Wishes.
At some point in our lives, we all make them.
Murdock heard about wishes. He had first heard about them one night when he sat within an ice canyon and watched the night stars singing through colors. As he watched the purples and greens sparkle in song, he heard a little sound building momentum as it neared him. It was a voice echoing down the canyon walls. Now echoes were not new to Murdock. He thought they were the most unusual yet beautiful thing.
He listened intently as he usually did, collecting new words and wondering in thought about who spoke them, where they came from, and where they would end up. Suddenly, more words came whistling through the canyon. Wish. Wish. Make a little wish.
“What is this thing called a wish?”
His fluffy ears perked toward the echo as he closed his eyes to concentrate so that he might hear better. But he did not learn of what this unfamiliar thing was, or how to make one.
Wish. Wish. Wish. He said over and over to himself.
It was lucky for him that another, more experienced, polar bear overheard him.
“Wish?” said the wiser polar bear.
“You know what a wish is?” asked Murdock.
“Of course,” the wise one replied. “A wish is something you desire with all your heart.”
“Oh! Do you know how to make one?”
The other polar bear contemplated this, looking as if he was searching for an answer somewhere deep within his memory.
Murdock waited patiently until the other bear found an answer.
“Yes, from what I have learned, Murdock,” said the bear. “You wait until you see a traveling star.”
“And…” encouraged Murdock.
“And, then, you make your wish. You share your desire with the universe.” And after giving Murdock this answer, the other polar bear left and went on about his business.
“A traveling star!” said Murdock aloud. “I can do that.”
So, he returned to his favorite spot, night after night. And he waited, and he watched. And he waited some more, watching some more.
He kept his eyes loyal to the skies, which wasn’t hard for him to do. He loved stargazing.
Now, reader, you may be thinking how in the grand universe could someone who loves to stargaze not have seen a traveling star before. Well, it’s quite simple. There is a multitude of wondrous new things to realize around you at all times, most of us don’t see them because we simply don’t think to look for them. And Murdock didn’t think to look for such a thing before. But with a little inspiration, he fixed his eyes on the sky with a very specific intention.
And then, in the night sky, he saw something unlike everything else. He saw something moving among the stationary stars.
It zigged and zagged. It went up and it went down. It circled and did a few loop-de-loops before racing off, out of Murdock’s sight.
“There it is!” he called. “A traveling star!”
Astonished by the star, he nearly forgot to make a wish. But, he remembered just in time.
And do you know what he wished for?
Well, dear reader, your guess is as good as mine. He never told. But, I will tell you that every night thereafter, it seemed he was never gazing upon a sky without seeing another traveling star… for the rest of his days.
Wishing you much wonder and fixing your eyes to see new things,
Autumn
