The Stars Below Me

I live in the country. Some people might think that’s boring. We have a lot of farms and piles of hay.

But I love it here. It gets really dark at night. I can see a thousand stars in the sky. And when I look through my telescope, I can see the moon up close. I can even see planets.

How cool is that?

But Dad just got a job in New York City. Now we have to move there. I don’t want to move AT ALL.

Dad tries to make me feel better. He says our new apartment will have a balcony. We can put my telescope on it and look at the stars every night. Mom says I’ll make a lot of new friends. I’m not so sure about that.

It’s our last night in the country. I step outside.

“Goodnight, stars,” I whisper. “Next time I see you, it will be from the city.”

The next day, we leave for New York City. We drive for hours. Finally, Dad parks the moving van in front of a tall building. I look up.

All I see are more tall buildings. I can barely see the sky. So many people are on the sidewalks. Already I want to go home.

Our new apartment is on the second floor. That night, I take my telescope onto the balcony. The sky isn’t dark. The lights from the city make the sky a fuzzy pink color.

“Mom! Dad!” I yell. “I can’t see any stars at all!”

The next morning, Mom opens my bedroom door.

“Chloe is here to see you,” she says.

I rub my eyes. “Who is Chloe?”

“Her mom is an old friend of mine. They live in our building.”

I walk out and see a girl standing next to my telescope.

“Welcome to the city,” Chloe says. “Your mom told me you like stars and stuff.” She points to the telescope. “What’s this?”

I feel a little shy, but I answer. “That’s my telescope,” I say. “You can look through it to see the stars at night.”

“That’s cool,” she says. “I have to go. But can we see each other later?”

“Um, sure,” I say as the door closes.

Later that day, Mom and I go down to the playground behind our building. Chloe is there. She has a workbook in her lap. She looks up. Her eyes are red. It looks like she’s been crying.

“Are you OK?” I ask.

“Oh. Hi, Mara. I have math homework. But I can’t do any of these problems.”

“I can help you,” I say softly.

She smiles. “Really?”

I nod. “I’m pretty good at math.”

After dinner, I take the elevator all the way up to the 30th floor. That’s where Chloe lives. We work on math together. She catches on fast. We even laugh a little.  I’m glad I found Chloe at the playground.

It’s getting dark. “I have a surprise for you,” says Chloe. We go into her living room.

“Your dad told me you were sad that you can’t see the stars here. I want to show you different kinds of stars.”

We step onto her balcony. I look down. Tiny lights glitter in every color of the rainbow. It’s like a million stars, but I’m seeing them from above, not from below. “It’s . . . it’s amazing!” I gasp.

The lights of the city twinkle below us.

Chloe says, “Oh, Mara! We’re going to have so much fun. I can teach you everything I know about the city.”

Before I say anything, Chloe adds, “Maybe you can show me everything you know about the real stars. My uncle lives in the country. We’re going to see him soon. You can come with us, if you want.”

I smile. “I’d love to.”

Now I get to explore the stars above me and below me with a new friend.

How cool is that?