Mapping the Night Sky

I stepped onto the wide, open pages of an illustrated star atlas laid out across the study desk. Under the steady pool of warm lamplight, thick indigo diagrams and fine grid lines stretched across the creamy paper. Dropping into a low crouch, I placed my fingers against a cluster of gold-foiled stars marking the Great Bear. Tracing the straight path from the outer rim of the ladle toward the bright northern pole star, I measured the distance step by step with my boots. Seeing how ancient travelers mapped their way across the dark gave me a whole new sense of direction. After following the path twice, I sat back on my heels in quiet satisfaction.