His Star
chapter 1
Damien listened to the world turn. The deep grinding of an old clock, slowly and
nervously ticking away the seconds. The inexplicable sound of time passing. Human
fiction created by people, trying to know their place in the universe. He realized at that
moment that he was extremely late, didn’t know what to, and didn’t particularly care.
This was something his friends had tried to explain to him. They told him about the
endless need to be SOMEwhere, to do SOMEthing... to be someone. If you had asked
him ten seconds ago he would have told you it was all cockamamie. “Live where you’re
at!” he would tell them. “It’s all in your head!” he’d say. He could be a real asshole
sometimes. Looking up in exasperation, he saw it. The star wasn’t distinct from any
other star from this distance. Astronomy wasn’t his strong suit so he couldn’t tell the
difference between a burning ball of flame and a planet if they knocked on his door
wearing a white button up, a black tie, and carrying the Book of Mormon. But for some
reason this star stood out. It called to him in a way he had never felt before. A haunting,
incessant call telling him that everything wasn’t as it seemed. Which of course made
him think he was even more crazy than he was accustomed to. So he closed his eyes,
took three big meditative breaths, fell 13 lightyears, crumpled to the ground, and
slapped himself in the face. Glancing to his right he saw an oddly ordinary looking
fountain. Usually in fever dreams (which is what he assumed this was) he had way
better hallucinations. Somebody must have slipped him something in his afternoon tea.
Looking around he started to notice objects in what he now realized was a gigantic brick
plaza stretching off into the distance as far as the eye could see. Recognizing a few of
the objects he walked towards one that he was particularly fond of. A blue structure that
had the words “POLICE PUBLIC CALL BOX”. Slapping himself again, he started to
come to terms with the fact that he really needed to make an appointment with the
asylum for a bed. They were packed nowadays. Hesitantly he put a hand on the door
and pushed, It didn’t budge an eyelash. Breathing a gigantic sigh of relief he did an
about face turn and came into contact with a wardrobe that had most certainly NOT
been there before. Staring at it dubiously he opened it and felt the back of it, nothing.
Starting to get frustrated for his lack of progress in this godforsaken maze of fictional
and highly recognizable life size nerd porn he walked back towards the fountain oddly it
was about 2 miles further from him than it was before. Figuring, why not? He trudged
along taking in the sights. Over there was a Star Trek teleporter platform, over here was
the entirety of hogwarts castle complete with it’s very own whomping willow. Making a
beeline for it deciding to walk around for a while. He was about an hour in now with no
signs of this strange place fading and at this point he didn’t really want it to. This was his
dream! Every one of his favorite books, movies and tv shows were present here. All
presenting a stoic and non-moving front. The place was giving off a natural but
somehow unnatural light. A paradox that he didn’t quite understand, mixed with the still
surroundings it really did nothing to put his mind at ease. Reaching the castle he walked
through the giant front doors and started walking up the stairs, eventually he reached the
top of the astronomy tower and gasped at what he saw hundreds and thousands and
millions of standalone buildings, twisted doors, gigantic spaceships and a thousand
things that he couldn’t begin to describe in this language or any other. Things that he
had never seen before in his life. Implications of the fact flooded his mind, he
couldn’t have dreamed these up, he wasn’t that smart. Was this a real place? Had he
really traveled to another world? How had it happened? All useless and unhelpful to think about in the end but that had never stopped him before. Closing his eyes he
took 3 long breaths shifted sideways an inch looked out the window and saw nothing
but stars and a forest. He burst in to tears closed his eyes breathed 3 times shifted
sideways and was back on the strange planet, ran all the way back out into the open
and started searching, finally finding what he was looking for he picked it up, took three
deep breaths, fell a distance he couldn’t even describe landed on his feet stood tall in
tan robes on the top of the Jedi temple on coruscant holding an activated green
lightsaber laughing with joy the city a busy hub of activity beneath him. Now he was
getting somewhere! It was time to get busy.
nervously ticking away the seconds. The inexplicable sound of time passing. Human
fiction created by people, trying to know their place in the universe. He realized at that
moment that he was extremely late, didn’t know what to, and didn’t particularly care.
This was something his friends had tried to explain to him. They told him about the
endless need to be SOMEwhere, to do SOMEthing... to be someone. If you had asked
him ten seconds ago he would have told you it was all cockamamie. “Live where you’re
at!” he would tell them. “It’s all in your head!” he’d say. He could be a real asshole
sometimes. Looking up in exasperation, he saw it. The star wasn’t distinct from any
other star from this distance. Astronomy wasn’t his strong suit so he couldn’t tell the
difference between a burning ball of flame and a planet if they knocked on his door
wearing a white button up, a black tie, and carrying the Book of Mormon. But for some
reason this star stood out. It called to him in a way he had never felt before. A haunting,
incessant call telling him that everything wasn’t as it seemed. Which of course made
him think he was even more crazy than he was accustomed to. So he closed his eyes,
took three big meditative breaths, fell 13 lightyears, crumpled to the ground, and
slapped himself in the face. Glancing to his right he saw an oddly ordinary looking
fountain. Usually in fever dreams (which is what he assumed this was) he had way
better hallucinations. Somebody must have slipped him something in his afternoon tea.
Looking around he started to notice objects in what he now realized was a gigantic brick
plaza stretching off into the distance as far as the eye could see. Recognizing a few of
the objects he walked towards one that he was particularly fond of. A blue structure that
had the words “POLICE PUBLIC CALL BOX”. Slapping himself again, he started to
come to terms with the fact that he really needed to make an appointment with the
asylum for a bed. They were packed nowadays. Hesitantly he put a hand on the door
and pushed, It didn’t budge an eyelash. Breathing a gigantic sigh of relief he did an
about face turn and came into contact with a wardrobe that had most certainly NOT
been there before. Staring at it dubiously he opened it and felt the back of it, nothing.
Starting to get frustrated for his lack of progress in this godforsaken maze of fictional
and highly recognizable life size nerd porn he walked back towards the fountain oddly it
was about 2 miles further from him than it was before. Figuring, why not? He trudged
along taking in the sights. Over there was a Star Trek teleporter platform, over here was
the entirety of hogwarts castle complete with it’s very own whomping willow. Making a
beeline for it deciding to walk around for a while. He was about an hour in now with no
signs of this strange place fading and at this point he didn’t really want it to. This was his
dream! Every one of his favorite books, movies and tv shows were present here. All
presenting a stoic and non-moving front. The place was giving off a natural but
somehow unnatural light. A paradox that he didn’t quite understand, mixed with the still
surroundings it really did nothing to put his mind at ease. Reaching the castle he walked
through the giant front doors and started walking up the stairs, eventually he reached the
top of the astronomy tower and gasped at what he saw hundreds and thousands and
millions of standalone buildings, twisted doors, gigantic spaceships and a thousand
things that he couldn’t begin to describe in this language or any other. Things that he
had never seen before in his life. Implications of the fact flooded his mind, he
couldn’t have dreamed these up, he wasn’t that smart. Was this a real place? Had he
really traveled to another world? How had it happened? All useless and unhelpful to think about in the end but that had never stopped him before. Closing his eyes he
took 3 long breaths shifted sideways an inch looked out the window and saw nothing
but stars and a forest. He burst in to tears closed his eyes breathed 3 times shifted
sideways and was back on the strange planet, ran all the way back out into the open
and started searching, finally finding what he was looking for he picked it up, took three
deep breaths, fell a distance he couldn’t even describe landed on his feet stood tall in
tan robes on the top of the Jedi temple on coruscant holding an activated green
lightsaber laughing with joy the city a busy hub of activity beneath him. Now he was
getting somewhere! It was time to get busy.