Fictober Prompt 31: "Take me with you."
Swan Ride Home
For the first time in his life, Bobby saw the stars. It was an odd realization. At twelve years old, he had never taken the time to look up and observe the dots decorating the night sky. While he had studied astronomy for science class, he believed that jargon was for geeks and girls who believed astrological signs decided personalities at birth.
But lying next to Chloe, the grass tickling his back, had his eyes widen. Hundreds of tiny lights blinked in and out of the sky shaded an impossibly deep blue. The full moon seemed closer than usual, with deep gray pockets visible to the naked eye. Chloe had described them as the impact zones where meteors struck the moon, complimenting the natural satellite's fortitude. Its glow didn't seem as hazy as he remembered. Shining with a golden hue, it illuminated the surrounding clouds, making them appear like shadows.
Although the moon was brilliant, Bobby found himself fascinated with the stars. He followed Chloe's finger as she traced constellations. She connected stars seemingly at random, but in the end, her patterns made sense. A curt triangle with a line was Aquila. A canine made out of acute angles was Capricorn, his zodiac sign. And the heroic figure carrying a club and shield was Orion preparing for battle.
The stars painted pictures, and Bobby had never even realized it. They each contained a myth or a planet rich with history. And every night, he had ignored them.
"And this one-" Chloe moved her finger to the left, then formed a rectangle and gestured to the right. "-is common. The Big Dipper is one of the more recognizable constellations."
"I've heard of it," Bobby replied, glancing at her. She was resting next to him on the grass, her gaze focused on the stars. "Why's it called that?"
"The Big Dipper is associated with funerals in one of your earthling cultures." She pointed at the rectangle. "That is the bowl. It symbolizes the coffin. The three stars that jut out form the handle, which represent the mourners." She lowered her hand back to her stomach and laced her fingers together. "In another culture, it also represents a scene of hunters chasing after a bear, which makes sense considering the Big Dipper is an asterism in Ursa Major." At his silence, she supplemented, "Oh, I forgot to explain what those are. Asterisms are patterns in the night sky that are smaller than constellations and can be seen in them, which is what the Big Dipper is. You can sometimes find the Big Dipper located within Ursa Major, but tonight, the stars aren't aligned correctly to show Ursa Major."
Bobby nodded. Sometimes, her words flew right over his mop of hair. He struggled to comprehend the concepts she presented to him. Most of the time, she explained herself with care and consideration for his lack of understanding. There were times when she showed her frustration such as when he didn't follow the anatomy of Zwickian insects, but regardless, Chloe was eager to divulge all of the information needed to explain her points to him.
"So, it's like a constellation in a constellation? Kind of like those find a thing books?" he asked.
"In a way, yes. You have the larger constellation, and the asterism is within it," she said, and she traced the Big Dipper. "I find it easier to locate the smaller asterisms. They usually require fewer stars compared to constellations like Ursa Major." She hummed to herself and glanced over at him, her helmet obscuring part of her face. "Would you like to try and find one?"
A grunt escaped him, the idea not entirely interesting to him. Even if he understood what pattern made which constellation, it wasn't like he'd be able to determine it. The stars were scattered everywhere, and he lacked the critical eye needed to connect the dots.
But when she furrowed her brows, unimpressed with his monosyllabic noise, he quickly cleared his throat. Sitting upright, Bobby squinted at the sky. He knew which stars were linked to the already established constellations, and he didn't think they were attached to new ones. Still, despite his doubt, Bobby scrutinized them and the moonlight that illuminated the clouds. The wind blew through his hair, pushing along the clouds, and as more stars appeared, he noticed something that wasn't there before.
Slowly, he raised his finger and traced a line. Chloe sat up, following along with her eyes as he dragged his finger down. He hesitated when he lost sight of the pattern, but at Chloe's gentle encouragement, he cut a path with his finger just underneath the tip of the line.
"Those stars look like a bow and arrow," Bobby said, cocking his head, "or maybe, it's some kind of bird."
Chloe jolted forward. Bobby bit back a yelp. She jumped to her feet and quickly assessed the constellation. She gasped, clapping her hand to the side of her helmet. She pivoted around and faced Bobby, the boy unsure if he had somehow offended her, an apology on the tip of his tongue.
"Bobby! That's Cygnus!" she exclaimed, throwing her arm out.
"Cyg - wait, your home galaxy?" He gave a quick shake of his head. "Seriously? I found it?"
"Yes, but no, not quite!" Chloe exhaled deeply, catching herself. "This Cygnus is the swan constellation known for swimming through the Milky Way galaxy," she explained, a dreamy quality to her tone. She uttered a quiet sigh, slipping her hands through the gap in her helmet and holding her cheeks. "It's one of my favorite constellations. I wasn't anticipating seeing it here considering this camp is located farther north than where I reside with my parental units."
Bobby brought his gaze back to the constellation. Chloe started to inform him about the mythology behind Cygnus, but she sounded like static. He focused on Cygnus' wings. They spanned what must have been miles. With one flap, they could rocketed through space at lightspeed and returned her to her home galaxy.
Chloe stopped mid-sentence. He grimaced, wondering if he had offended her. He didn't want to seem like he had ignored her and immediately gave her his full attention, his smile crooked. She didn't elaborate further on the constellation, his heart skipping a beat upon the awareness that she might have been annoyed by him.
"Your thoughts," Chloe said just as he sucked in a breath, "were interesting just now. I would apologize for eavesdropping, but it was not intended, and you were very loud."
"Wh-? My thoughts?" Bobby touched his brow, his head feeling somewhat full. With a gulp, he raised his mental defenses, wondering when they had slipped.
Chloe nodded without a trace of malice or confusion. She gestured at Cygnus, saying, "Although impossible, it is a nice idea that the constellation could become tangible and take me home."
Heat flushed his pale cheeks. A raspy chuckle escaped through the spaces in his teeth. He toyed with a loose curl of hair that had fallen to his neck. "Aw, well, y'know, I guess that's how it goes," he said, cursing himself for not knowing what else to say.
A smile split across her face. "That would make my endeavor to go home much simpler. If I could shout with enough volume for either my real parents to hear or for Cygnus to become sentient, then I wouldn't have to spend another second on this primitive world."
Bobby dragged his chipped fingernails against his rough palms. If she could leave as easily as she pleased, then another question nagged him. He didn't want Chloe to hear it, lest she found the desire selfish when she was focusing her energy toward a goal that mattered only for her.
Take me with you, he thought, knowing his world was primitive as she believed. It was a drab, dreary, dreadful planet while the stars spoke of promise. A life beyond his uninteresting trailer park and his bleak world inspired him. He stared at Cygnus, the constellation he had spotted, becoming covered once again by the clouds, and his heart sank.
"I'll make it off this planet one day," she vowed, and she lied back down. She patted the spot next to her, prompting Bobby to do the same. "When I have a crew and the resources, I'll take everyone I want with me." She narrowed her eyes on Bobby. "And if you continue your good behavioral streak, then I will make room for you."
He didn't know why her wording made him laugh as hard as it did, but Bobby cackled until he couldn't breathe and hoped to make that a reality.