It begins like a song. Soft pale colours like single notes on a piano echoing across the wide expanse of darkness. And then a burst of colours, the melody explodes. Bass, treble, sharp and flats higher and higher, layer upon layer twisting and twirling for their audience of stars. The harmony of pinks and blues, purples and greens, ebb and flow, rise and drop like an orchestra whose director is the night sky. Within seconds, they have reached their crescendo and as suddenly as it began the tempo falls, complex chords becoming single notes once more, as the vibrant colours melt back to the muted hues of yellow. Tapering off completely, the darkness envelopes the world once more as the stars blink with their applause. But even as the sky rests, exhausted from it’s heavenly performance, the song though finished, lingers on, a love ballard between earth and sky, entrancing all who are fortunate to bear witness to its ethereal chorus.

The icy wind lashed at my face like a hundred tiny blades as I climbed the final few paces up the mountain. The snow crumpled under my feet as I reached the crest. In that moment my lungs emptied with a sharp gasp. It was beautiful, the neon green and deep blue creating waves across the sky. I was instantly lost in the forbidden ocean above me and almost fell off the cliff in front of me in my hypnosis. I sat down on the ledge for stability and once again gazed at the immense light in the sky. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing and I was truly lost for words so I just sat back as waves of awe washed over me. Brining some heat back to my frozen hands and face.

Walking around in the night in the dark Looking down at the ground Going through a forest of pine and snow Moving slow as the hill rise higher Coming up to a clearing Feeling slow Feeling cold Seeing your breath Wanting to go back to the cabin and sit by the fire Loosing feeling in limbs but you keep pushing Keep moving And then you just stop Right in the middle Snow knee high Fingers frozen But looking up Staring at the dark black sky Looking at the stars No clouds just miles of space But then it changes Black turning to a deep blue Then the sky turns bright The sky has bright streaks of light Lots of colors blanket the earth Red Green Blue So beautiful So stunning Moving around like living art Mesmerizing it transcends you Forgetting in the cold Feeling warm inside Only lasting for a short time and then it’s over Wishing to see it again Wanting to capture the moment

I was thankful for the fire. The cold had gone deep under my skin, no matter how much I bundled up. I heard the crunching of snow around me as other spectators got ready for the big event. The snowy landscape around the light-brown wooden buildings was spotted with the orange of firelight — enough for people to see, but sparse enough to keep the sky as dark as possible. The crunching of footsteps and the multilingual laughter slowly began to be drowned out by cheers. I looked up. The black sky began to light up green as the aurora started to materialize. I laughed, and a puff of foggy breath briefly obscured my vision. As the green grew, the red began to appear. The crowds cheered as the dance went into its full, spectacular movements. I took a deep breath in through my nose, mostly just smelling coldness and charcoal. I licked my dry lips as I smiled, blinking to maintain my focus on what I had come all this way to see. Color.

When we saw it, it took our breaths away. It being the phenomenon that is the Northern Lights. In the cold, crispy night we observed the the clumsy clouds cluttering the skyline. We waiting in anticipation. We rubbed our hands together to keep warm and waited patiently for the spectacle. The clouds cleared and as almost like and impact of an atomic bomb, a ring of lights puffed towards us. Like a ring of puffed smoke, it continued to expand and consume the canvas of the sky. There were scintillating shimmers that phased playfully within the ring. As if there were millions of electric eels making a Mexican wave to let us know of their arrival. The ring grew so big in its expanse that it no longer resembled a ring but almost a blanket. The ethereal blanket billowed and undulated over the landscape. It reminded me of when I was a child and in PE and all the kids stood in a circle holding a large, light circular blanket where we threw our hands up to lift the blanket with a torrent of air so that we had to run to the other side of the blanket before it landed on our heads. This was what it felt like now. This gigantic blanket was lifting and falling like waves in the water. Then my heart pulsed wildly long bodies of light wormed within the blanket. Like elegant dragons gliding through, they danced with the eels. We felt like ants compared to the dancing creatures upon the night’s stage. Our hearts danced with them. I closed my eyes and the lingering images of the blanket and the majestic dragons and the excitable eels came to my domain. There I was with them and I smiled.

The chilling grass cools my back, sending a wave of shivers up my spine. My fingers spread open to grasp, a chunk of the green, musky earth hairs. I stare up at the colours, violet, blue, and green, whisking in the sky. My cheeks tug the corners of my mouth up, ever so slightly…While soft chuckles brush past my lips, with glee.

Beautiful, exhilarating, audacious lights. I feel so plain next to them. They wink and twinkle across the sky, flashing blue, green and purple. So simple, so complex. Way up in the atmosphere the colors gleam with liveliness. I look up at the one I love and wonder how he chose me. He is angelic in the lights, and I wonder how to him I could be seen. I know the answer. He is better than all of us. The most kind person I know is right here next to me. (Not part of the story/ description) i It wouldn’t let me post unless it had a certain word count, so I’m going to write a bunch of words. Yes yes bro yes I will see if I could get it in my car and I can go back in and see what if you have a good time I will be there at six so I’m just leaving the church and I’m leaving at the church and I’m leaving at the green park so I’m not going on the church I just wanted you to tell her I was in a very long day today I was going on the phone and I told you that I was going to be there in the green one I was in church and I was going back to the bed to get her to sleep and I had to go back to church and she said she was going to tgo me tto I had no one I was at her and my sister I had no Beautiful, exhilarating, audacious lights. I feel so plain next to them. They wink and twinkle across the sky, flashing blue, green and purple. So simple, so complex. Way up in the atmosphere the colors gleam with liveliness. I look up at the one I love and wonder how he chose me. He is angelic in the lights, and I wonder how to him I could be seen. I know the answer. He is better than all of us. The most kind person I know is right here next to me. (Not part of the story/ description) i It wouldn’t let me post unless it had a certain word count, so I’m going to write a bunch of words. Yes yes bro yes I will see if I could get it in my car and I can go back in and see what if you have a good time I will be there at six so I’m just leaving the church and I’m leaving at the church and I’m leaving at the green park so I’m not going on the church I just wanted you to tell her I was in a very long day today I was going on the phone and I told you that I was going to be there in the green one I was in church and I was going back to the bed to get her to sleep and I had to go back to church and she said she was going to tgo me tto I had no one I was at her and my sister I had no Beautiful, exhilarating, audacious lights. I feel so plain next to them. They wink and twinkle across the sky, flashing blue, green and purple. So simple, so complex. Way up in the atmosphere the colors gleam with liveliness. I look up at the one I love and wonder how he chose me. He is angelic in the lights, and I wonder how to him I could be seen. I know the answer. He is better than all of us. The most kind person I know is right here next to me. (Not part of the story/ description) i It wouldn’t let me post unless it had a certain word count, so I’m going to write a bunch of words. Yes yes bro yes I will see if I could get it in my car and I can go back in and see what if you have a good time I will be there at six so I’m just leaving the church and I’m leaving at the church and I’m leaving at the green park so I’m not going on the church I just wanted you to tell her I was in a very long day today I was going on one I was at her and my sister I had no

Ethereal lights of unbelievable beauty, where colours fuse to paint the dark sky in metallic hues of green, purple and pink. Like a dream I never want to wake up from, I marvel at this celestial ceiling that feels from another world. I’m humbled. Incredibly moved. Tears fill my eyes; that only happens whenever I’m in the presence of unexplainable grace. It’s as if I’m not on Earth anymore, but somewhere far away in this galaxy. A precious moment I want to hold on to forever, though I know nothing is forever. So I inhale the frosty air and focus in this moment. I want to forget the past and the future isn’t here yet. Only this present moment matters. I take all the mental photographs I can. One day, when I’m old, I want to describe to my grandchildren every single shade of these enchanting colours brushing the night. They will say that the artist who created such beauty could only have been the purest of angels.

Curtains of colours cover the sky. Splashes of purple and blue. The colours form together and create clouds of green. A sight I’ve only ever seen in pictures.

Striated green glow Streaming from night sky centre Shimmering curtain.