Total pages in book: 143
Estimated words: 130275 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 651(@200wpm)___ 521(@250wpm)___ 434(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 130275 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 651(@200wpm)___ 521(@250wpm)___ 434(@300wpm)
A while later the bus came to a stop and our guides made themselves busy creating a viewing spot for us with chairs and cameras and hot drinks. As I stepped from the bus, the bitter coldness took away my breath. The breeze sailed into my lungs, and each breath I took felt like it was scalding ice-fire.
I pulled my scarf over my mouth and reached for the hot chocolate we’d been provided. As I held Cael’s hand, we took our seats—side by side—as dusk quickly fell over the land. I could see the faint flickering lights of Tromsø in the distance, but out here, we were isolated and witness to the eye-opening vastness of the sky that cities and towns often disguised.
Stars seemed to pop into the sky one by one in quickening succession. I was transfixed as constellation after constellation began to appear, looking clearer and more profound than ever before.
The entire group of us was silent, waiting for the burst of color that was expected. I gripped on to Cael’s hand so tightly I worried about hurting him. But he was gripping my hand tightly in return. Unified breaths were held as a flicker of green began to descend from the sky. I stayed stock-still, like any movement would disturb the shy thread of light and scare it away.
But then it flared again, only this time it had grown in strength, like it was stretching its arms and legs after a long sleep. Green neon began to shimmer and drop across the black sky like a glittering curtain.
Before long, the entire sky was filled with green light, the flares reflecting off the white of the snow, increasing its stunning effect. Stars were sprouting in the billions, sparkling like the most expensive of diamonds. It was the greatest show the earth had ever seen.
A sense of peace so profound chased through my every cell, and I felt tears begin to fall down my cheeks. Sitting here, underneath the endless sky, I could see why people believed it was the visiting spirits of our loved ones. Because seeing this felt like seeing Poppy again. My heart swelled, my soul singing with the beauty and grace the lights gave, dancing to a song only the sky could hear.
A sob slipped from my throat, one I couldn’t hold back. But it wasn’t a cry of sadness or loss; it was one of breathlessness and wonder and admiration so strong it seemed to radiate from me as brilliantly as the lights before my eyes. It was Poppy. This was all Poppy. She had been vibrant and bright and breathtaking. She had lived for only a glimmer of time, but she had lived it boldly. She had embraced every moment life had given her …
She had outshone all the night sky.
Cael pulled me closer to him, but there were no hand squeezes or glances of concern. My heart pulled toward him even more, because he had recognized this moment as momentous and serene, not sad or heartbreaking.
It was heart-affirming.
As we sat under the lights, blues and reds joined the fray. It was a tapestry of light. Sitting here was being shown by the universe that it was infinite and endless. Sitting here was seeing lost loved ones dancing up high among the stars, free of pain and made whole. No fear, no more hurting.
And I cried. As the lights grew in strength, more tears fell. I prayed the myths were right and Poppy was up there, looking down on me with her dimpled smile and zest for life.
My life had been so contained, so small for the past four years. It had been reduced to a single, gutting emotion. As we sat here, the universe was screaming to me that there was more to this life than the one we lived. That when our heartbeat stopped, our soul soared northward, stardust finding its way home.
“Cael,” I whispered and tore my eyes from the lights to briefly look at his face. His cheeks were wet too, his silver eyes looking like two stars had been plucked down and placed within them. I looked back up and just allowed myself to feel it. Feel everything. Admiration, amazement, magnificence, wonderment. Let the wider world invade my soul.
I even embraced the small thread of fear that frayed from the fabric of my heart, the terrifying thought of being so small and insignificant under such a mighty vista.
I felt it all.
I didn’t move for what could have been hours or years. Stayed still on the chair, head tilted back and mesmerized by the aurora borealis and all the beauty she brought to the world, my eyes, and my heart. Then, as a ribbon of pink cut through the mostly green sky, I put my hand over my mouth to silence the cry that fought to escape. It danced even more beautifully than the others, its pale pink hue stunning against the neon greens and blues.