating, though; no. Their hooves clacked against the floor, tingly and cold like transparent marble.

  Madison rubbed her cyan eyes with a faded blue paw, her short, cat-like ears twitching with cautious curiosity. The place gave off a very distinct, though gentle hum.

  Akeidat sniffed the area with their narrow snout, far more earnest in their curiosity, noting that the place scented oddly of... baked goods? Their long, thin tail swished agitatedly, back-and-forth, like a paddle. Their bright, orange fur stood up on end.

  Needless to say, the two were utterly freaked out.

  "P-p-pray tell, but where are we???" Akeidat questioned first, breathing rapidly. The child clung to their babysitter's sleeve, tail wrapping about her calf, tightly, for warmth.

  "I, uh- I don't know," Answered Madison, tugging on the sleeves of her brown sweater. The place was cold; her breaths condensing in the air like fog. Not as cold as its space-like appearance would imply, however. More like winter in the night.

  If she was cold in her sweater, Akeidat must be freezing; only wearing a blue dress-shirt. Their fur patterns hadn't appeared, yet, so it's not like they'd be wearing long clothing to hide them, either. Madison reached down a paw to touch their head; though they quickly swatted it away, even from that brief contact, she could tell they were shivering.

  "P-p-perhaps we're lo-located in a cave, and these stars are nothing more but glow-worms?" The child hypothesised through chattering teeth.

  Madison shook her head, "I, uh, I don't think we're seeing glow-worms if, um, if we can see them under us."

  She bent down as much as she could with a child clinging to her legs, tentatively knocking on the floor with her knuckles.

 "Not unless the floor is, uh, really reflective. But this doesn't feel like ice. It's not even wet."

  "How- how did we even get here?!" They asked next, incredulous, "The last thing I r-r-remember was falling asleep in m-m-my room!"

  Madison nodded, though they likely couldn't see it in the dark, "The last thing I remember is falling asleep on your parents' couch."

  "Hey, you, uh, you wanna sit down?" she asked, noticing their worry. She tugged her leg away to kneel in front of them, "Don't even worry about any of this, okay? Let me handle it."

  "Do not treat me like a child," The child hissed. Without Madison's leg to hold onto, they instead crossed their arms, proudly, "I am eleven! I'm almost a teenager! I can understand this situation just as much as you do!"

  Their voice cracked at the last couple of words. Madison snorted derisively, "And I'm thirty-two, what's your point?"

  "My point," Akeidat stamped a hoof stubbornly, the loud clacking noise making both of them wince. Still, they tried to carry on, "Is that- well- I- y-"

  "Yeah?" She challenged, teasingly.

  "Shut up!" They lifted their hoof again, before catching themself mid-act and deciding to simply lower it back down, as gently as they could, before turning away with a huff. 

  Madison rolled her eyes, "That's rude, you know. Don't give me that attitude."

  One of their long, kangaroo-like ears twitched in annoyance.

  "This whole p-p-place is impossible," They observed, ignoring her words, "You can't breathe in space. You'd instantly explode o-or freeze to death, or something."

  "Well, actually," Madison bit her cheek, pacing around the cold floor with a clack, clack, clack, as she absentmindedly recited, "It, uh, wouldn't happen so fast. You'd faint in the first ten or so seconds, because you wouldn't have oxygen. Meanwhile, bubbles build up inside you, you’re getting sunburned by radiation, your organs are slowly shutting down-"

  Madison paused to look at Akeidat's face, rosey-pink eyes as round as barnacles, and their expression a mixture of horror and disgust, "I'll, uh, shut up now."

  "Have we b-been kidnapped?" They swerved around, as though staring at the same stars from every angle could give them any answers, "We must have been, right? We d-d-didn't come here v-v-voluntarily."

  "Hah-hah, how about we don't, uh, think about that right now?" Her eye twitched, as did theirs in return, "I told you, don't worry so much, kiddo."

  Still, their gaze turned smug when she reached into her pocket, pulling out- nothing. She patted her pockets down, swerving around with worry.

  "I... do not have my phone," she clicked her tongue against her teeth, "Great."

  It was then that a spark of golden light, bright and shining, appeared in the air above. Both of them squinted against the harsh glow, backing away into the cold, because being near the light felt oddly warm, for some reason.

  Then the light faded, slightly, and out stepped a stranger, who curtsied politely. The being was about Madison's height, bright purple-pink-orange hues coating their fur, patterns intricate and detailed with images of the sun and moon and stars and zig-zagging stripes.

  More interestingly, they sported a golden halo around their head, as well as two cartoonishly tiny orange wings, fluttering behind their back.

  The two gaped at the uncanny sight. Akeidat blurted out the first thing that came to their head, "ARE WE DEAD?!"

  The stranger leapt back, startled, "What- No, no-no-no-no-no-no-no! Nobody's dying!"

  "I'm just, eh..." his purple eyes flickered between the two's panicked looks. The stranger smiled nervously, scratching the fur on the back of their head, "So! I may have fucked up."