A Light In The Dark | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Entertainment

A Light In The Dark

The Odyssey of a humble star.

22
A Light In The Dark
National Geographic

In the endless void, for light years upon light years, the only light is a little pinprick... coming from a luminous ball of burning hydrogen and helium. The orange tyrant brutally slugs its spherical slaves around itself, twirling and twisting them in the infinite vacuum. Round and round they go, locked together in their cycle for millions and billions of years. Slowly, the tyrant swirls with power, emitting radiation to toast his charges.

Elsewhere in the universe, stellar wonders occur. Vast collections of stars form from naught but dust. Black holes jealously devour matter from all sides. Pulsars spin wildly. Binary systems gracefully dance together. The fabric of space-time stretches and fluxes under the weight of events unfolding on its ever-expanding plane.

Much time passes. The tyrant persists as cross-stellar travelers pass through, showering his realm with ice and precious metals. Bodies collide, planets form and reform. Some of the tyrant’s subjects slowly migrate about, and some grow big enough in speed and size for ejection, launched forcefully away into the beyond. They quickly freeze over and wander eternally in unending darkness.

One of the tyrant’s vassals grows hairy and green. (Thanks to the heat and its water.) Civilizations rise across its landscape, but, in a sudden burst of self-inflicted flame, the planet dies and becomes barren and lifeless, likes its neighbors. It lasted for only a brief moment. Throughout the universe, other little rocks also become hairy and green with life, and they will do great things.

Galaxies will cross, awe-inspiring inventions constructed, great wars fought, stars tamed, but not for this one. After this little incident, the ceaseless rotations and revolutions of the tyrant and his subjects continue on as normal, uninterrupted for a long time.

Subtly at first, but then by leaps and bounds, the tyrant swells to an enormous size, even consuming some of his nearest thralls in his expansive inferno. But growth comes with a price, and the giant begins to cool and then contract once more. The monster, once so powerful and confident, starts running out of fuel. He burns and roars against the dying of his own light until finally, his time has come.

The tyrant collapses in on himself with a deafening bellow, if anyone existed to hear it. What little substance of him remains explodes in a brilliant final burst of blinding red and yellow light, taking his remaining vassals with him. Then naught exists but a trail of debris, broken over the hearth of once bright opportunity. However, it still swirls pensively in hopes one day, it may collect and become a new light in the dark.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
an image of taylor swift standing center stage surrounded by her backup dancers in elegant peacock esque outfits with a backdrop of clouds and a box rising above the stage the image captures the vibrant aesthetics and energy of her performance during the lover era of her eras tour
StableDiffusion

A three-and-a-half-hour runtime. Nine Eras. Eleven outfit changes. Three surprise songs. Zero breaks. One unforgettable evening. In the past century, no other performer has put on an electric performance quite like Taylor Swift, surpassing her fans ‘wildest dreams’. It is the reason supporters keep coming back to her shows each year. Days later, I’m still in awe of the spectacle ‘Miss Americana’ puts on every few days in a new city. And, like one of Taylor’s exes, has me smiling as I reminisce about the memories of the night we spent together.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

Every Girl Needs To Listen To 'She Used To Be Mine' By Sara Bareilles

These powerful lyrics remind us how much good is inside each of us and that sometimes we are too blinded by our imperfections to see the other side of the coin, to see all of that good.

82771
Every Girl Needs To Listen To 'She Used To Be Mine' By Sara Bareilles

The song was sent to me late in the middle of the night. I was still awake enough to plug in my headphones and listen to it immediately. I always did this when my best friend sent me songs, never wasting a moment. She had sent a message with this one too, telling me it reminded her so much of both of us and what we have each been through in the past couple of months.

Keep Reading...Show less
Zodiac wheel with signs and symbols surrounding a central sun against a starry sky.

What's your sign? It's one of the first questions some of us are asked when approached by someone in a bar, at a party or even when having lunch with some of our friends. Astrology, for centuries, has been one of the largest phenomenons out there. There's a reason why many magazines and newspapers have a horoscope page, and there's also a reason why almost every bookstore or library has a section dedicated completely to astrology. Many of us could just be curious about why some of us act differently than others and whom we will get along with best, and others may just want to see if their sign does, in fact, match their personality.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

20 Song Lyrics To Put A Spring Into Your Instagram Captions

"On an island in the sun, We'll be playing and having fun"

9778
Person in front of neon musical instruments; glowing red and white lights.
Photo by Spencer Imbrock on Unsplash

Whenever I post a picture to Instagram, it takes me so long to come up with a caption. I want to be funny, clever, cute and direct all at the same time. It can be frustrating! So I just look for some online. I really like to find a song lyric that goes with my picture, I just feel like it gives the picture a certain vibe.

Here's a list of song lyrics that can go with any picture you want to post!

Keep Reading...Show less
Chalk drawing of scales weighing "good" and "bad" on a blackboard.
WP content

Being a good person does not depend on your religion or status in life, your race or skin color, political views or culture. It depends on how good you treat others.

We are all born to do something great. Whether that be to grow up and become a doctor and save the lives of thousands of people, run a marathon, win the Noble Peace Prize, or be the greatest mother or father for your own future children one day. Regardless, we are all born with a purpose. But in between birth and death lies a path that life paves for us; a path that we must fill with something that gives our lives meaning.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments