1 Stars and Satellites

It's a cloudless night, the streetlights shine so brightly you would almost think it was sunset despite it being nearly 10 in autumn. The sound of the motorway is calming, a constant reliable noise. I lean against my favourite tree. I do this every night. This is my home.

A girl walks through the park gates. She sits on a set of swings in the park and throws her purse to ground. The swings face the motorway, as the sky darkens the cold starts to set in. She hugs her chest in an effort to stay warm in her dress, it's illsuited for autumn chills especially at night. She murmers to herself. Raking her fingers through her ginger hair, she starts to swing back and fourth.

I calm my breathing. The murmers become more coherent as she swings, she reaches her arm up as she reaches the highest part of the swing, like she's trying to reach the sky above. I'm not close enough to hear her conversation to herself. She's quite young, I wonder what her parents were thinking letting a girl her age out this late. I decide to get closer to the girl, curious about her seemingly nonsense conversation. Leaving my place hidden beside the trees I lie down on a bench behind her. Facing the heavens rather then the girl.

"stars, why are there no stars..... Give me something.. Prove that there's something untouched, unspoilt.. Something"

Pinpricks of light appear in the sky, she counts each one. The chains of the swingset groan each time she rocks back and forth. Each star she counts makes her voice grow hoarse more exhausted. Like these faraway balls of light are weighing down on her. Her ringtone blares across the park. She let's it go to voicemail.

"one star..... Two star..... Three star"

Its been an hour, yet only five stars have appeared across the skyline. She keeps waiting and counting every one. Another call, she declines it immediately

"I just want to know that there's more, that there's still hope, give me something to hold onto at night"

As a new star appears she counts it. But it starts to move, turning out to be a plane. I hear the chains of the swing slow until reaching a stop. I sit up see the girl, looking defeated facing the ground shoulders slumped. I glance at the girls back. Her phone lights up, ringtone still jarring compared to the silence of the empty park. It reads 'Dr B' she takes it out her purse. Her finger hovers over the accept call button, she stares at it until it goes to voicemail once more.

"I guess there really is nothing untouched left."

She starts to shake a little. Then I hear sobs. Each one causes her to tremble. But then she laughs. It's a manic hollow laugh. The kind of laugh that happens when someone snaps. She stands up then stumbles forward. She falls to her knees, crunching against the playground bark. The girl grabs a handful of the bark beside her. She then walks towards the railing that separates us from the fast moving road below, its made of an old rusty metal that shudders at the slightest breeze. The girl then places her phone down on the grass. She throws the first peice of bark as far as she can into the distance.

"what's the difference between stars and satellites. What's real and what's fake"

I glance at my watch, it's almost 11.30. I lie down on my side peering through the gaps in the bench at her. Her throws get weaker and weaker until she gives up and drops the last two remaining pieces on the ground. She leans on the rail, the whole thing trembles under her weight.

" I can't tell the difference. What is the difference between real and fake. I've been here for an hour and only five stars have appeared, half of those probably weren't even real. Stars and satellites. Nothings real anymore. Nothing is pure, untouched"

I hear footsteps behind me, but when I look back I see no one there. Her phone glows and blares once more. The girl picks it up off the now dew soaked grass and puts it on speaker.

"Maggie where are you, are you okay? Its nearly 12. Your father is out looking for you. Where are you hon?"

"I'm, nowhere mom, I'll be home soon"

Maggie starts to cry

"hon tell me where you are, we can take you to Dr Banes tomorrow he will make things better I know it's been hard since the -"

Maggie's mother dosnt get to finish her sentence. As Maggie throws her phone across the motorway. It travels farther then any of the bark. She sits down on the rail. It groans under her weight. She faces the motorway.

-click-flash-

Maggie spins around. Her face terrified by whatever beside me made that noise and flash of light. Then she falls. Her arm outstretched reaching for the heavens, but once again she fails to reach them. I hear her body hit the motorway.

A boy holding a camera walks forward to the edge. He takes a picture of her body below. He then turns away. Tears streak his face. I get up and start to run, I stumble. He tackles me to the ground. I try get up. He pushes me back down. His boot swings to my stomach. Then my head. I fade out

....

Im being dragged. A boy with dark hair is taking me to the railing. I fade out

....

He kicks the railing. Despite its rickety state it took two tries to cause it to fall over the edge. I fade out.

...

Im falling. There aren't any stars tonight. I fade out.

....

-click-flash-