Gabs-sam on tumblr requested the prompt "Silence"!


Wander was a talkative fellow. Not only that, but he loved playing his banjo or whistling or singing. He just really enjoyed making noise. The first couple of days he and Sylvia traveled together after meeting, Sylvia was seriously reconsidering their partnership. She liked the friendly little guy; he was definitely a change from the partner she had before, but he didn't know the meaning of quiet time!

On their 4th night camping out, Sylvia expected another rousing sing-a-long time that had accompanied dinner the past three evenings. She was surprised to see Wander walk off a short ways and sit crossed-legged on the ground. He sat eerily still (so still, she could hardly believe it was real), staring up at the stars they had just exited only an hour or so before.

She hesitantly walked over to him, craning her neck around to see if he was okay. "You good, buddy?"

"I'm first-rate," he smiled back at her, "thanks for asking, Sylvia." With that, he went back to staring at the stars.

Sylvia scratched under her chin, bewildered, and then turned to go clean up dinner.

"You wanna join me?"

"Sure," she replied, taking a seat beside him. They stayed there for several minutes, watching the beautiful twinkling blanket that made up the sky, but Sylvia couldn't help but question, "So, tell me, Wander. Why are you stargazing tonight? Anything special going on up there?"

"There's something special going on every night in the sky. Just watching the stars is a treat."

"But, we travel through the stars every day."

He turned her, wonderment on his face as if this was the very first time he'd ever seen the night's sky. "Sure, we may travel through the stars and see their beauty up close. But to see them from afar, to view their amazingness from a different vantage point, is just as spectacular as having them all around you."

Sylvia had never looked at it that way. Stars were stars, whether encircling her or hanging up in the sky. In the silence surrounding them, she gazed up at the twinkling lights. She decided right there that maybe she'd stick with the furry little guy, and maybe one day she'd be able to see the stars with the same wonderment Wander did.