Chapter 3: Annie Jump Cannon and America
"We have a guest visiting today." Edward Pickering stated as he approached the young woman who was organizing papers.
"You said something?" She looked up at him, thinking he had something. Annie may have been a genius in her work but her near-deafness made communication hard.
"We have a very important guest coming today. I'd like you to show him around and tell him some facts about stars and such. Try not to bore him." Pickering elaborated, speaking slower so Annie could read his lips. "He should be here soon, actually."
She smiled and nodded. "I think I can handle that." Next to her passion for classifying the stars, she loved teaching others about astronomy. Unfortunately, not many were willing to listen to her ramble on about where this star is located and how it's different from or similar to other stars. But this time she would try to stick with the simple stuff.
Although archaeology was fun and interesting, America found himself wanting to try something new. Thus the trip out to Harvard Observatory in Massachusetts. Astronomy had started to intrigue him, especially the idea of life beyond Earth.
"You must be Alfred Jones! Welcome to the observatory!" The director met him at the entrance. "I'm Edward Pickering."
"It's nice to meet you!" Alfred shook the director's hand before focusing on the observatory. "Should we go in?" The sun was starting to set. Soon, it would be the ideal conditions for watching the stars. Not even a cloud in the sky.
"Yes, of course. I have arranged Annie to show you around. And don't be afraid to tell her she's boring you; she gets carried away sometimes. Oh, be sure to face her while talking, she's hard at hearing." Pickering led Alfred to inside the observatory where Annie was waiting.
She walked forward and greeted him. "Hello, I'm Annie though he's probably already introduced me. May I ask your name?"
"Alfred Jones." He answered and smiled. "When can we start looking at stars?" He eagerly asked.
There was a moment of silence as she tried to figure out what he said. "We can start now, actually. It looks dark enough. How about some constellations?" She suggested. Surely constellations were simple enough. That's how many get interested in astronomy.
"Sounds great!"
"Follow me." She led him up to the telescope, though they could still the see the stars without it. "We'll start with Orion. See the three stars there? That's the belt. And that bright star there is the shoulder." She pointed out the stars and described what they were.
"I see it!" Alfred exclaimed. It was fascinating how the stars made pictures.
Annie looked over at him and smiled at his enthusiasm. "Ah, there's Cassiopeia. She looks more like a W than a queen, though."
He laughed. "You're right!"
The star lesson went on for a few hours before Alfred had to leave.
"It was nice meeting you. Thank you for teaching me!" He told Annie.
"You're welcome. Thank you for being interested!"
And with that, Alfred left the observatory, taking a glance at the Big Dipper while walking down the street.
A/N: I'm so sorry for the wait! I was not feeling like writing for a while but, for now, I feel like it! Interestingly enough, I basically listened to Counting Stars on loop while writing this. I only noticed that about halfway through the chapter.
Anyway, I'm positive not everything in this is accurate. I tried hard but, of course, inaccuracies are inevitable. The constellations mentioned are actual constellations; a couple of my favorites actually.
Also, I swear this is the end, I'm a mod on a multifandom role playing forum! We have Hetalia and many more. You can even suggest topics and fandoms! The link is on my profile, we'd love to have you!