Ad Astra Per Aspera

   I haven't thought I could find such an impressive gateway in my entire life until my mother had to die.

   It was on the day of her funeral. The air was cold and a thin layer of fog had settled in around us. One by one the guests went home. Not me though, the last piece of my home had just been buried six feet under the ground. I don't recall when, but at some point I made a wish, and that's when he appeared. A tall gentleman dressed in a suit and carrying a cane emerged from the fog.

   He tipped his hat and bowed, "I've come to grant your wish, my lady."

   Placing a hand on mother's grave, he placed a jar in front of it. My eyes widened. Inside the jar were the origami stars I made as a child. The man opened the jar and one by one, they floated out.

   They arranged themselves into a large arch and lit up, their light converging in the center. I took his hand and stepped into the portal. The world melted away as I sailed across a multicolored galaxy. In the center of it all stood my mother. The earth underneath her feet and the sun above her head. Despite my age, I threw a tantrum,

   "It's not fair! I don't want to be alone..."

   She held me close, wiping the tears off of my face. Once I'd calmed down, she gestured at the gentleman behind me before turning back to me,

   "You're never alone, love."

   The gentleman placed a hand on my shoulder.

   Reluctantly, I let him lead me back to the real world. When we stepped out, he offered his arm and said, "Shall we, my lady?"

   "Where are we going?"

   "Why, home of course."