401 words - 300 points for poetry :D don't mind the awful formatting, forums were down :/ "Come on, if we hit the road now, the weather will be perfect to see the stars tonight," Ellis said with keys to her car grasped in her hand. "Are you serious?" Ollie responded. "It's four in the afternoon, why do we need to go now?" "There's too much light in the city." "Won't the stars shine through that? They're bright." "I wish. Humanity has too fond of a liking for fluorescent lighting." It was true--the city of Los Angeles made it feel as though you were standing in the center of an arcade. The bustling place was loud, bright, and infested with concrete. Buildings scraped the sky above, but they somehow became less noticeable the longer Ellis and Ollie lived in the city. They were an afterthought. While Ollie enjoyed being in a busy place, his sister grew a liking toward somewhere calmer. She didn't exactly know where, but she'd surely figure that out sometime. "Let's get a move on," Ellis said after a long pause filled with no response. Ollie rose from his chair, slipped on his shoes, and made his way out the door. His sister grabbed a star map from a drawer, then followed him to the car. "Where are we even going?" Ollie questioned. "Somewhere that doesn't have paved roads," quickly replied Ellis. The car ride was enjoyable. The sun's rays painted the Earth with a golden hue and the wind blew a light breeze toward the East. Ollie turned on the radio and changed the channel to light classic rock. The tar roads slowly turned into gravel, which soon turned into run-over grass. By nightfall, they had reached an open prairie filled with tall grasses and wildflowers. The distinct smell of pollen and the loud volume of the crickets created a great contrast in comparison to the city. "Sit and look up," Ellis said. "You'll see why I wanted to leave so badly." The siblings sat on the lush grass and stared into the sky above. She was right--the sky never looked so clear. The stars painted the entire sky with a beautiful illumination. The noise around them was only filled with sounds of nature; No car horns, no music, no vehicles. The two wanted to bottle up the serenity to save whenever they needed it. The peacefulness was so pleasing. "Have you ever thought of moving somewhere else?" Ollie asked. "Every day." "Me too."
