Chapter 1: Prelude

Heav’n from all creatures hides the book of fate,

All but the page prescrib’d, their present state:

From brutes what men, from men what spirits know:

Or who could suffer being here below?

The lamb thy riot dooms to bleed today,

Had he thy reason, would he skip and play?

Pleas’d to the last, he crops the flow’ry food,

And licks the hand just rais’d to shed his blood.

Oh blindness to the future! kindly giv’n,

That each may fill the circle mark’d by Heav’n:

Who sees with equal eye, as God of all,

A hero perish, or a sparrow fall,

Atoms or systems into ruin hurl’d,

And now a bubble burst, and now a world.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

~ Alexander Pope, An Essay on Man

When I was a young girl, my most beloved books promised me that the future was written in the stars.

In those days, the words of Sir Boromir and Lord Tolemus were my holy writ. They revealed truths about heaven that the standard litany had neglected, written in the sacred language of geometry. The grassy field behind my father’s house was my temple, where I could view heaven above me impeded only by the occasional cloud. With the help of my grandfather’s discarded sextant, I verified the heavenly truths my books had revealed. The majesty and order of the universe was bare before my eyes.

As I grew older, I explored more books written by men of varied fields. Philosophy, theology, and history were all fascinating in their own way, but they were always in conflict, like the different nations who fought in never-ending wars. History even seemed to contradict the promise that men could discern their destiny in the stars.

“The science of gleaning omens from the heavens is hopelessly flawed,” Sir Boromir admitted, “but if there is any hope for mankind, it will be found in the stars. The order of the cosmic dance is undeniably real. Look upon it, and find solace.”

I always whispered Sir Boromir’s words to myself when I went into my father’s field.

Even now, when I lie on the ground and stare at the vast sky for long enough, the earth will seem to tilt until it is a wall at my back. In that moment, I always feel as though I could step away from the earth, and walk among the stars.