ARC Round four, Astronomical

Instructions

“Nothing,” a short, illustration based story. “For weeks without sleep, for days without food or a proper wash, living off of caffeine and a dream of glory, he’d been studying the stars. Watching from afar each night as the sky dimmed and bestowed upon him the beauty of its celestial being. “Now that he’d finally found isolation, he could be alone to observe the heavenly planes above the clouds. He left his family, his friends, and his peers to pursue his studies and he wasn’t going to go back now. All he needed was a few more days. A few more days of watching. Waiting. Observing. “He quickly learned that it was best to neglect his texts, his Emails, his post, his dues… they were only there to distract him. Rent could wait for a few days. But then a new problem arose. Without his computer, he couldn’t order food. But he couldn’t go outside to get it either, that would just be another distraction. It was about time he ate those leftovers in the fridge, they would surely be enough for a few days. “Every night, the sky taunted him. He saw the constellations, but he didn’t understand them. The answers to the universe were being waved in his face, but they were just out of reach. He stayed up from sunset to sunrise, never catching a moment of sleep in hopes of not missing a second of the universe’s movement. But soon, he realized that he couldn’t sleep during the day either. His abundance of caffeine and obsession over the stars kept him up day and night. “Not even a week in, he found his fridge empty. His cabinets and small pantry, too. But he didn’t need food, nor did he need sleep, sunlight, washing, or friends. All he needed was a few more days. Just a few more days. “After eight sleepless nights, he could feel his body shutting down. His arms seemed to drag everywhere he went and his eyes felt dry and heavy. The pile of post at his door was getting too large for him to ignore. So he broke away from his work for a moment to lighten the load. Along with nourishment, he’d also neglected to keep an eye on the time. Time was a distraction. However time would’ve let him know that his rent was past due, instead of him having to find a letter from the proprietor notifying him of his late payments. “Maybe it was time to stop. Maybe it was time to take a break and go back to his work and his school. Maybe all he needed was a few hours of sleep. ”No. He was so close, he could feel it. He wasn’t going back now, he couldn’t go back now. Instead he tossed his calendar, clock, and mail in the bin. Those were distractions. He didn’t want or need distractions. He needed to continue his work. He couldn’t go back now. “A new night came, and he went back to work. He’d lost time that day while contemplating his efforts, so he had to increase his studies to catch up and finally complete his work- his dream. “The stars were so beautiful. They were everything. He could see them engrained into his eyes and making his vision blurred. Tiny constellations danced in his head and slurred his thoughts, like there was a cosmic soup brewing in his head. He was close. He was *so* close. “One night, maybe days after he got rid of his calendar, maybe weeks- he couldn’t remember to count the nights- something came to him. In the silence of his dark room, there was suddenly light. But how could this be? His power was shut off and he didn’t even know what he’d done with his devices days into his studies. Was it the sun? Had one of his curtains gotten ripped somehow? “He peered into the middle of his observation space from his research room. There is was. Everything. It was all right there. Life, death, rebirth, the sun, the stars, the moon, the bleak sky- it was right in front of him. What was he to do? Run for his notes? Try and find his long lost camera? “He got closer, not knowing what else to do. This was it. His purpose, his everything. The stars. Knowledge. It was over, he could end all of this right now. “Now, standing in the middle of the lit space, he clasped his hands over the brightness. There was no warmth, no tickle of the sun. The entire universe was mapped out in front of him, but it was nothing. This what all that he’d been thinking about for weeks, the thing that he’d been losing sleep and countless hours over. “But it was nothing. “That was all. “It was over. And so quickly, too. “The nothing faded away from the room and in its place, was his everything. “His universe. “His nothing.” Desc. Continued below (vvv)