Dark Skies
under the
Blue Sun


Beilin Xu

He sprinted to the storehouse, hastily bolting the heavy wooden door shut behind him as he entered. He was sure that no one could find him now. He sat down to catch his breath, reveling in the fact that he had secured his victory for the night. As his eyes adjusted to the almost pitch-black room, he spotted a dark rectangular shape on the back wall, which had previously been kept out of sight behind rows upon rows of storage crates. What could that possibly be? He had to investigate.

As Simon got closer, he realized that the dark rectangle was about the size of a piece of writing paper. It was reflective, almost like an obsidian mirror. He reached out tentatively, wondering if it felt as smooth as it looked. The moment his finger came into contact with the surface, it lit up in a flash of brilliant white. Startled, he retracted his hand, shielding his eyes from the sudden burst of light.