“Hey, champ, come over and sit by us.” Jeriyal and Miigal were sitting on a bench together, just a little bit away from the rest of the group, who were mostly standing. It had gotten cool now with the sun gone down and still a crisp breeze. Miigal wore a shawl, and was clenching it around her front. She leaned forward a bit, and had Jeriyal’s arm around her. Her eyes looked exceptionally bright in the artificial light surrounding them. She looked Caryell directly in the eyes as he walked toward them. He again saw his mother in that gaze, and it gave him a bit of a shiver. “We’ve seen it; so, we will be better at helping you find it than all those science types over there that haven’t seen it yet,” he said with a smile and a wink. Caryell smiled too and sat beside Miigal on the bench.
At first, it felt like it was taking forever—staring at the sky and seeing some stars, but nothing else. Mayor Tinron was pacing nervously and kept checking his watch. An assistant of his was staying close to him, and also checking his watch. Mayor Tinron continued to give him instructions, and he continued to nod at them. Roloff wandered amongst the scientists and various family members. He seemed calm, compared to his excitement over the past couple of days.
“Any moment now…keep your eyes up that way.” He stared until his eyes burned from not blinking. The seconds continued to disappear, and still nothing was being seen. He glanced at the group standing; everyone was looking in the same direction. He noticed that Mayor Tinron looked at his assistant, and then began talking and gesticulating nervously. Then he heard an audible gasp from the group and looked back up. There it was, racing across the sky. He felt a chill run down his spin. He watched as the group became silent. Then all the lights in the city went off—and the sky became blacker, and the light, shooting across the sky, became brighter. He felt peace, excitement, and awe intertwined. He had never doubted that he would see this tonight, but the reality was astounding to him. Miigal put her arm around him, but he did not move; he only stared. The lights came back on, and the craft, while still in his view dimmed exceedingly.