
Starless – According to the legend of Fatima, there was an apparition of the holy, virginal mother of god and a miracle performed wherein the sun danced around in the sky for thousands to witness in that early twentieth century Portuguese village. Mother Nature, not in a refutation of Fatima though certainly a similar and opposing corollary, performs an apparent miracle for Mungi by extinguishing simultaneously all the starlight. If not for Mother Nature’s luminescence there would be absolute darkness, though that eventually descends as she leaves. Mungi is, at least momentarily, in complete darkness, perhaps the only cause of unhappiness, depression, and sadness for Mungi. Mother Nature, in mercy that is not unlike what is attributed to Mary, lights up the night sky with stars again. The miracle, or rather demonstration, over. There is no explanation to Mungi, or us for that matter, as to the reason for the spontaneous show or the lesson behind it. Perhaps there is none. Though it does serve as a reminder that the end of the universe is complete darkness, even though it may be as far as trillions of years away. If one would like to imagine this oneself, all that is needed is to wait for night, draw the blinds, turn off any lights, and close one’s eyes. Voila, that is what the fate of the universe looks like! – Zachary