Worlds Apart

by Enrique Miranda
(Luckey, Ohio)

Here's a story. A story that transcends planets and stars. In a solar system much like ours.
Like so many stories, it starts with a bang. Star dust flew and explosions rang.
A dwarf planet floats in the cold darkness of space. As he orbits he sees nothing, not a trace.
Is he really alone? Is he the only thing in existence? He just about gave up until one day, a beautiful planet in the distance.
She was lush and green and held living things, and not to mention her stunning rings.
As she approached, the dwarf planet knew this was love. It hit him like budget cuts hit a space program.
This planet. A planet so beautiful It'd make the sun say "Hot. Damn!"
A wondrous planet. The definition of perfect.
So much so that in most of the universe, Orion's Belt was no longer a subject.
They align. The dwarf planet's core puts the heat of a supernova to shame.
Volcanos erupt and mountains form as he quakes, and she's the only one to blame.
He's so close, he knows now where he wants to be, where he wants to stay, where he wants to spend every single day.
He knows now, but they keep moving. They keep drifting away.
The little planet is determined however. He says "it's ok! Where there's a will there's a way!"
The dwarf planet waited and waited. He waited again in the darkness that he hated.
With only the thought of her to keep him warm. He was positive the next time they meet something will form.
After what seemed like an eternity, there she is. That unmistakable planet.
Still as pure and beautiful as the day he first gazed upon it.
Again, she comes closer. This is his chance.
He can finally have his forever, his eternal romance.
They align. The dwarf planet's core puts the heat of a supernova to shame.
Volcanos erupt and mountains form as he quakes, and she's the only one to blame.
He's so close, he knows now where he wants to be, where he wants to stay, where he wants to spend every single day.
He knows now, but they keep moving. They keep drifting away.
He cries. Puddles become ponds. Ponds become lakes. Lakes become seas that turn into oceans.
They rise until you no longer see mountains.
Until it was all one ocean, it rose.
And then, in the darkness and the cold, he froze.
Here's a story. A story of a love that was never to be. A love big enough to have its own Galaxy. A story still whispered across the nebulas. Of the love that never was. The story of the love that ended without a start. That couldn't be because they were worlds apart.