I hadn’t realized until my wife and I moved back out to the country just how many shooting stars fall in a given night. Nearly every time I am outside, in the dark, to feed the horses, whether it be early morning or after sunset, I usually see at least one or two.1 I don’t remember ever seeing so many as a kid, but then again I grew up in the mountains, so maybe it was a factor of having less sky to work with. And living in the city was never conducive to star-gazing.
Seeing shooting stars has a way of sparking the creative juices. It makes one think of what might be out there in the black. One recent night in particular had a particularly high showing of shooting stars – as I stood watching, listening to horses quietly munch their hay, I saw at least half a dozen streaks of light.2 Then the image came to mind of a little girl and her father lying in the grass just outside their home watching a meteor shower, and a new story was born. Of course, given the way my mind likes to twist things, the story’s ending is a little bit disturbing.
But that’s a story for another day.
Keep your eyes open; ideas can come from anywhere.
2 Comments
I still have trouble believing that those shooting stars are merely the size of a grain of sand. It seems like even at blazing speed, a grain of sand would not last long enough to cause a burning streak in the sky.
My husband and I go outside at night to watch the stars and satellites. Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve seen at least five shooting stars.