Firstly, I want to thank every single member of Paterson who submitted a piece for our magazine and apologise that I could not include every single one. The variety of pieces has been amazing to see and each and every person who submitted a piece should be very proud of their contribution. The submissions across the forms were remarkable. However Paterson 7 and 9 submitted the most entries with both forms averaging more than one per person! This commitment to House events is amazing to see from the younger years and gives me faith in the future of Paterson.
I also want to thank Ms Chalk for her wealth of knowledge and experience when putting this together. She is vital to Paterson and it is hard to put into words just how much she does for this house and every single member.
And finally, I need to thank you. Thank you for reading our magazine. Thank you for appreciating each word and taking as much care in reading as we took putting it all together. I hope each one of these pieces can spark your imagination and transport you to the stars. Maybe you will get to see the stars in a different light, a new light. I hope you can realise that each star has the same importance, that each star means something and that each star can make a difference and an impact. I hope we have been able to convey this message with our magazine and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I have enjoyed putting it all together.
Thank you and enjoy!
Ollie Buckthorpe Head Boy of House
Paterson House Writing Captain
on them, but there's something about that one star that catches your eye. It feels special, almost. But you sense-check yourself - “What am I talking about?” - and you walk away, losing that feeling in a blink of an eye, one action, one thought, and it's gone. Not many special things are like that, but this one is, and it makes it just a bit, just a bit, more special. A bit more, you. You might think, ‘Well everyone can see them, and there's probably someone right now looking at that same star, so what's so special about them?’ and again, you’ve lost it. If you find it, or if you get it, just gaze at it, imagine, dream about what is up there. Be open to optimism, be open to everything possible, or even be open to things impossible to this day, maybe they aren’t impossible? Maybe you’ll discover that. It’s your choice. So just don’t lose it, okay?
BY TEDDY W. (Pa7)
THE NORTHERN TRAIL
Jack was stranded. On a desolate, lifeless world. Years ago, a comet had hit his planet but he wasn’t the only one that survived. The real danger, though, was the aftermath, which led him to now, where his only friends were the rats and cockroaches that came by.
He only had a few things he kept with him, a crumbling, torn rucksack, regret and a memory. A memory that played in his head like an alarm: “If you ever feel lost, follow the Northern Star and you will come home.” His father’s voice echoed in his head but he always thought it meant nothing.
Jack lay in the sandy wasteland that he wanted to call home but also wanted more. The 2nd sun set like it was waiting for Jack to make a move, it watched him, hoping for him to snap out of this distraught. But the only thing that he could do now was to sit and stare, at the shining night sky, at the glimmering galaxy above him
BY ASHTON F. (Pa7)
THE PEOPLE VS THE SUN
Extract from the Interstellar Court Clerk: All rise. The Interstellar Court is now in session. Judge Andr presiding.
Judge: Be seated. Today we hear the case of The People versus The Sun charge: monopolising the sky, eclipsing the brilliance of every Prosecutor Orion: with relentless light. Constellations vanish. Distant stars are When one voice fills the sky, the rest are forced into silence.
Defender Vega: become a frozen monument to what once lived. Oceans would harde Light is not theft simply because it is strong.
Judge: Call your witness.
Clerk: Polaris to the stand.
Prosecutor:
Polaris: No.
Prosecutor: Why?
Polaris: Because the sky is saturated with light.
(A measured pause.)
Prosecutor: And does that trouble you?
Polaris: I do not compete for attention. I guide those who are lost. I remain constant while others wander. Visibility is temporary. Direction is not. Even in a crowded room, the quietest hand can guide the way unnoticed, but essential.
(A ripple moves through the gallery.)
Judge: The defendant may speak.
A warm light fills the chamber.
The sun: I was forged in collapse and pressure. I did not choose to be central. I burn because I must. When I set, the stars return. And one day when my fire fades they will still shine. Silence spreads, vast as space.
Prosecutor: Power must answer to those it overshadows.
Defence: Existence is not arrogance. The lights dim.
Judge: This court finds that brilliance is not a crime. Presence does not claim the sky. Absence from view does not erase value. Every star loud or quiet, seen or unseen has worth. The Sun is not guilty. The courtroom falls into darkness. And for a fleeting, perfect moment the sky belonged to every star.
BY JEREMY O. (Pa9)
THE PRESS
It had been 3 weeks since his wife’s murder, no suspects, no witnesses, no evidence, no weapon, nothing. After a lot of convincing the police accepted his alibi and he was a free man, rightfully. But that hadn’t stopped them. Theories had swept across the country as his wife’s death became a novel whodunnit; and amateur detectives posted their guesses online and their hatred through the letterbox.
All ‘evidence’ led to him, they wanted him to say something, to announce his innocence, and make some argument against them. But he knew they only wanted that so they could tear it apart; “did you see how his eye moved? I’m a psychologist and that means he is lying! He must be guilty!!!” But he could ignore what people said. That he had almost become used too. What he couldn’t cope with was the press. See he was never a public man, and there was nothing the press wanted more than to get a good picture of him for the front page. Every time he opened his front door he was bathed in flashing beams of light which for a split second looked like his front garden had been sprinkled with stars; it was almost beautiful until it was blinding and the microphones moved in.
He shut the door. But he wouldn’t give up. He got out his darkest sunglasses, a cap and a hoodie. Almost sprinting out the door he eventually lost them and arrived at the funeral; late.
Sobbing quietly in the front row of the church he heard the rapid approach of footsteps behind him, then the sudden flash of light. The stars had followed him, they had broken into this quiet ceremony, the first chance he’d had to properly mourn his wife and they had ruined it. How could they do this? He was innocent, the police had believed it, why couldn’t they? In a sudden fit of rage he lurched at one of the stars, grabbing its white light in his hand and throwing it to the side. It went dark, the stars died into space. Pause. Then, almost in sync the photographers stepped back; had they finally given him some reprieve?
Then he realised the scene; he was standing looking down at a young photographer who was empty handed, shaking, with a camera in pieces just less than a meter away. He then understood why they had backed away… Just to get a better angle.
The stars bathed him in their crackles of light. He could already see the headlines now;
“PSYCHO
ALLEGED WIFE-KILLER ASSAULTS PRESS”
BY HARRY R. (Pa13)
THE NEW STAR
On a date lost to time astronomers unnamed at an observatory unknown reported a strange observation. Approximately 200 light years away, a new star had been sighted. Now this by itself was not concerning. What was concerning was its speed. The astronomers estimated that it was hurtling towards Earth and would reach in a year’s time. It would envelop our solar system and end life as we knew it. At first, the news was kept quiet but, as secrets usually do, the threat of extinction leaked. By 2 months time, every government in the world was aware of the star. By 3, it had reached the Internet and by 4 it was common knowledge. Reactions to the news varied. Some cried out in desperation and fear. Some began to hoard and look at others with jealous eyes. Some, resigned to their fate, sought to find the most in their lives but these were few and far between. In order to save humanity, the governments of the world came together. With the fate of humanity on the line, world leaders met. However, betrayed by human nature, the meeting devolved into arguments. One accused the other of not providing ideas, another accused one of manipulation to gain land. These arguments were, of course, baseless and a waste of precious time. However, the imminence of extinction and the fear of death have profound effects on rationality. The world fell into war. Whether it was the final flailings of human civilisation or the mass breaking of the human psyche, countries assemble their forces and fought a desperate war for a doomed planet. The fighting was not limited to the frontlines of war. Rioting, robbery and crime became commonplace in all nations, as people, uninhibited by the rule of law and aware of their limited time acted on their darkest desires. Civilisation collapsed and humanity was destroyed in the flames of war and destruction. In the chaos and anarchy, none bothered to reobserve the star, no one bothered to check the original calculations. When the day of the star reaching Earth came, no one was there to see … nothing happen. No one was there to see the result of a simple miscalculation. No one was there to see the star, the destroyer of life and the end of humanity, pass 12 million miles away from a cold, dead planet once called Earth.
BY VEDANTH H. (Pa11)
THE PATERSON POST
The Sun could die in the next 250 million years, NASA suggests
Astronomers from NASAhave recentlydiscovered that the fuel ourburning star(the Sun) is running on is being consumed at a fasterrate thanwe originally thought.
We all knewabout the fact that the Sunwould die in 5 billion years and consume the Earth (as the Sunwould eventuallyrun out of hydrogen),however recentlyscientists have discovered that overthe past few years,the amount of hydrogen in the sun is decreasing much faster thanwe predicted.
The astronomers then managed to calculate the approximate time that the Sunwould run out of hydrogen - and that time is much closerthanwe think. This means that the end of Earth is nearerthanwe think - so let’s enjoylifewhile it lasts everyone, even though thiswill not be in ourlifetimes - as a person from now; let’s thank nature and the Earth forwhat they’ve done to us humans.
This news is much deeperthan we think.
Etymology of Star
The first appearance of a word similar to star is ištar fromBabylonia.Thiswasthe name of the Babylonian Goddess associated with Venus. However, this is a pure coincidence. Star in English in fact originates from Northern Europe. In Old German, the word sternan is used to describe anycelestialbody.
Going west, this develops into the Dutch word of ster and the Middle English word of sterre. Towards more modern English, thewordbecamemorespecified to represent fixed luminous celestial bodies and the word evolvedintostar.
Much later, star developed a secondmeaning.
In the early 1820s, the word star developed to be able to represent a leading actor or singer.Bythelate1880s,stars werealsousedtodescribethe quality of businesses such as restaurantsandhotels.
To conclude, star as a word hasn’t changed much since its earlyGermanorigins,however ithasevolvedinmanywaysto meanmoreandmorethingsin recentyears.
BY TOBY M. (Pa11)
The first photograph of our sun BY PRASID P. (Pa9)
Fire watching Fire
I have burned for billions of years, so I am sure that I understand fire. When the rocket lifted off from the Earth, its flame was thin and pathetic, nothing compared to me. I doubted that it would survive the endless darkness between the two wonderful worlds. One violent flare from my surface and they would be wiped out like dust. They were not built for the undiscovered above their heads.
Still, it climbed.
I watched the tiny craft thrust towards the Moon, who only shines because of me. I knew the void would claim them before they landed. I knew they would turn back.
Still, they rose.
They descended slowly and touched down on the surface, clearing a patch of grey dust. After exploration, they lifted off, once again. It is ok, they won’t make it back; I thought. As they gradually inched closer to home, and fell safely into their oceans, I burned a little brighter. Not with doubt, but in amazement and wonder at these small creatures who dared to reach for the stars.
BY EMERSON S. (Pa9)
THE SAILOR STOOD
A sailor stood upon his deck And gazed up to the skies He saw dazzling Cassiopeia And could not believe his eyes Orion drew his blazing bow And aimed it at his celestial foe.
The sailor stood and watched in awe As Draco crept ‘cross Midnight’s floor Passing the Equator line
He saw the Southern Cross The skies telling tales, Of victory and loss.
The sailor stood on dawn’s bright brink As sunrise swept in, clean and pink
The titan globe of fire Casting shadows of ebony ink Rays of light submerging the stars Into the salty drink.
BY SAM M. (Pa7)
THE EXISTENTIAL SUN
The Sun also arises, yet again illuminating his lucent empire, vanquishing the remaining dew of the new dawn; he governs the day which hosts the labours of man and everything that is vanity. The celestial body is confined to the empyreal vault of the sky; under him, his subjects toil without purpose against the wind: fruitlessly in their vainglorious vineyards, toiling futilely along mountains. Meanwhile, the solar lord steams through his lofty palace, towed by his flaming, fleet-footed steeds.
And the Sun goes down, for, in his hubris, the charioteer has run his course, and his team of fiery nags, bound to their fated path, drag him down from his sidereal expanse to some unknown place, out of sight of his narcissistic paradise, lost to the night. Like that winged youth, like that light-bearer of old, the heavenly host falls from the grace of the one against whom he has sinned, for he flew too close, tantalisingly close, to the ruler of all. The stellar kin of Sol do not intervene, save for casting their rays against the darkness; his mistress, the lesser light, is given rule of the now-blackened realm; she drives the waves to rise, and men to madness, yet she is but a mirror for his vain beams.
And the Sun hastens to his place where he arises, for he knows it has been pre-ordained, and it will come like an eagle to his core. His people regret that their star has set (this is why they worship him), but they too regret the fact that he will rise (and it is a fact, all know that it is a fact). Now the chariot blazes unseen through this underworld, its several circles forming a labyrinth; here the incandescent coachman gazes upon the roaring rivers, the wailing sinners, the hellish monsters; this is the fortune that awaits all. But not for him, this modern Prometheus is not expected here; he must depart, damned to his purposeless duty: The Sun also arises, yet again.
BY JACK H. (Pa12)
STARS IN THE SKY
High above the quiet night, The stars begin to glow. They flicker like a thousand dreams That only darkness knows.
They guide the lost and wandering, They watch the world below. Tiny sparks in endless space, Still shining soft and slow.
BY ARUN R. (Pa9)
STARS
Stars are massive celestial bodies of flaming gas held together by gravity. The sun is a star that has its own solar system but other stars do not have planets orbiting them. There are approximately 200 billion trillion to 1 septillion stars which is more than every grain of sand on every beach in the entire world. Stars are massive luminous spheres of plasma. They are the building blocks of galaxies. The sun is a star and it provides light and
THE FIRE BURNED
The fire burned.
It burned ferociously, illuminating the dark, frosty tundra. I rested on a tree stump, shivering; huddling close to it. The tall dark spruce trees - topped with frosty snow and pointy iciclestowered ominously over me; their green branches and the dense rose bushes shielding me from the outside world. Sirens echoed lightly towards the city. My city.
I couldn’t go back home. The Nazi’s had taken it over with their large tanks, big guns and venomous souls. Explosions and shells rained around me. I’ve heard the stories of what they have done to our people. If I go back, my fate will be no different.
I tried to move closer to the fire, but my muscles failed me. I looked down. My shoes, now reduced to rags, were soaked in wet slush, and my trousers were coated in mud like a chocolate cake. My stomach rumbled vehemently. I hadn’t eaten anything in days. Our rations were reduced to handfuls, our lives were miserable. The sirens still continued to bellow, with the debris and ashes masking the evil that had invaded our town.
Then, I saw it.
A shooting star, radiating fluorescently in the jet black sky. I looked up in awe, trying to decipher whether this was a shooting star or another missile. From what I could see it was glowing blue like a beacon of hope amidst the pure chaos of the battle.
With no other option, I closed my eyes and madea wish. I wished for freedom, and for us to never be oppressed by anyone ever again. I wished for peace. I wished for the ability for us to eat and drink as much as we need. I wished for-
BANG. I flinched and shooting star had had never existed. The torched by flames. I on the tree stump.
Nothing will change. Why would it?
BY ARUN S. (Pa10)
OUR BRIGHT STARS
In the old days, travelers used the stars to find their way home. When the woods were dark and quiet, the North Star was like a bright friend in the sky. It never moved and always showed the right path. Today, we can still look up and feel safe knowing that the stars are there to lead us.
Translation: In our school, a ‘star’ is a student who works very hard. Just like stars shine in the sky, good work makes our house (Paterson) famous. We should all be like a star that helps others. When we work together, our house (Paterson) stays on top.
Stars also remind us to have big dreams for our future. Even if a goal feels very far away, we must keep trying our best to reach it. Every small bit of effort is like a little light that helps us move forward. If we stay focused and keep shining, we can achieve great things for ourselves and for Paterson House.
Translation: Finally, remember that the sky is beautiful because all the stars shine together. Each of us is like a small star. When we all do our best and we help each other then our house (Paterson) will shine very quickly. Let’s make Paterson House the brightest in the school.
CONSTELLATIONS
Constellations. A beautiful picture in the night sky, painted by small, shining stars. Each constellation resembles a different thing: OrionThe hunter, Leo - The lion, Taurus - The bull, Scorpius - The scorpion. Each constellation has a unique design and shape, made up of multiple lines in the stars. Constellations have evolved from ancient myths and agricultural calendars during the ancient Greek times, to the modern star patterns that we see today. The earliest roots of the modern constellations go back to the Babylonians, who identified the star patterns and used them to mark seasons, agricultural cycles and for divination purposes, which occurred at around 400 BC. These fantastic discoveries are what make the night sky something amazing to marvel at. Without these special patterns in the stars, the night sky would lose some of its beauty and just consist of simple dots in the darkness that would appear to have no purpose. Without these constellations, the stars would lose their wonder, and the night would forever be without purpose.
BY AYDEN D. (Pa8)
A quiet star, One that walks the streets at night, Not made of fire, But one that makes small acts to shine bright
They glow in laughs, That echo through the air, Their helping hands, Show that they truly care
They may not hang, Above the sky so far, They live in you, And represent who you are
THE WHISPERING GIANTS OF THE NIGHT SKY
The stars have always whispered but no-one ever listened … Until tonight a young boy finally did.
The boy woke up bright and early like it was any ordinary day. The boy was ecstatic to go to school and gulped his water in a flash and devoured the precious star shaped pancakes his mother made for him. The boy was obsessed with space and stars. Once he got to school he quickly sat with his friends and grabbed his text book out. They talked about the wonders of space before class began. Not being able to fathom the wonders of space. Class began and he barely survived. During the last period of the day, he stared outside into the sky drifting off into the wonders of his mind where he could hear voices … But the final bell snapped him back to reality and he was off, thinking nothing more of it.
Walking home, the strange feeling returned like something was watching him. Every time he turned around, nothing was there. But as he reached the eerie, dead silent field near the ancient oak tree, the whispers grew louder and clearer with ever step he took.
A single star above him glowed extremely bright, beating like a heartbeat. “follow”
Engulfed with curiosity, he pursued into the field. Where a soft beam of starlight slowly drifted down, shining gently before him.
“At last,” the whisper said, “someone hears me.”
The boy stared, out of breath.
“Why me?” he asked.
The light’s heart warmed.
“Because you listen.”
And as the ground shimmered beneath his feet, he felt himself rising, pulled toward the whispering giants patiently waiting in the night sky.
BY SAMMI M. (Pa11)
Serves: 1 galaxy
THE MAKING OF A STAR
Preparation time: several million years
Ingredients:
Very high temps (millions of degrees)
Gravity
A pinch of Helium
Big cloud of hydrogen
Huge amounts of mass (thousands of Earth masses)
Extreme pressure
Method:
1.First, gather your big cloud of hydrogen. This is a nebula and is the base of your star
2.Next, slowly add your gravity bit by bit. As the gravity increases, the cloud collapses in on itself, becoming denser and denser. The mass increases, and pressure builds up in the centre
3.As the pressure increases, so does the temperature. The core heats to millions of degrees so that the atoms move so fast that they can’t stay separate
4.If you get the temperature and pressure right, nuclear fusion starts. The hydrogen atoms fuse to form helium while releasing large amount
5.This energy bursts out as light and heat. As of now, you star i bright in contrast to the dark space
Serving tip:
Allow your star to burn bright in the centre of a solar system, planets and burning bright against the darkness of space BY ZAYAAN K. (Pa11)
THE SHOOTING STAR
A small glimmer of light swam elegantly across the night sky. It sparkled gently like the admiring eye of a small child and seemed to glow brighter by the minute, flooding the night sky. The light spread inch by inch illuminating the planet with a chilling warmth. Although glaring with beauty, there was an evident maleficence about this object.
Billions stood staring in unison at the rather peculiar spectacle. It was impossible to tell whether each individual’s expression represented an unhindered awe, or pure abject terror.
With a sudden shift in atmosphere the entire sky lit up a dark blood red
now staring at the spectacle. As its enormity became increasingly apparent, buildings shook, oceans leapt, animals ran and tumbled as the earth violently oscillated
TWIN CHAINED DOVES
A white haze and mist of feathers intertwined; the quiet calls of a chained pair of doves pierced hauntingly. Subsumed into snow - indistinguishable from each star-like flake that melted away and returned to form. Crushed underfoot, an angel fallen - grasping desperately skywardscascading further. Two left wings unable to soar to forgotten heights, drowning in memories once sheltered. Butnow left to weather the oncoming storm.
The heavens tore open, eager to paint over an eclipsed sky. And yet night’s great stillness remained, unchallenged and untouched except a lone dove, flying into the gloom, twinkling.
BY SEB J. (Pa13)
EVERYTHING CAN BE A STAR
Everything can be a star. Celebrities are stars, famous people whom people look up to. You may like basketballers, actors, footballers or boxers, to you, they are your stars. But your stars don’t always have to be celebrities, they could be your dad, your mum, your auntie and so on and thats fine, because you know them and they know you, which will deepen your bond.
Everything can be a star. Stars are stars. Stars are big luminous ball of plasma held together by its own gravity. Stars could disintegrate you almost
THE PLANET BAR
Everyone knows about the Milky Way, a chocolate bar filled with marshmallows, the Galaxy, pure chocolate, and the Mars bars, filled with biscuits, but these are all too boring, so I decided to create a new chocolate bar, made from the universe itself!
The idea for this bar is that you eat the layers individually, apart from the outside, which holds it together. Each layer has a thin coating of the outside, which is yet to be revealed, inbetween. Its name would be the Planet Bar, and on the outside, it would have chocolate infused with a little bit of uranium. The clever bit is, it only starts decaying when the wrapper is opened, making it literally melt in your mouth!
The top layer of the inside would be cream with fluoride in it, making it so that you had a clean mouth, once you had moved it about. for the explosion of taste and flavour yet to come.
The next layer would have pure light, captured from outside of earth so that it has the flavour of a vacuum (it tastes cold but you don’t get frozen), then shipped back, and this layer must be assembled inside a vacuum so it doesn’t lose any taste.
The penultimate layer is normal biscuit, but in about 1 in 10,000 bars, you will find that this layer is made from real asteroids! You can then keep it, call us and we will either deliver 100 bars to your house, free of charge, or you could even get us to make a custom bar with your name on it, as a short term item, to be sold across the world!
The final layer would be tiny crystals of carbon dioxide, taken from Earth’s atmosphere in our bid to become a carbon-negative company. The idea behind this is that it brings you back down to Earth after a rapidly paced tour around our galaxy, maybe even the
Wednesday 9:30 p:m.
Dear Diary, ‘Twas’ the night of the 7th, dark, blossomed and clear black filled the skies. All that was to be seen was the stars, the pervasive shape filled the moonlight sky. I sat to myself wondering what could possibly form such a beautiful elegant object, I look up bewildered by the shear amount of stars up in that sky and think to myself, what could these stars mean, maybe each one forms one of my own dreams getting ready for me to grab and bring to life, or maybe even it’s what is perceived to be heaven and each one is someone of the dead.
A couple days have passed now and all that I can think about is shining stars, when I close my eyes to sleep, they fill the black space I see, just like they did on that magical night. Since that night I haven’t seen the stars, making myself wonder if it was a one off moment or maybe I was even imagining it. Which makes me think, why? What could they mean? Were they the dead who have just been reincarnated? “The possibilities are endless”, I say to myself whilst lying in my bed at night.
BY WILL B. (Pa11)
BY AKHILESH S. (Pa8)
STARS IN YOUR EVERYDAY
Let me start with a question. Who has been a star in your life? Maybe it's your mum, dad, friend, teacher, whoever. Think of what they have done for you and don’t take it for granted. Sometimes it is hard being kind, what with the school rush and keeping your head down. However, taking a minute to be kind to someone or repaying someone’s kindness is not just good for them, but it’s also good for you to. Studies have found that acts of kindness are linked to increased feelings of well-being.Helping others can also improve our support networks and encourage us to be more active.This, in turn, can improve our selfesteem.There is some evidence to suggest that whenwehelp others, it can promote changes in the brain that are linked with happiness. Plus, who knows? That person can later be in your friend group and hang out with you. Now, you may be wondering, how can I be kind to others? Well, it can be as simple as saying ‘good morning’ or even simpler – smiling. Even if the smile is ‘fake’, fake smiling is proven to improve your mood, even if you’re not really that happy. In addition, it also makes the person you smiled happy, even if the person had had a rough day up till then. An inspirational quote from Jackie Chan, a legendary Chinese actor, stuntman, filmmaker, and martial artist, says ‘sometimes it only takes one act of kindness and caring to change a person’s life’. Now, I will ask you a final question – How can you be kind to people that were kind to you (not out of obligation), to your friends and to strangers?
BY AKHILESH S. (Pa8)
THE STARFISH AND THE SAILORS
A lone starfish crawls along the sea bed. It is nighttime, and the bright moon beautifully contrasts the dark night sky. It is lonely in the sea, with the radiant light of the stars barely passing the surface of the water. In the daytime, the ocean was a metropolis of colour; the sun casting an aquamarine hue onto the vast expanse of the ocean. Lots of wildlife occupied the small spaces between rocks, hiding from their prey. However, tonight, the lonely starfish has to traverse the barren and rocky terrain alone.
Above the starfish, two sailors rowed their small fishing boat. After a long day of fishing, the two sails watched the night sky as they slowly fell asleep. The constellations calmly observed them, protecting them from the dangerous ocean. As the sailors drifted into a heavy, rhythmic sleep, the oars ceased their splashing, leaving the boat to gently float in the great ocean. One of the oars fell out of the boat, and into the depthless void of the water below.
Suddenly, a lone oar landed beside where the starfish was crawling. The whole ocean came alive, the once dormant plankton emitting a low bioluminescent light; turning the seabed into a flower of neon green and dark blue. The oar settled. As quickly as it woke up, the ocean fell asleep again. However, for a brief moment in time, the world above and the world below mirrored eachother-the stars in the sky and the life of the ocean.
BY MYKOLAS B. (Pa9)
BY AKHILESH S. (Pa8)
100 STARS IN THE SKY
Sunday.
Every Sunday afternoon, she would go round to her Grandpa’s house. She remembered every little detail. First she would have to reach as far as she could to ring the doorbell, then she would wait for exactly 30 seconds, and the door would open. She would jump up into his arms and they hugged for what felt like forever. Then they would go to the lounge and draw pictures for at least an hour, then they would eat her favourite food, spaghetti and meatballs. But the best part was always when they went up the stairs to the attic and they climbed up onto the roof. Then they would lay there and stare at the stars in the sky. Every time she counted them, exactly 100 every time. 100 stars in the sky. Grandpa would talk about wanting to go and visit the stars and bring one back to earth, to give to her. She loved his idea.
To have her own little star to keep. However, one Sunday, she had an idea to build a rocket so he could fly to the stars. He loved her idea. They began to draw pictures of what the rocket could look like, each idea crazier than the last.
One week, she ran the doorbell as usual and waited 30 seconds but the door didn’t open until 2 seconds later. He had never been late before. But she thought nothing of it, and continued the routine. The next week, he was 4 seconds late, then the next he was six seconds late. eight, ten, twelve, fourteen.
As the weeks went by his hugs grew softer and weaker and it took him ages to get onto the roof. But their ideas stayed strong, they had nearly finished the rocket’s design. They were so close to the 100 stars in the sky.
Then on one fateful Sunday, she rang the doorbell. She no longer had to stretch to reach it. She waited 30 seconds. She waited a minute, then two, then five, then ten. She waited so long she lost count. She decided to climb in through the open window. She searched all around the house but found nothing. Finally, she slowly climbed up into the attic and onto the roof. She noticed a letter underneath a loose tile. It read:
She gave a sombre smile and laid flat on her back. She looked up into the night and counted the stars.
The 101 Stars in the sky.
BY THEO S.
(Pa9)
Searching the Blanket of Black
Each night I look to the skies, into the blanket of black, the sky doesn’t know that I’m looking, and the stars refuse to stare back.
The bite of their judgemental glances, leaves my guilt out plain and bare, I plead and I protest relentless, but the stars don’t really care.
The burning beacons bear down on me, like they know what I look for each day,
CHILDREN OF THE STARS
Why do so many of us let our problems dictate our lives? We forget that the solution to them lies within us and beyond us, in something which connects us to everything that we call life. I heard a great quote by Dan Millman that read ‘Everything you'll ever need to know is within you; the secrets of the universe are imprinted on the cells of your body’. We carry such depth as human beings and yet we fail to recognise it; we ignore that our mere existence was facilitated by the eruption of ancient stars around the cosmos, the products of which molded the human body over vast timespans. Our natural complexions outweigh the problematicness of the obstacles that we face; the potential each and every human carries within oneself provides them with the crucial ability to succeed, even when all the odds are stacked against them. You, reader, look up to the sky at night. Feel the presence of the stars, watch them as they glisten, burn and illuminate like bulbs rooted in natures ceiling; visualise the vastness of this home of ours. Realise you are the child, the child of that family of fiery spheres who nurtured your mortal soul into existence. Why should such mere problems of yours plague your mind? We warriors were forged in the harshest of conditions, ones that defied the odds of creation; nevertheless we exist, we walk this earth. It serves as a testament to our character, our ability to live to conquer our setbacks. Our fortitude far transcends that of the complexities we fight to resolve. Triumph over your problems, defeat those that rear their ugly head at you, and rule your life in the manner you see fit. You are, after all, a child of the stars.
BY JOHN M. (Pa13)
FINAL LOGS RECOVERED FROM THE
WY_LOG_092
This is Jackson, sole pilot of the SC-179 – I’ve come out of the pod. It seems as though I was ejected due to a problem of some sort. Not sure what exactly just yet. For the past couple hours that I have been awake I have been experiencing intense chest and abdominal pain along with nausea; unsure about why. I’m also uncertain about how far through I am – last thing I remember was getting into the pod after taking off from the Charon Base, GJ163 system if I recall. I’ll have to check on the navigation terminal to see how far along I am and the medical files on what my body could be dealing with. I suspect it might be an issue with the pod as the lights on it were all dark; dead, when I checked around 20 minutes ago.
WY_LOG_093
Navigation has gone dark too: I have no idea where I am. The good news is that I have found the issue with both the hypersleep pod and my condition: the wiring on it has gone bust, frying the systems and automatically ejecting me from the sleep. This leads to my pain and nausea, which seems to be a severe form of sleep inertia that came from such ejection. I don't kno
WY_LOG_094
I just checked out the side of the cockpit and a really bright object was visible to the left side. Assuming that the autopilot didn’t also go out, I will make the assumption that that object was a star, and the star of the GL1401B system, which I would be expected to pass. If my distance to the star is correct, it should be around another six parsecs to Kathar Station in the Zeta 1 Reticuli system. That is approximately eleven months.
I’m going to see whether I’ll be able to fix the electrics on my own – I don’t want to be out of the pod for close to a year.
WY_LOG_095
The good news is that the electrical systems that made the hypersleep systems defunct look to be pretty easy to fix. But, and it’s lucky I checked on the terminal before I did anything, the only issue is that the company has a strict ‘no-interference’ policy: any interaction with anything on the ship that isn’t permitted before take-off with them – obviously in the contract the necessities are granted immediately – will result in an extremely significant axing of pay. They won’t like me even
WY_LOG_096
Given the position of that star and the current state of the pod, it will be around another eleven months before I could hope to see Kathar Station. Eleven months. Basic
I’m not gonna risk fixing the electrics. I’ll log again if something happens.
PATERSON STRIKES BACK
BY DANIEL M. (Pa12)
The death star was created as a weapon to get control through fear, this was a creation by the galactic empire. A few other uses for it, is a symbol of power and The plan to make the s also known as Palpatin
The first one was destroyed by Luke Skywalker, and the The second one was destroyed by Lando Calrissian. The first Death Star was roughly 140-160 kilometres in diameter but the second was larger spanning from 160-200 kilometres in diameter. It is created by a kyber Crystal-powered superlaser which can obliterate an entire planet in one
THE NIGHT SKY 4.2 - 287 REVIEWS
Margaret H, Shrewsbury - - March 2023 - 94 reviews
Wow. 5 stars is not enough for the spectacle. My husband Graham and I always loved the wonder of the sky. I visited the Atacama Desert for this, for the magical sight of our night sky in all its glory. Carlos was wonderful, explaining every last detail and answering my endless questions. He even explained to me the idea of the expanding universe! The Milky Way was breathtaking. Graham would have loved it. Worth every penny, will return.
DaveFromBristol94 - - September 2023 - 12 reviews
Was recommended by a colleague and did not live up to expectations. Observed after being told about a meteor shower and spent 25 mins staring at 4 stars and a flashing light from a plane. Would not recommend unless you live in the middle of nowhere. Poor accessibility. Management should address light pollution as a matter of urgency.
KeziaTravels12 -
Travelled to Norway for the northern lights, vivid green and purple curtains covering the sky had always fascinated me. Once I had arrived the vivid green had been replaced by a pale shimmer. The attraction is real and worth seeing however manage your expectations and you will not be dis
Tt_9 - - November 2022 - 3 reviews
Couldn’t sleep, went outside. Five Stars
SamsMum2019 -
We went camping in the lake district in the hols, Sam was asking about stars all week after doing something at school. Pretty normal day beforehand, moaned about a gate that was too hard to open and hiked until we couldn’t anymore. Knackered by eight and thought we’d just go to bed but it was a clear night so Sam wanted to have a look and that was that. Sam asked me on the way home if I thought the stars knew we were looking at them. I said I didn’t think so. Sam said that was a shame. I said yes, it is a
[Translated by Google Translate. Accuracy not guaranteed]
She had walked three hours from the village, stopping after her legs could carry her no more. Ground was dry and bare. Sky was not dark. It was like looking down on a country, each light representing a life as complex as my own. She stood until the cold was in her bones and she did not move to leave. She has been afraid of many things and standing there she was not afraid of any of them
