The Milky Way

We walked along the water’s edge. It was darker than usual as there was no moon. It didn’t matter though. I could see well enough in the dark and Logan could see even better than I. We walked slowly. The night was clear and cool and we were in no hurry. I turned and smiled as Logan took my hand. I gave his hand a gentle squeeze and he looked at me and returned the smile. We walked a while longer until we reached “our spot”. It was a large rock that sat between the water and the woods. Logan used to come here when he needed a break from all the commotion at the mansion. After we had started seeing each other he brought me here. It was here that we shared our first kiss. It was here that we had first made love and it was here that Logan told me that he loved me. He is talking to the professor about building a cabin here, a small house for the two of us to live.

We stop next to our rock and he turns to me. Raising his hand he runs his fingertips along my cheek. I turn my head into his touch and close my eyes. My heartbeat quickens as it always does when he touches me. I lean in and place my lips against his in a soft kiss. I pull back a bit and open my eyes. It is my turn now to place my fingers against his skin. “Y’r so beautiful.” I whisper. He smiles and pulls me in for another, deeper kiss. I wrap my hands around his waist and hold him close to me.

Breaking the kiss, he takes my hand and guides me to our spot. Sitting and leaning back against the rock, he pulls me to him. I sit between his legs and lean back against his chest. He wraps his arms around me and I lay my head back on his shoulder. Looking at the lake I am disappointed a bit that there is no moon shining on the water. I love to watch the light as it dances on the water.

I turn my gaze to the sky and my breath catches. “D’eres so many.” I manage to say quietly.

“That’s cuz there’ no moon.” Logan replies. “ The light caused by the moon blocks out the fainter stars and so you miss them.” He holds me tighter and presses his cheek against mine. “ See what looks like a fine mist covering and curling through the brighter stars? He asks.

I nod my head slowly.

“ Look close Rem.” He whispers in my ear.

“Day’re stars ! “ I sit upright and turn to look at him. “day’re so small, dey look like dust.” I turn back to look at them.

Logan pulls me tight to him again and I settle in his arms. “That’s the Milky Way, Rem.”

I turn my head to look at him again. “How can dat be? I asked “ I t’hout de Milky Way was de galaxy dat Earth was in…don’ y’ need a telescope to see it ?”
He smiles and kisses my cheek. “ To see it up close you do but, when its dark enough and the sky is clear enough you can actually see it with the naked eye. Not all of it of course. But you can see it. It looks like a light fog or cloud cover until you adjust your eyes and then….there it is.

I turn and capture his lips in a kiss. “ How’d y’ get so smart, Cher?”

He chuckles and kisses me back and then I settle once again with my head on his shoulder. “ Been around a long time, Rem. I picked up a few things along the way.”

I smile and relax in his arms looking up at the breathtaking site of the universe before us. I used to feel lost when I looked up at the sky and saw all of the stars. I felt small and alone. But now, here in the arms of the man I love, I feel comforted by it. As if we are being held gently in the arms of some devine being. “I see de big dipper.” I say after a little while. “And de little dipper. But I don’t see anyt’ing else. I can never see de constellations like dey show in books.”

Logan chuckles once again. “ That’s cuz you ain’t got no patience, kiddo. If you look long enough, you’ll see em.”

I look at him and then back at the sky. “ I don’ t’ ink I’ll ever see any’ting but stars up dere”

“ Wanna here a story Rem?” Logan asks softly. “ It’s a story from the Navaho about how the stars came to be.”

I nod my head. “ Yes, please.” I tell him. I love when he talks about the Native American culture and their folklore.
He presses his lips against my ear and whispers. “The story begins a very long time ago, before man walked the Earth. Back then, there were no stars in the night sky, and there was no moon. The nights were very dark, and all the animals would bump into each other. Finally the animals decided to ask Great Spirit for help.
The animals gathered and talked to Great Spirit. They told Great Spirit that they were grateful for all they had, yet they wanted something else, to be able to see at night. Great Spirit nodded and smiled and told the animals "watch me, little ones." He then picked up a bright shiny stone from a stream and placed it in the sky, where it became a star. "This is the home star" Great Spirit explained. "It does not move. Use it to find your way home when you are lost"
Logan points to a bright star in the sky.

“ We know the home star as the north star, Rem.” I smile and nod as he continues.

“ Then Great Spirit told the animals to go collect up piles of the shiny stones and carry them up into the sky and make pictures of themselves. The animals began the task, but soon the little animals grew tired. After awhile longer, the bigger animals also grew tired.
Back they went to Great Spirit and asked for more help. "Go to Coyote" Great Spirit said. "Tell him to help you." And so they did. Now Coyote thought he was the wisest and most clever of all the animals, and he did not want to waste his time helping the other animals. Still, he did not want to offend Great Spirit. So Coyote told the animals to leave their stones with him, and he would finish the job for them. After the animals left, Coyote began thinking of what a grand picture of himself he would create in the sky, "it will be better than all the others," he thought. Suddenly Coyote was reminded that he must finish the animals’ work. He hurriedly snatched up the bag of stones and flung them up into the air. And that is why not all constellations appear finished, and why some don’t look like what they are. But, Coyote was punished for his treachery, for in his haste, he forgot to save stones for his own picture. That’s why Coyote howls at night.”

“I laugh at the thought of all the animals putting their likeness in the sky and the coyote trying to go about it the easy way. “ I t’ink I got a lot in common wit’ dat coyote, Cher.”

Logan laughs and holds me tight. “I wouldn’t want ya any other way, kiddo.” He says. “I wouldn’t want ya any other way.”