Shooting Stars

“Wake up, Nate,” my mother says as she kneeled down beside my bed. “It’s time,” she added. Immediately, I knew what she was talking about. The clock on the table beside me read 2:16 am. Perfect time for comets.

I curled up closer in my blankets, but it knew that this would only happen again next year from now. With all my willpower, I pushed away the warm covers from my self and stood up on the cold wooden floors. Outside my window, the crescent moon hung low in the sky above us. My mother and I walked downstairs silently while my eldest brother John snored loudly in the room next to us. Downstairs, the moonlight seemed to reflect across everything through the windows. Quickly, I threw on my jacket and headed outside into the backyard. The grass was covered in dew, so I wiped it off with one hand and took a seat.

Both of us sprawled on the grassy blanket next to each other and looked up at the starry navy sky. After a minute or so, a white flash of light streaked through the darkness, leaving a golden trail across the blank sky for a few seconds. A few minutes later, another one flew by, even brighter than the last.

My Mother loved to come outside in the August mornings during the days where the comets shine the brightest. I always came with her to enjoy these special moments with her. Since I was old enough to go out that late, I always loved to come outside on a brisk August morning and watch the sky waiting for a streak of light to pierce the darkness over the horizon.

“There,” I said, pointing to one like we usually did when we saw a comet streak by. We waited and waited for the next one until the darkened clouds rolled by us and blocked the sky. Even then, both of us still sat next to each other, enjoying our time together. The night before I couldn’t wait for tonight where we’d watch the comets.

We sat in silence, waiting for the next shooting star to come by so we could make a wish. Every year, I would fall asleep outside on the grass and I would wake up in my bed the next morning.

The shooting stars reminded me of how short and valuable a small amount of time can be worth. The comets streaked past and disappeared within a second like how time goes by so quickly, we don’t realize how important it is until it’s gone. Spending time with people I care about, even if it only lasts a second or two, can be the most memorable experiences of my life. Some people may think about it as a waste of time, but to me, it is time well spent.

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