I am one of billions. My light inconsequential, a mere flicker in the eyes of some grand observer. But still, I shine. The onerous trek I take bathes the Earth below me in light, a brief respite from the ever looming blackness of the void — the primordial state of nothing from where everything began and where everything will return. In the moments when i cannot, the light of my brothers serves as a reminder that the war against darkness is not over. It is a losing battle, but one we continue to fight nonetheless. For in those fleeting moments of starlight civilizations have formed, risen, and fallen; each reaching heights unimaginable to those before them. Their growth exponential, we bathe them in light to bask in their radiance — watching with bated breath to see how far they can rise. And so we shine, until we cannot.