Of Lost in The Stars

“Oh come on!” Tatenda exclaimed as the laptop along with the lights switched off. “Loadshedding” he muttered. “Loadshedding” Tinashe echoed back. There was no point in checking if the mains power had tripped, the darkness outside was proof that even the streetlights were off.

It would have been a very dark night were it not for the stars. They twinkled up above like a thousand aeroplanes in the night sky. Tatenda sighed as he went to sit on the porch step and tried not to stress if the project he had been working on had autosaved on the laptop before it shut down.

“They are scary, aren’t they?” Tinashe asked, joining Tatenda on the porch. “Yes, yes they are” Tatenda replied.

“Just looking at them gives me goosebumps” Tinashe said brushing off imaginary goosebumps. “Oh yes, they show us the mindboggling vastness of the universe” Tatenda mused.

“It is madness” responded  Tinashe.

“Totally, and a bit sad too” Tatenda chimed in agreement.

“I would be a bit sad too, imagine being so big” Tinashe said gesturing at the expanse of the night sky. Tatenda thought about it before agreeing, “Yeah, but realising you are a small insignificant speck in the universe is worse_”

Tatenda excitedly cut “Totally! How many of us would have to be eaten?”

“Sorry what?”

“Like how many of us, would have to be eaten by the aliens?” Tatenda elaborated gesturing excitedly to Tinashe.

“What aliens what are you talking about?”

 “The Starlink Satellites. Didn’t you see them? People say that they are bringing in giant aliens coming to eat us. What are you talking about?”

“Oh I thought you were simply talking about the stars stars…”

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Story written during a Come Write Along session by Bhala Writers