Bindamp | Star Stuff

There's a lot that Binder appreciates about living outside civilization. He has space to work, space to breathe, space to think... He has time to slow down and focus on the things important to him. The clutter of the city's hustle doesn't exist out in the open.


No streetlights, no car horns, no distractions. The late-night darkness spans across his side of the earth and out into the vast ocean of space and stars. Each one twinkles like the light of a tiny ship, far off into the distance. From the big, blue hotshots to the smaller, red tugboats, Binder holds them all in his vision, each pattern identifiable within seconds.


As easy as it is to see the sky as a 2D canvas, Binder knows it's not like that at all. He's seeing 2.6 million light years away, into the past. And that's only the surface. There's so much he can't see, so much he'll never be able to know. Out there, there's so much space, space that goes on infinitely, indefinitely, and imperceptibly. It'll go on for as long as he lives, and billions of years after that.


He holds his breath, brushing at the rough grass beneath him. His fingers touch the cold dirt, turning over clumps of it, and its grains stick to his fingertips. Binder takes a slow breath of fresh night air and rolls his fingers together, noting the slight sweat and stick of his own body as the dirt falls back to the earth in a light shower.


Another light catches his eye, moving closer to him. He squints in its growing brightness, and a pair of feet stops beside his head. 


"Binder? What are you doing up so late?"


Binder tries to look up, but the light hurts his eyes. Still, he can recognize the beige cylindrical base. "I'm just stargazing."


Lamp looks to the night sky.


"...can I join you?"


"Sure!"


Lamp drops to one leg, then the other. He settles with his knees to his chest beside Binder, and looks up again.


For some reason, it slipped his mind. With his light on, he can't see the night sky all too well. The starlight pales in comparison to the brightness of his bulb. 


He doesn't say a word about it.


Binder does.


"You can't see the stars too well with that light on, right?"


"Huh? Well..." Lamp shifts in his seat and sucks in his lip. "No...I can't."


"That's what I thought. It's like the sun, outshining the other stars during the day." Binder smiles at him. "Turn it off. You'll be okay."


Lamp's heart turns to stone and sinks into his gut. A chill penetrates his body. His gaze fixes onto the darkness, kept at bay only by his light. The edge of the night pulses, ready to consume him the moment he goes out. He reminds himself to breathe, the air heavy and weighing on his chest.


The only protest coming out of his mouth is a squeak. A cut off word, then nothing more.


A firm hand clasps onto his base. Two pats.


"Nothing bad is gonna happen. Darkness won't hurt you."


He can't believe that. The darkness inches closer, breaking his barrier of light and creeping like a predator. It slithers toward him, pitch black and ready to bite.


"I'm going to turn it off, and nothing bad will happen, okay? Take it easy..." Binder's hand reaches for his switch, and he's too petrified to do anything about it. He senses Binder's hand, moving slowly to his switch.


Click.


He plunges into darkness; it stings his eyes and overtakes him completely. A gasp sticks to his throat and his skin tingles with goosebumps.


"It's alright Lamp, you're fine. See? Everything's fine."


He swears there are monsters waiting to grab him. Slinking in the darkness, circling about with fangs and claws. They could be anywhere. They could be anything.


"Lamp? Why don't you look at the sky? Look up!"


His head snaps up.


And everything melts away.


Thousands of pinpricks of light sparkle at him on a backdrop of midnight blue, green, and yellow. A glowing white and purple river of stars extends from horizon to horizon, its shores fading into the night sky. In the middle of the river, a dark streak follows its path.


His eyes wander to the silhouettes of trees reaching for the stars, perfectly shadowed in the brilliance of the sky above. He stretches his leg starward, blocking a few stars out. If he tried hard enough, maybe he could grab some.


"Nothing like the city, or even your average neighborhood, right?" Binder grins. "There's no light pollution out here. The sky's clear as day, which is kinda ironic."


Lamp glances at Binder, then points up at the starry river. "What's that?"


"That's the Milky Way! You know we're located on one of the outer arms of our galaxy, right? The arms form because of overdensities in its gravitational rotation, meaning that stars and gas are drawn to these areas. That's the leading theory, anyway."


"Wow," Lamp nods.


"Did you know we can see 2.6 million light years into space with the naked eye? And because it takes that time for light to reach our eyes, we're actually seeing 2.6 million light years into the past! One of the furthest things we can see with the eye, the Andromeda Galaxy over there, we're actually seeing how it was 2.25 million years ago!


"It looks really small from here, but it's actually a bit more than two times the size of our galaxy! But, our galaxy has more mass. Oh! And did you know..."


Eventually, Lamp's eyes tear themselves away from the stars in the sky, and focus on the stars in Binder's eyes. He points out every constellation, and explains the stars with a fast voice and fervent hand gestures. Lamp basks in his energy, as if he were the sun itself, glowing under the starlight.


Binder only ever uses one hand. The other remains around his base, holding him close and keeping him safe. Lamp probably won't be able to keep up with the jetstream of facts, but the comfort of Binder's voice is enough for him. His passion seems to replace his need to breathe, and the stars in his eyes grow brighter with each word.


"Aside from all the factual stuff, you wanna know something cool I was told?"


Silence. Lamp blinks.


"Sure!"


Binder looks back to the night sky.


"Everything in the universe has the same origin. From gas coming together and stars fusing the elements, until billions of years later, we were born. We're all made of star stuff. Whenever I feel a little lonely, I think about that and remember...I'm not. There's a little bit of us in everything. Technically, it's not wrong. I know it doesn't sound very scientific, but..." Binder shrugs.


"It makes sense to me."


Lamp looks back at the stars. Part of him is there, up in the night sky. The stardust courses through his veins, and he swears he's glowing as well. He closes his eyes, and feels a connection to everything around him. It fills him with warmth and kinship.


"Yeah...it makes sense to me, too."


He's not alone. It sweeps him with relief, that he's part of everything, and everything is part of him. It's not necessarily what he wants to be, but it's a start. He's not alone. That's enough for now.


Binder, sitting next to him with his arm around his base, is also part of him. Always has been. The whole leader position scared him, but now...Binder's less intimidating. Deep inside Lamp, admiration and friendship sparks in his heart.


"I'll remember that. Thanks, Binder."

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