Pain In The Stars

• Chantal Hatswell, Grade 11
• Short Story
• 2013

It was a beautiful morning and as usual the ocean sparkled like diamonds as the sun reflected off its graceful waves. A family of three were fishing on a jetty and were having the time of their lives, it was a fantastic morning in their eyes and they never wanted it to end.
As the glowing moon would fall asleep the shining sun would rise to wish everyone a good morning. The sun always traveled, yet he never seemed to move, he was able to see everything from above. He smiled at people, not many smiled back. Occasionally he would receive compliments as he passed over, such as “the sun is beautiful today” or “the sun is shining, the birds are singing, today couldn’t get any better”. These compliments caused the sun to glow. Although occasionally people made comments such as “morning already, it’s too early, I wish the sun didn’t exist” or “Go away stupid sun, I am tired”. These comments caused the sun to shroud behind the clouds.
The sun viewed so many wonders such as people making friends and the poor being given food and money, there was so much generosity and love. Unfortunately, he saw people fighting with both their words and their fists, mankind spiting on the poor and salesmen cheating their own species. Earthquakes, wars and other disasters regularly occurred which the sun wished he had never seen. Although it was day, the world seemed dark.
He constantly asked the Earth “how can you put up with such filthy hearted actions? Don’t you see what’s happening at this very moment?”
Each time this question was asked, the Earth simply replied, “It is difficult; I cannot always see what is going on. It may happen on my face, but I have no sight. Although I have no sight, I can certainly feel it all, I am becoming weaker every single second, fumes from machinery are suffocating me while fires made by man are burning the life out of me. I don’t mind the population living on my face, as I was made to look after man, but they anger me so much that I shake and crack. Many are ignorant to my feelings and never learn. Bad things happen on my face which I cannot do anything about. I cannot tell man how I feel as they don’t understand my language, I try to show them through my actions, few respond”.
The sun pitied the Earth. “I was created to care for man, but how can I do so when they don’t care for me? It’s up to mankind now: if they wish for future generations to live blissful lives, then they must begin caring for me. If they choose not to do so, I may not exist much longer, neither will they,” the Earth would say.
The Sun witnessed the Earth weaken each day, but couldn’t help. What happened in the end? you may ask. Only man-kind can be the judge of that.