I stop where I am on this man-made path as I think to myself, “What is the point of life as a gopher on this college campus?” I walk this same path day-in and day-out; over and over, I pop out of my den and see the sight of the humans. I skitter away whenever they get close, but that just made the humans coo at me from afar. They take pictures of my beautiful physique every time one of them sees me dash through the grass, and they call out to me with names they decided were mine. Why must I endure this because of those creatures?
This night was one like any other. My chest rose and fell gently as I slumbered away in my den. The dangers of the night are no place for a rodent like me, so I simply sleep through the darkness. The rhythm of my breaths is interrupted by a loud sound rumbling through the ground.
My breathing turns quick and panicked with the sound. I don’t know why I darted out of my den that night, something inside simply screamed at me to get out.
Instinct is what drove me to the path. Moving across it everyday had built a habit out of visiting the area. Coincidence is what drew my eyes towards the sky. I had never seen the night sky before; day is the realm I stayed in. But staring up at the thousands of stars decorating the swirling colors of the universe, I wondered if I would every see such a beautiful sight again. The panic squeezing around my heart fell away as wonder filled my eyes. I may hate the humans and their stares, but the beauty of this night sky makes all my anger and agony melt away.
Who is this beauty for? It could be for me as a creature of the same nature as this sky. But that cannot be true as I was never supposed to see this night sky. It could be for the humans that disturb me, but why do they get to see all the beauty of night and day. Maybe it is for all of us. Maybe it is a moment for us all to simply forget our worries and be.
This story was based on Draw it.
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