Field of Stars

Field of Stars

A Story by Justin Guidroz
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A conversation between two friends, a boy trying to make his best friend feel better after she feels rejected by her friends.

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Field of Stars
Justin Guidroz
            Idk, I guess. I’m by the car, street side.
            Kevin closed his cell phone and Claire’s text message cleared from the screen. The night air was brisk and chilly as it blew down the large field toward Kevin, the trees rustling and whispering softly to each other. A bright fire burned in the center of the field, surrounded by numerous cold metal chairs and discarded aluminum drinking cans. The house behind Kevin was a three-story house that was brightly illuminated. The second story had a beautiful wrap-around porch where the family and guests could sit outside and enjoy the cold fall breeze and look over the field and into the sky as they enjoy a fresh cup of hot coffee or refreshing cocoa.
            Kevin walked outside and headed toward the deserted bonfire, its orange hue slightly illuminating the damp green grass he treaded on. The faint sound of trumpets and drums were coming from a small gray radio next to one of the chairs. Kevin picked up two CDs next to the radio and removed another from the radio itself, then turned around and headed back towards the house.
            In the distance, Kevin saw the back door open, and Brad stepped out into the night. His eyes squinted as he searched the pitch darkness for Kevin. “You got my CDs?” he yelled across the fields. Kevin finally reached him and showed him the discs in his hand. “Where’s Claire? Did she calm down yet?”
            Kevin shook his head. “I’m supposed to go talk to her,” Kevin said in his low, raspy voice.
            Brad gave Kevin his car keys. Kevin walked away as Brad headed back toward the house, watching Kevin as he disappeared once again into the dark. A narrow gravel road was only road connecting the house to the main street. The field in front of the house was barren, a small layer of fog gathering on the ground, whirling and dispersing around his feet as Kevin walked to Brad’s car. The two white vehicles, a Jeep and a small SUV, stood in bright contrast to the alluring darkness of the country. Kevin walked to the first car, Brad’s Jeep, and replaced his CDs.
            He took a deep breath and went over to Claire’s car, the SUV. Claire was sitting on the ground facing the deserted street. Her knees were drawn up to her chest, and her arms were wrapped around her legs. Her long brown hair hid her face from view as Kevin approached her. She heard the sifting of the loose gravel underneath his sneaker and she turned and looked his way, greeting him with a sad smile. Her cheeks had a glistening trail of dried tears running down to her chin, which reflected the light of the pale moon. Kevin smiled as he crouched down next to her and sat on the wet ground.
            The two sat in silence, staring at the dimly light road. After a minute of silence, Claire spoke softly, “Thanks for going out to look for me.”
            “No problem, Claire,” Kevin responded. “You know I love you.”
            “I love you too, Kev,” she sniffed, smiling slightly.
            “And that I’m always here for you.”
            Claire slightly nodded, “Thank you for going out to look for me,” she repeated, then she laughed weakly, her voice cracking. “I know I already said that but, it just, it just means a lot to me. That you actually care.”
            “The others care too, Claire.”
            “Well, they certainly have a crummy way of showing it.”
            “I know, I know. But deep down you know it’s true.”
            She sighed. “Yeah, I know. It’s just, sometimes it just doesn’t seem like they do, and I don’t know what I did…” She began to cry silently, hot tears burned down her cheeks and fell upon the icy ground.
            “Hey, hey, come here,” Kevin cooed softly, stretching his arm out and around Claire’s shoulders. She leaned against him and continued to whimper as he held her tight. He whistled lowly into her eyes to help her cope. Soon, the quivering stopped and she nestled snuggly against Kevin’s shoulder and looked up at him. Kevin, always believing that she was very beautiful, smiled when she smiled at him. “Do you want to tell me what happened?” he inquired.
            “Sure, I guess,” she sniffled and continued, “Well, everyone went outside and left me upstairs alone. I came downstairs and looked outside and saw everyone on the trampoline, all happy and having fun. Without me.” Another sigh escaped her mouth, “I don’t know, it upset me, you know?” She fell silent again, her eyes gazing up toward the heavens.
            Kevin followed her gaze toward the sky. The entire dome was lit up by thousands of tiny blinking stars, forming various constellations across the dark blue sky. Kevin stared up at the stars, lost in thought. I must find a way to make Claire feel better. She’s my best friend. I can’t stand her being so sad he thought to himself. Suddenly, an idea came to him. “Claire, do you know the truth about stars?”
            Her head shifted and looked up at him, her big brown eyes analyzing him thoughtfully. “No, I don’t.”
            “Well,” Kevin took a deep breath and continued, “stars are actually millions upon millions of light-years away. The light that we see right now may be from a star that’s no longer there anymore.”
            “Really?” He had her full attention. “And how’s that?”
            “The light we see has been traveling through space for thousands of years, across the cosmos, even from different galaxies. It’s just reaching the atmosphere after hundreds of thousands of years of traveling. See that star?” Kevin pointed to a bright, blinking star in the sky over the dense woods to their right. Claire nodded. “Thousands of years ago, that star supernovaed, basically it blew up. When it did that, bright flashes of light were emitted. That’s why that starlight is so bright.”
            “Wow…”
            “So you see, looking up into the sky is like looking into the past. It reminds us of how the past, no matter how distant, is always here in the present. Even though they may not show they care now, think about all the years you’ve known them. They care, Claire, we care,” Kevin finished, silently going off into thought once more.
            The two friends sat in silence again and studied the sky thoughtfully. “Who told you all of that?” Claire quietly inquired.
            “My father did,” he said solemnly, and silence came over them once again. The fog upon the ground was thickening; a white sheet almost like pure snow came upon them, as comforting as a blanket to a lonely child.
            Finally, Claire broke the silence, “Thank you Kev, for everything.” 
            He gave her a slight squeeze, “Anytime, sis.”
            Kevin stood up and helped Claire stand, and they headed back towards the bonfire, where the group congregated once again. Before they turned, they saw a shooting star streak brightly across the midnight sky. “Oh, a shooting star! Make a wish!” Claire giggled, and Kevin did. When he looked to the side and saw Claire’s radiant smile, he knew that his wish came true.

© 2009 Justin Guidroz


Author's Note

Justin Guidroz
Nothing specfic, just opinions :)

My Review

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Reviews

This was good. You have a calm and measured writing voice, and can communicate exactly what you want to the reader. There were a few errors:

Kevin picked up to CDs [two]
Brad steeped out into the night. [stepped]
Kevin said in his lowly [low]
Thousands of years ago that star supernova [not sure this is a verb]
Even though they nay not show they care now [may]

I think this piece worked as a slice of someone's life. As a story itself, it didn't reach as satisying a conclusion as it might have.

Peace, Sammy

Posted 14 Years Ago



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Added on November 13, 2008
Last Updated on April 7, 2009

Author

Justin Guidroz
Justin Guidroz

St. Bernard, LA



About
Hi, my name is Justin Guidroz. I've sort of disappeared lately, haven't submitted much to the site. Life is just in an up most turmoil right now, and I'm fixing that which needs to be fixed. I have be.. more..

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