By: Amna Ahmed
As a child I always loved star gazing- the bright twinkling lights always called out my name
in the dead silent night. They adorned the sky like abandoned lanterns and filled little
children’s souls with dreams bigger than they could ever reach. I used to wish upon my lucky
stars in hopes of all my dreams coming true, but alas, none did. However, in the stars’
defence I did wish for fairy wings, magical abilities and other impossible yet marvellous
commodities.
On a night like no other, driving back home with my family from a night out of love and fun,
I was gazing out of the car window and pondering over my delightful day. The stars were as
beautiful as ever, but what enraptured my full attention was an entirely different entity. A
shooting star. No, two. I immediately lit up with excitement, not caring if they were real or
just fragments of my wild imagination. I began to bounce in my seat, my heart starting to beat
so hard that I thought it would eventually burst out. I instantly told my parents about how I
had just witnessed the beautiful falling of not one, but two stars.
Today, years later, I am not that little girl anymore. The night sky still has a place in my
heart, but I no longer wish upon its sparkling inhabitants. It was sad enough that I hadn’t seen a ‘shooting star’ ever since that dreamy night, but no one warned me about the devastating revelation I had to come across all on my own. The fact that “shooting stars” aren't actually stars. They are in fact meteors; bits of space debris that enter the aerospace whilst burning up which causes the streak of light that follows their path to show up.
The name is quite misleading, I’m sure that if such celestial bodies actually start crashing into our atmosphere, we would all be subject to nothing but destruction. Despite the inaccuracy of the name, I personally believe that it is quite suitable and there is no need to change nor mope about it. The beauty of such stellar beings is in the magical essence that they create while also being extremely lethal. But innocent children who are filled with hope and wonder for this stellar world do not need to know about the dangers of this universe. The name ‘shooting star’ does a wonderful job at giving children that very sense of hope and convincing them that this world is a wondrous place to be in. It may not be magic but it is still extraordinary.
Not only does the fall of a star single handedly make a childs day better, it also manages to
bring back memories of many and evoke the feeling of nostalgia. As we get older we lose
our sense of imagination, but as we lift our heads and simply just look at the silent things
shining a ray of hope onto us, we can reminisce what it was like to be a kid. Even as an adult
being able to say, “I saw a shooting star” still holds its magical charm. Trading the current
name for a more literal one would completely destroy the fantastic allure of such things. And
so, I hope that we can discard our heads for a while, think from our hearts and appreciate
the marvels of life- breaking out of this world phenomena, maybe into the nebulous names
for the fun it holds.
Meet Amna Ahmed: The Dreamweaver Extraordinaire
Greetings, literary enthusiasts! Allow us to introduce you to the imaginative powerhouse Amna who is not just dreaming dreams; she's turning them into literary tapestries that will whisk you away to enchanted realms. Amna's pen is not just mightier than the sword; it's a wand that conjures realms of childhood dreams and magic. So, buckle up, for a ride through some naive memoirs and dreams, some stars and galaxies.
Comentarios