Twenty-One
The Truth in the StarsThe moonless night gave way to planets and distant stars scattered across the dark sky like dust on a black surface. Tiny specs of light shimmered and dotted the Milky Way. The vastness of the galaxy overhead overwhelmed me, and in that moment, I knew my father saw the same speckled canvas. My flesh prickled with the thought, and I filled my lungs with the dewy night air. The hickory scent from the fire eased the lump that formed in my throat. I closed my eyes and savoured the fading smell.
Like the millions of stars that bewildered eyes and mind with their sheer distance, millions of crickets did the same to my ears. Their chirps became one long and unending hum. The din rattled my eardrums, and for a moment I wondered if the sound was really from the i
