The Indigo Chart

I left my guitar resting securely in its wire cradle and stepped across the cool marble toward an old star chart spread beneath the lamp. The heavy paper was printed deep indigo, crisscrossed with fine silver foil coordinates and dotted constellations. I walked along the curved arc of a celestial meridian until my boots rested beside the constellation of the Northern Cross. Crouching down, I traced the raised foil ridge of a central star with my fingers. The paper held a faint, crisp chill, catching a crescent of warm amber light from the shaded bulb above. Outside, the night is boundless... but here, the sky has quiet, deliberate borders.