death to all constellations

by anastasia

It was an honor to die at the hands of a god. The village would include you in every prayer, your family would be given the riches of a thousand sultans, and the deities would engrave your soul into the night sky. Whether they were the direct cause of your passing or simply served as guides to the afterlife, only those proven worthy enough were given this privilege. Huari was born on the first day the sun rose after twelve weeks of darkness and rain. Her family believed her to be a blessing from the gods because even as they fought in the skies to protect the village, they managed to make the sun rise again. The name she was given couldn’t describe the child any more, as during the daytime, she was up and about either playing with friends or looking for flowers to pick. But even a child born from light had her own share of darkness. The girl’s first encounter with death was not a pleasant one, as most deaths aren’t. Huari’s grandmother had grown old and weary, she had been an influential figure in the village, so it was no surprise that the gods themselves visited her on her deathbed. As Huari and her family gathered around her grandmother, the final breath she took materialized into the air and created a blinding gold light. Huari averted her eyes and felt a lump in her throat, she wanted to leave the room, but her mother had a tight grip on her wrist. She needed to learn of this rite of passing, and how the actions in your life define your death. As night fell upon the village that day, Huari’s tears rolled down her cheeks. Even with her mother by her side, she still couldn’t completely understand what had happened, all that Huari knew was that her grandmother wouldn’t wake up the next day. “Look up, Huari. Look at the stars that are shining tonight. Because of the grace of our mighty deities, grandmother will always be with us in the sky.” “If grandma is only a single star, how can we tell that it’s her?” As Huari spoke through her tears, her mother smiled at her. She gently pulled Huari close to her chest before responding. “Oh, dear child. She is not simply a star; she is a galaxy of them. Every star you see right now, she is in them. That is the blessing the gods gave to our family. Each of our ancestors is living in their own constellations.” Huari was silent after that. However, it was not because she was satisfied with the answer her mother gave her. If anything, the only thing she felt was dread. At her young age, she wondered why the ones she loved had to leave so soon. Each time she looked at the shining heavenly bodies up above, she only thought of putting their lights out. She wanted her family to come home.

Following the death of her grandmother, the village became divided. There was a power vacuum that everyone was trying to fill. This weakened the gods, as their strength relied on the unity and trust of the people. The evil forces that tried to get their hands on the village were only growing stronger, as did the gods’ impatience. Perhaps with all their power combined, they could wipe out the enemy in one fell swoop. Their timing had to be perfect, they wanted to make sure that no innocent lives were lost in the crossfire. The sun had just set when Huari’s mother gave her the task of gathering herbs for the meal that night. Most of the villagers were in their homes with warm food on their plates. Those who were still outside hurried to finish the work for the day. Huari, on the other hand, strolled along the dirt roads, peacefully swinging the basket in her hand. She knew that the best herbs were deep in the forest and so she took her time getting there. As she arrived at her destination, she crouched down to dig out the roots of the herbs her mother had asked her to pick. Humming her grandmother’s favorite lullaby, she didn’t notice the harsh winds whipping at the branches

and how they were picking up in speed. The surrounding animals grew agitated, flying and running away from the forest. Huari approached a bush to grab some berries for dessert, but instead was blinded by a mighty blast. She felt every bone in her tiny body crack for a split second—then felt nothing at all, as if she were in a dream. Oh, how she wished she were dreaming. The basket Huari had with her was now destroyed, and the herbs in it were scattered along the dirt path. It was only the day after the ordeal when the gods realized what they had done. The benevolent deities descended from the skies, ready to announce their victory to the village, only to discover a pile of charred bones left over from the blast. All-knowing as they were, the gods immediately knew who they belonged to. Had Huari made her way back home a few moments sooner, would she have been spared from the unintentional wrath of the gods? Even the divine beings themselves did not know the answer. As to not alarm the villagers, they quickly cleaned up Huari’s remains. Though they were perfect, otherworldly beings, they still had emotions. And the guilt they felt for killing someone so young was too much to bear. Usually, the only mortals great enough to become one with the sky were those who lived long, sin-free lives. But Huari was far too young to even face the same judgment an older soul would forego. As the gods brought her soul to the heavens, they paused for a moment, wondering if being reborn into the sky was enough to pay back the life she could’ve lived.