Submission (#3995) Approved

Mari Gwyl’s visor shimmers dully in the low light of the night, the cold air chills their glass but does not hamper their movement. They’ve been climbing this hill for the past several minutes and still are yet to reach the top. The leaves around them rustle quietly, like hushed voices of anticipation for what’s to come. They can feel it too, the excitement of what they know must be at that hilltop.

So it is as they reach the peak, that the canopy of trees around them part draws back to unveil grassy turf. A lone cairn greets them and with a swish of their hand so smooth it is near imperceivable they send the stones toppling to the ground. A few rocks roll down the steep hill to the trail below. It’s not this defacing of nature that Mari Gwyl is here to fix, however, they’re here for other reasons.

A glimmer of green refracts off of their terrariums’ glass. Circling where their eyes would be in the horse's skull that floats in an unknown liquid. They gaze upwards to the brilliant display in the sky. The auroral crown descends upon the sky like a ring being slipped onto a finger. Its wavering patterns are a result of solar winds and happenstance unbeknownst to the citizens of this little planet. It’s radiation swirling through the magnetosphere in a wondrous display of colors and lights. Without the light pollution of the surrounding town, the view from up on this hill is unmatched.

They do not need the gentle winds to send a chill across their body, the sight alone is enough to bestow a feeling of utter awe onto the Terralien. The swaying movements of the incorporeal ribbons of light are near hypnotic. The clouds part around them, equally as mesmerized by their beauty as Mari Gwyl. They slowly sit down in the dew covered grass and take in the night air and the spectacle above them. Around them they can hear the low rustling of leaves as the other Terraliens come out of the brush, those who followed the trail or created their own steadily fill in to the opening. Eventually the entire hill top is filled with various folk all come to observe the astral phenomenon above. The lights ripple through the sky until it eventually peeters off into the sky like they were never there. The night concludes, having forever touched all who saw it. Mari Gwyl is the last to leave, watching the night sky with a wistful gaze. They hope the next aurora is just as beautiful as this one.