Celestial Conscience

I stared ruefully at the remnants of a gash I’d gotten years ago. I stretched the foot where a scar shaped like a crescent was and sprawled on my bed. I was stuck at home in the middle of a mild blizzard with nothing else to do except wait for the storm to blow over. My mother, a nurse, was taking a long shift and was stuck at St. Frederick’s Hospital until the blizzard subsided. Bored, I fingered my silky dark hair and brushed my bangs out of my eyes.

I took a deep breath and turned my head to the right so I could see out of the window that was framed by crimson curtains with lotus designs. My numerous posters of Broadway stars and renowned actors were taped to the walls, each one reminding me of my persistent dream of doing something in the entertainment industry.

Outside, the snow and sleet spiraled to the blanketed ground at high speeds, and the sky over Manhattan was the color of smoke and basalt. Sighing, I glanced up at the ceiling that had old peeling stickers. It was nothing special, but the emotional connection I had to it made me feel a little heartsick.

I could practically see my mother and me on our tiptoes on a ladder, sticking glow–in-the-dark stars to the ceiling, smell the familiar aroma of chili wafting through the apartment, and the sound of the cars zooming down the city streets. I could imagine my small little hands curling around the locket Mom gave me that day. It had my full name inside: Selene Esther Dune.

However, I was no longer a small child that was obsessed with the abyss called outer space. The only scent I could catch on was dish soap and detergent, and no one dared to drive in the blizzard. The memory no longer felt tangible in this cold environment. I still had the locket around my neck, but the words had faded.

I sat up in bed and got up to leave my room to check if there was any food in the fridge. However, before I could even reach the door, my smartphone vibrated on my nightstand. I turned and reached for it just as my ringtone began to play. That’s strange, I thought when I saw the unknown caller label on the screen. I thought the power lines were down because of the sleet.

Since it was probably a spam call and the number didn’t have the same area code from where I lived, I clicked the red button and refused the call, butt just as I set the phone down again, my phone began to vibrate.

Again? I thought, annoyed. I tapped the button and switched it to silent mode so it wouldn’t make such a hubbub if I continued to receive calls. I sighed and stared at the phone for a few moments as if daring it to try and vibrate again. After a few moments of silence, I turned around and opened my bedroom door.

As soon as the vibrating started, I snapped and stomped back to my nightstand. I swiped the smartphone and clicked the green button to accept the call.

Before I could yell something into the device like, “Stop calling me!”, a customer service script started, interrupting me.

A robotic woman’s voice said, “Thank you for calling Cosmo Enterprises Customer Service. To speak to our founder, press one. To speak to an employee or assistant, press two. To time travel to the past, press three. To time travel to the future, press four. To inquire about our limited edition day trips in a black hole or any other travel bundles, press five. To-”

At this point, I was too stunned, puzzled, and exasperated to listen to the rest of the options. Time travel? Day trips to black holes? Are they serious? I backed up and slumped down on the bed, my eyes still glued to my smartphone. Cosmo Enterprises sure had some strange things to offer their customers, but I was still pondering about a couple things. How are they able to reach me with the power lines temporarily down? Usually, customers are the ones who call a businesses’ customer service, but they’re the ones who dialed me.

Suddenly, amongst the never ending script of the narrator, I heard, “To find out why you are being called and unlock the abyss, Selene, press 33.” I jumped a few feet in the air when I heard my name. I was tempted to dial 33, but the cautious side of me wanted to hang up right there and then.

It’s probably unwise to do this, I thought. But this seems interesting. 

With trembling fingers, I clicked the button that had little white circles in a row and pressed the number three twice.

***

I inhaled sharply, waiting for someone to say hello. After a few moments, I asked, “Is anyone-”

I was instantly interrupted by darkness suddenly crowding my vision. Startled, I dropped my phone, but I was no longer sitting on my bed. I was standing in a dark space, and watched as my smartphone, the only light source I had, tunneled through the abyss.

“Hello,” a soft voice suddenly said.

I turned to my left just as the darkness around me erupted and burst with thousands of tiny lights. It’s like a sea of stars…I thought as I reached for one of the lights. It floated above my palm and it glowed with an innocent warm light.

“You like the stars?” the voice came again.

I whipped around and was astonished to see a young woman with red curls, a yellow sundress, and sandals standing in front of me. She seemed to be quite familiar with the space we were in.

“W-Who are you?” I demanded.

She smiled sweetly. “I’m Marisol, founder of Cosmo Enterprises. Like in the script, "I’m here to help you unlock your full potential and the abyss.”

“Where’s New York? Where are we? I never agreed to come here!”

“Hm. Good question. I’m not exactly sure what continent we are hovering over, and we should not be past the atmosphere of the-”

“I’m going to stop you right there,” I said firmly. “What’s going on? The call stated that if I dialed 33, I’d get some answers.”

Marisol blinked at me a few times as if she was rifling through her memories. Then she nodded, turned around, and strutted past me through the sea of stars.

“Wait!” I yelled and ran after her.

Marisol swerved around and ducked under any tiny orbs in her path, and she was walking quite fast in sandals. I tried my best to stay at her heels, but it sometimes felt like she was miles away in this strange space.

“Come over here,” she said, turning around to smile at me.

I gasped as a bright circle of yellow light began to grow from behind her head. Light! I thought. I jogged up to Marisol, but before I could say anything, the light opened and sucked us in.

I screamed as I rode the most high-altitude and bright rollercoaster in the world. “What is this?”

“We call it a bright hole!” Marisol shouted back, her voice sounding distant and tinny.

I could barely see anything, as impossibly bright light surrounded us everywhere. It felt like my body was warping and splitting into a million different pieces. I had no idea what was happening, but I was glad to be alive when Marisol grabbed my hand and our feet landed on tiled floor.

“That was…intense,” I said after a few moments of silence between us. “What are bright holes anyway?”

Marisol replied, “Bright holes are basically the opposite of black holes. Instead of sucking in light, it pulls in darkness. The dark space you arrived in was completely destroyed, but we were able to reach this place via the bright hole.”

I looked around the room. We seemed to be in a completely ordinary planetarium. Kids and their parents were strolling around, reading facts on the planets in our solar system, and teachers were guiding their students.

“Where are we?” I asked.

“A planetarium in…let me see…” Marisol pulled out a smartphone from her sundress’ pockets. “We’re in Atlanta, Georgia.”

“Atlanta?” I said a bit too loudly, catching the attention of bystanders.

“Yes, yes,” said Marisol. “We’re a bit short on time, so hurry up!”

She speed-walked through the crowd and I followed, pushing past the people. I raced after her until she stopped at a lunar exhibit.

“Marisol?” I asked.

“Tell me, Selene, what is that?” she asked, pointing at a large photograph of the moon.

“Um, the moon?” I responded.

Marisol then turned to me and pointed at my face. “And what are you?”

I hesitated. I was confused out of my mind, and I was still struggling to make sense of the sea of stars, the bright hole, and Cosmo Enterprises. It seemed magical, whatever Marisol was providing her customers with.

“I’m Selene Esther Dune,” I said slowly.

Marisol nodded. “Selene, how would you feel if you were the moon?”

The moon? What in the world did I get myself into? I thought. No wait, what in the out-of-this-world?

“Well…I don’t think I would feel anything. The moon is just a big rock.”

Marisol shook her head in a glum way. “You are quite wrong, Selene. The moon has always had a consciousness. Let me tell you a story. A long, long time ago, when humans first came into existence, the moon, the sun, and the planets instantly became interested in them. They created a human body for their consciousnesses, and they were able to live just like humans.”

What? I thought in my head. That’s nonsense.

Marisol continued, “When their first human bodies died, they created another, and as humans have evolved, they have all been some of the most intellectual people of each era. Since the moon is seen as emotional in astrology, most of the moon’s bodies have done work in the entertaining arts. Now, I must crack the ice. Selene, you are the moon’s latest body. You should be proud.”

I stood there shocked for a few moments. My mind was turning as if all of the puzzle pieces had connected to make a full picture. This explains why I was always so obsessed about outer space and my dream of being on Broadway…I sighed. But this can’t be real.

Marisol placed a hand on my shoulder. “The truth can be shocking. You know, I’m the sun.”

For a second, I had no idea what she meant. Then, my mouth dropped open.

“You too?”

Marisol nodded. “I was around your age when I found out. The sun’s bodies run Cosmo Enterprises. Oh, and I’m sure you’ll encounter the other planets soon as well.”

I nodded. “Thanks for the adventure.”

Marisol smiled. “We’ll meet again. Now that you know your potential, go sign up for an audition. A poster should fly through your bedroom window when you get home. Show the world what you’ve got!”

Before I could wave goodbye, the floor beneath my feet glowed brightly, and I fell into another bright hole.

***

I opened my eyes slowly and blinked a few times. I was sitting on my bed, my smartphone was on the floor, and my window was open. The blizzard had stopped, but the chilly wind blew into the room, making me shiver.

I smiled at the stars on the ceiling and at the posters on the walls. I got up from the bed and walked up to my window. The city outside was peaceful and calm, but just as I was enjoying the view, a sheet of paper soared inside and landed squarely on my face.

I pulled it off and examined it as I shut the window. This is perfect, I thought. I feel different. More energized!

I placed the flier on my bed sheets. Then, I stood up on my mattress and smoothed the star stickers. I can’t wait to show the world what I can do, I thought, grinning when I heard the familiar sound of Mom’s sedan pulling into the driveway.