Week 1, Storytelling, Astrid And The Aliens

The Astrologer illustration from americanliterature.com

Astrid And The Aliens

     Astrid was just like any other girl, except that she was fascinated by the twinkling stars in the night sky. She was just sure that all of the answers to life's questions were written in the stars. Her parents thought she must be going through a normal childhood phase, and believed it would pass. Her younger brothers made fun of her for being so naive. Astrid would taunt, "Just you wait, you will see when the stars reveal their secrets to me."

     As Astrid grew so did her obsession with astronomy and astrology. People just accepted that she would rather spend all night alone watching the celestial heavens and listening to their faint whispers of arcane wisdom than to go out to the movies or dances like other people her age.She spent all of her time watching the heavens and not caring for earthly things. Every year she looked forward to spending all night watching the show of the Perseid Meteor shower every August 10 like it was a Broadway production, and all the planets and stars twinkle and applaud as they watch on in the falling stars event.

     As an accomplished astronomer and  avid astrologer Astrid went on to become a professor at a university where she was appreciated for her knowledge of the processions of the world above. She finally had found her niche in life. The perfect marriage of math and science that is always constant and unchanging, the comforts of great knowledge. With a telescope and an ephemeris of star charts as her constant companions she forged on.

     One night while she was laboring over her passion of staring at stars, Astrid saw something wonderful! Out of this world! Literally, it was a U.F.O. whizzing past her window in a spectacle of colors and patterns. Astrid squealed with lilting laughter as the most amazing thing that has ever happened to her was taking place! She just knew she was destined to find something awesome during the auspicious phase of the moon, as her Jupiter in Leo was squaring her ascendant sign of Pisces which is always a sure sign that wonderful things are afoot!

     Astrid grabbed her jacket from the back of her chair and her smart phone from the desk and headed outside for a closer look. All these years of looking up at the night sky was paying off big time. This could be her chance. Her chance to talk to intelligent beings that travel the stars, not just look at them and wonder. The smallish triangular shaped U.F.O. was parked on her front lawn of her suburban track home. How exciting! Two Gray Aliens wave Astrid over to the ship. First, she takes a photo on her smart phone and sends it to everyone on her contact list, no one will believe it! Then, she runs to the craft with a giant grin on her face. The aliens telepathically tell her to come aboard the ship and go with them. She said yes, but first let's take a selfie. She snapped the photo, again sent it to her contacts and then they were off. 

     Astrids' family and colleagues were unaware of the sudden and abrupt disappearance. Even though Astrid had sent photos of the event, the aliens and the spacecraft did not show up in the photo. Everyone just wondered why Astrid sent a photo of her yard and a photo of her smiling insanely in her yard in the middle of the night. They just assumed that she was out star watching and accidentally snapped pictures.

     It was quite a mystery to everyone, everyone except the teenager that lived next door to Astrid. He like Astrid, had shared a love of stargazing and had a telescope and often spent his nights alone watching the stars. He had seen the whole event take place, the U.F.O. and the abduction of his neighbor. But thank the heavens and fates that were watching that night, as it turned out. When the aliens brought Astrid back they beamed her down in her backyard, only minutes after they had taken her, but she landed in a hole that had been dug by the utilities company to fix a problem. The hole was deep and muddy, and indeed a trap. If it had not been for her neighbor watching the drama unfold, she would have been stuck there all night. For all the smarts that those aliens have zooming around the planets, folding space and time, how for the love of all that is good, could they not have beamed her back to anywhere else but a hole? 

Author's Note: Astrid And The Aliens is a whimsical tale of a young woman who lives in a modern world of today who has a passion. As a young person she knew what she wanted to be and do. Others around her dismissed her ideas as unimportant. When she was anticipating an important event because she was looking for it astrologically, it happened, and no one else saw the importance.

     I found inspiration for this tale from the fable called The Astrologer, one of Aesops fables for children. In that tale, the main character is an old man. No one sees his passions as important either. While he is busy staring at the sky he falls into a hole and the villagers jeer that he should watch where he was going.

     I chose this fable because I identify with the story. I do have an interest in astrology, but I do not really know much about it, or astronomy either. I used to work as a paid psychic in Sedona Arizona, and I do have the gift. But for all the stuff I can see in the akashic records of others, I rarely have the ability to see my own life accurately. Most people write me off as a nut and think I should spend more time paying attention to my own life instead of the world of others. After I have fallen into a few muddy holes metaphorically I agree. I try to spend more time minding my own business than looking into others. Life is not about predicting the good and the bad, its about living every moment of it as a human and being thankful for all experiences. Live in the moment, watch where you are going.

Title: The Astrologer

Book: Aesop for Children

Author:Aesop, 620? BCE-564? BCE

Web Source: Project Gutenberg