Picture Postcard #5 - The Heavens

“What does it all mean, Chiron? What is up there in the Heavens?”

“You ask not easy questions.” The centaur laughed as he approached his young pupil where he lay on his back in the grass, hands laced behind his shaggy head of hair. “Tell me what you think is up there.”

“I don’t know. That is why I am asking you.” The boy wrinkled his nose, focused on the myriad stars pocking the night sky. “If I had to guess, I would say they are torches to light the way for gods and men in the dark. Does anyone live up there?”

The centaur smiled and looked up. He had always longed for those answers himself.

“Some say that there are gods living among the stars. That the heroes of the past dwell there for all eternity as examples for men to be reminded of, to follow.”

“Might there be other worlds? Would it not be a great adventure to be among the stars with so much room around you?”

“You have an imagination about you! It would be an adventure. However, what should concern us is the moment and how we live our lives. You are young and the world stands before you, just as the heavens do now. You just can’t see the world from here where you lie in the grass.”

“I do want to see it, Chiron. So much.”

“I promise you, Jason, you will see it. But first you must learn. There are many wonders to behold in the heavens, but the wonders of this earth are, I assure you, infinitely more fascinating. Adventure attends the curious youth.”

The boy smiled and looked up again.