By: David Wang
“Tell me, Johnny, what do you see?” “I see the sky, Dad.” “What else?” “Nothing.” “Then you haven’t looked close enough. Look again.” “I see the stars.” “What about them?” “They’re bright, and they look very pretty.” This was the conversation between Johnny and his father after dinner. The pair had been hiking the entire day in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, late in the fall when all the leaves had changed colors. It was night now, so the glorious reds, golds and greens could not be seen, but there was a different kind of beauty awaiting them.
The father-son duo had been searching for a good place to camp and after much trekking, Johnny stumbled upon a clearing when the sun was just starting to set. His father unpacked the tent and Johnny helped set up the poles. By the time they had finished, the sun was but a tiny blur of color over a mountain top. His father gathered some dry wood while Johnny set up a campfire pit, and they soon had a nice fire going, with some sausages for dinner.
Afterwards, they roasted marshmallows and night quickly fell, with the stars slowly winking into existence after the sky faded to a glorious royal blue sprinkled with patches of lighter hues. That was when the conversation about the stars started.
The rest of the conversation went like this. “Johnny, those stars, do you see the way they shine? They shine very brightly, don’t you think?” his father asked as they sat in their lawn chairs outside the tent. The fire was flickering, and the woods were peaceful. “Yes, Dad, they shine very brightly.” said Johnny. “Now tell me, what do you think about how they shine? What do you think the brightness represents, at least for yourself?” Johnny replied, “The brightness for me means . . . What do you think it means, Dad?”
His father chuckled softly and replied, “To me, the shine of the stars means that the future is bright. We should continue to look forward to that bright future of ours, because I think that the stars also believe in everyone who makes a wish, which is why they shine for the whole world to see. I also believe it means you’ll grow up to become a very successful and great person, someone who does good in the world, shining just like the stars tonight and forevermore. This is just a wish, but I hope that you can have a happy future where you’ll look back at memories and think: “I did good, and I regret nothing.”
He turned to look at Johnny, who had fallen asleep, and smiled. Picking up his son, he went into the tent. Johnny was put into his sleeping bag. “Goodnight, my son, and keep shining forever like the stars in the sky.” Then, he too, went to sleep. Outside, the stars glowed with their endless light, twinkling brightly, and they seemed to smile gently upon the whole world, with the promise of a bright tomorrow.