Anachronistic: Endless Masquerade

28 | A Stark Reminder

- 28 -

Lilith bounded up the steps two at a time, Pandora following close behind. She wasn't sure why she was so excited to visit the first-class observation deck. How much better could it really be than the second-class version? Still, her heart had been beating faster ever since Pandora suggested they go.

        Lilith pounced up onto the landing and looked around. A short wood-paneled hallway sat to her left. She skipped down it until she reached a large door at the end. Lilith swung the door open and stepped out into the open night air. She was worried it wouldn't live up to the expectations it had somehow garnered in her mind.

        But it had all been worth it.

        Brilliant lights shone down on Lilith from across the universe. She ran across the deck, eyes glued to the sky. The air burst from her lungs when she ran into the railing. She thought she had a few more steps before the edge. Gripping the railing tight in hand, she climbed up onto the bottommost rung, lifting herself just a few inches closer to the night sky.

        "Be careful!" Pandora called from behind.

        "Look at how clear the sky is tonight," Lilith said turning back.

        Pandora was still in the doorway. She was so far behind considering the trip had been her idea. Lilith turned back to the sky and marveled at each light that broke up the sea of black surrounding it. How were there so many stars?

        A hand grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back down to the deck. Slowly, Pandora loosened her grip, then said. "Please don't lean over the side like that. There's not much I can do to help if you fall overboard."

        Lilith brushed past Pandora's concern. Her focus had been captured by the night. "Aren't you excited? There's so many more stars than usual."

        Pandora raised an eyebrow, then cocked her head up to the side. "Are there?"

        "Definitely!" Lilith points, trying to guide Pandora's eye from place to place across the night sky. "Look, there's Orion. Canis Major and Minor, with Monoceros in between."

        Pandora's face scrunched up at the guided tour. Lilith sighed, but did understand. Even with a book illustrating the connections between the stars, constellations don't look like much. Without a guide, Lilith was doing little more than pointing and saying names.

        "What I'm trying to say is I recognize a lot of stars. I would look up at them through my bedroom window each night. But there are even more in the spaces between. Stars and constellations I've only seen in books. I thought they were impossible to see without a telescope."

        Pandora laughed, then leaned back against the railing. "I'm surprised you could see any stars at all. In my experience, Brittania only has two types of weather. Raining and about to rain."

        "If you had stayed a little longer you would have seen snowing and about to snow."

        Pandora giggled. "Damn, shame I missed it. Anyway, I'm sure the difference is just down to the light pollution from Lunden. Even though Coventry didn't have electricity it's close enough to Lunden to dim the sky a bit."

        "Err, what I mean to say is... If I noticed the city's light washing out the night way out in the middle of nowhere, it must have been bad. Living in Lunden, I'm surprised you could see any stars at all." Pandora rushed through her explanation like she thought Lilith would be upset for being excluded. Even if she hadn't unknowingly been describing the same sky, Lilith would have still wanted her perspective. Learning how different people experience the world was exciting.