Having just entered high school, I decided to apply to the Astronomy Club. Because its president’s words appealed to me—      

“We hold sleepovers at school once or twice a month. Nighttime is when we get to show off our best.”      

Anything that gives me an excuse not to be home, I thought, I would go for it.      

I’d never liked being home.      

Nobody was ever there. My father’s always busy with his work, and my mom would always rather spend her night out. Having the house for myself had always been our family’s norm. Yet, it’s something I could never get used to. To this day, I cannot sleep in that empty place unless I keep the lights on in every room. Because of my fear that if I leave it too dark, somebody might break in and kill me.      

My first night with the Club came two weeks later.      

The sun had long set when I arrived. The senior club members had already set up mats over the school lawns.      

“The sky’s really clear tonight,” said my club president. “Come sit down and relax.”      

I had always been afraid of darkness—      

But tonight, I saw only stars. More of them came into sight once my eyes got used to the dark.

The other members, I noticed, lay on the mat, so I did the same to find the smell of grass going so well with the sight above me.      

Nobody talked.      

The stars appeared truly beautiful. This statement alone could not even do justice. Because what I saw then above me filled my chest with such an ethereal feeling. It felt like rebirth.