Sun, Moon and Stars // Karlnapity

raison d'être

Without the sun, the oceans would freeze, the temperature would drop below freezing, and the Earth would buzz through space without a destination, surrounded by the other planets. Chaos would break out and mass extinction of the flora and fauna would be inevitable. Humanity would be lost, surrounded by frost and hopelessness.

When Karl awoke that day, which was the day of the last shift before the statues would disappear from the museum, the sun's rays in his room felt icy. He was lost, watching the world grow colder around him, for it would not be long before his sun would be taken from him. He would freeze to death from the agony and around him it would become more and more lonely until only he remained on a cold and dark planet.

Without the moon, the earth would also sink into chaos. Snow would fall in the jungle and the north pole would be exposed to the blazing sun. The oceans no longer have any structure and whole parts of the earth would be constantly flooded. What would the night be without the moon? Yet in the deepest darkness, it had shone so, giving a glimmer of light and comfort. What would happen without him? The earth would be alone, without a companion in space, without a ray of hope in the darkness. The days would grow shorter and the darkness would take over.

The moment Karl stepped to his kitchen counter and turned on the coffee machine, he felt alone. The machine bubbled and gurgled as it did daily, and crumpled paper gathered on the floor. Under his socks, the student was pretty sure to have eraser shreds stuck there. The chaos, mess, and unrest had spread and heavy darkness crept into his heart.

He desperately searched for a light that would give him hope in the darkness.

It was selfish, even exaggerated, to say that the world seemed gray and sad without a future with them. But the moment Karl entered the museum this time it was colder than usual. The colorful paintings had turned gray in his eyes and the statues wept silent tears without appearing alive at all. The visitors were gone and other comfortable silences made room for a piercing pain. What would it be like to walk through this museum when they were gone?

Karl blinked hard, squeezing his eyelids as tears tried to form. It was a silly reason to cry, over two miraculous statues that had so quickly come into his life and just as quickly captured his heart. They had found his soul wandering helplessly through the void without a real destination, looking for a reason. Art had been a motivation, but Sapnap and Quackity had been the reason. The reason why life was suddenly exciting and fun again.

Only when the art student turned the corner to the exhibition hall of statues, did he shake the sadness and fear from his shoulders and pushed the feelings back inside. He had to push them away, couldn't just throw away the last evening with them in a bad mood. He had to be positive for both himself and them, at least just for today. Maybe the pain would be more bearable that way, after one last evening of joy and togetherness.

It was still quiet in the museum. Only a few minutes were left before the sun had set and the magic of this place breathed life into the pieces here. His first look when entering the room was, of course, no one but the statues in front of him. The sight of the statue made him sad every time. His heart contracted, and his legs twitched, begging for movement. His hands wanted to grab the statues' hands, to keep them from falling.

They both leaned away from each other, hands outstretched just a fingertip out of reach from each other. Quackity's wings were outstretched and looked like he was flapping his wings vigorously to save himself from falling. Only the sun let himself fall into the depths without fighting against it.

The statues had been condemned to keep an eternal distance between them, to be forever within sight but not within reach. Suddenly Karl felt as if this now applied to himself. He had been able to visit them, had been close to them in parts, but in the end, only they would always be together. He would stay behind. He did not belong to them. They were within his sight and yet so inconceivably far away from him.