Shifted By The Winds (68 page)

“We are all here tonight for the Leonid Meteor Shower,” Felicia said. The crowd quieted instantly, seeming to sense they were about to experience something very momentous. “The last Leonid Meteor Shower was in 1833. It actually marks the discovery of the shower, but it also marks the actual birth of meteor astronomy. Pretty soon you are going to see a lot of meteors falling from the sky, but the sky will really light up in the last four hours or so preceding dawn,” she announced. “I don’t know how many of you will make it that long, but I can promise I will be out here the whole time.”

Carrie wondered if she could last the night. Robert reached for her hand under the layer of quilts and squeezed it gently. “I’m up for it if you are,” he whispered.

“If I don’t turn into an ice statue,” Carrie murmured.

“I can keep you warm,” Robert promised as he blew warm air gently into her ear.

Carrie shivered, but not from the cold. She snuggled closer to her husband as she listened to Felicia.

“People reacted in different ways to the 1833 meteor shower,” Felicia continued. “Some people were hysterical because they believed the Judgement Day was at hand. Scientists were just wildly excited by the thousand meteors a minute emanating from the constellation Leo. Just about everyone knew about it back then. They were either awakened by the cries of their excited neighbors, or they were jolted awake by flashes of light from the fireballs.” Her voice was high with excitement.

Carrie could feel both excitement and trepidation radiating from the people around her. The students had learned there was nothing to fear, but she wondered if they had passed the knowledge on to their parents. “Is there any reason to be afraid?” she asked.

“No,” Felicia answered firmly. “Meteors like the ones we are about to see tonight are very small and not very dense. They are moving very fast so they will look very bright when they enter the atmosphere, but they will burn up long before they reach earth.” She understood the reason for Carrie’s question. “We are in absolutely no danger.”

Carrie heard the sighs of relief from many of those around her.

“Where did you say the meteors are coming from?” another person, unable to be identified in the darkness, asked.

“From the constellation Leo,” Felicia answered. “Leo means ‘lion.’ It’s called that because if you drew a line and connected all the stars, you can see a lion in the sky.”

“Really?” one of the children asked with a gasp. “Where is it?”

“If you look toward the north you’ll see it. It’s one of the largest constellations in the sky. In fact, it’s the twelfth largest one,” Felicia added.

“I don’t see no lion,” a little boy protested. “Ain’t nothing but a bunch of stars.”

“Come up here with me,” Felicia invited. A little boy scrambled quickly to her side. “Now, kneel down with me.” He quickly obeyed. “See that tallest tree out there at the edge of the pasture?”

“I do,” the boy said solemnly.

“Now look straight up until you see a star that looks brighter than any of the others around it.”

“I see it!” the boy cried as murmurs of agreement rose from the watchers.

“That star is called Regulus,” Felicia announced. “It means ‘little king’ or ‘prince’ in Latin. It’s also the star that is right in the heart of the lion.”

“Really?” the little boy breathed. “Where is the rest of the lion?”

Felicia chuckled. “You have to use your imagination a little.”

Rose moved forward at that moment and passed out a basket of candles, as well as a sheath of papers. “This will help everyone find Leo,” she called.

Carrie reached for her paper eagerly. She was about to discover what Felicia had been hunched over for the last two days. She had witnessed her drawing something, but the little girl wouldn’t let her see it. When she lit her candle and examined the sheet of paper, she realized she was looking at a star chart for the constellation Leo. “Felicia is amazing,” she murmured.

“It’s a good thing she did this,” Robert muttered. “I’m as lost as that little boy.”

Felicia patiently pointed out the stars on the sheet of paper that formed the lion’s chest, the ones that defined the lion’s head, and then the ones for Leo’s body. “Now,” she instructed. “I want you to close your eyes and think about seeing the shape of a lion.”

Carrie knew Felicia had brought pictures of a lion in for all the children to see at school, and she had told all of them to make sure their parents saw them before tonight. Carrie hoped they had. She also wondered briefly what it had been like to see the picture of such a magnificent animal that was from the continent their ancestors had come from.

“You really think I can see a lion?” The little boy’s voice dripped with skepticism. “I sure don’t see nothing like that up there.”

“Trust me,” Felicia urged. “I never thought I would see the constellations either, but I do now. I want everyone to blow out your candle and close your eyes until I tell you to open them. I want you to think about seeing a lion.” She waited for all the candles to be extinguished. “Now close your eyes, but keep looking toward where you saw the stars,” she ordered.

Carrie did as she was told, but she had her own serious doubts about seeing anything but stars when she opened them again.

“Now I want you to imagine a big lion in your mind,” Felicia commanded. “Imagine it standing tall and proud in the sky. I would tell you to hear it roar, but since none of us have
ever
heard that, it probably won’t help.”

Carrie chuckled as she pressed her eyes together tightly. She so wanted to see what Felicia was describing. She kept them closed for at least two minutes, amazed how completely silent everyone was. They must want to see it as badly as she did.

“Now open them,” Felicia ordered.

Carrie gasped as she gazed into the sky, actually seeing what seemed to be the shape of a lion. As she continued to peer at it, the stars seemed to wrap around the picture she had in her mind. “I see it,” she cried excitedly.

“Me too!” the little boy cried. “There really
is
a lion in the sky.”

There were some cries of disappointment, but most were able to see the lion.

A little girl ran forward and tugged at Felicia’s arm. “I can’t see no lion,” she said sadly. “Does that mean I won’t be seeing the meteor shower either?”

Felicia laughed. “Not at all. I wanted to teach everyone about the Leo Constellation, but I promise you that every person here is going to see the meteor shower.”

“How do you know when it is coming?” a woman called out.  “How do you know it is tonight?”

“That’s a great question,” Felicia responded. “After the last one in 1833, a lot of people started going back into history trying to figure out if it had happened before. They were able to find accounts of it all the way back to the year 585.”

Carrie gaped at this new information. She was quite certain everyone else’s mouths were hanging open too. “They kept records that far back?” she murmured.

Felicia heard her quiet comment. “I wouldn’t go so far as to say there were actual records, but they were able to find accounts in people’s journals and notebooks. It was clear they were describing the same thing,” she said. “This research is the reason we are out here tonight. They found accounts of ten different significant showers. It allowed them to calculate that the showers appear every thirty-three and a quarter years. The Leonids actually happen every year in November, but once every thirty-three years, it is spectacular.” Her voice trembled with anticipation. “Calculations tell us the shower will be tonight.” Her voice was almost reverent as she finished, her gaze fixed to the sky.

Carrie knew Felicia was desperately hoping all the calculations had been correct. If not, people would get a great astronomy lesson, but they would go home cold and sorely disappointed.

“Look!” a man suddenly hollered.

Everybody’s eyes shot to the sky in time to see a blazing meteor streak across the sky, its long tail suspended for several seconds.

“Pretty,” one girl cooed.

“And you’re sure we’re safe?” a woman cried anxiously.

“Perfectly safe,” Felicia confirmed. “Everyone lay down on your blankets. You’ll get the best view that way!” She hurried over to lay down with Moses, Rose, John and Hope.

Carrie smiled as she watched Moses pull his daughter close, wrapping a quilt around her snuggly. It seemed as if Felicia had always been their daughter. It was hard to remember the terrified, thin-faced girl who had arrived on the plantation after her parents were murdered. As she gazed at them she had a sudden thought that if Robert couldn’t have children, surely there were scores of children in need of a home. She had heard of orphanages, even if she knew nothing about them.

“There’s another one!” a child yelled.

“And another!”

Carrie laid back as the skies erupted into a display so magnificent it took her breath away. As soon as one fireball faded away, another one seemed to take its place, streaking across the sky in a blaze of glory before it was swallowed by the darkness. In the beginning, there was a steady stream of meteors lighting up the night, but she knew they weren’t yet seeing what Felicia had described. She glanced toward the horizon, relieved to see nothing but clear sky.

No one moved through the long night. Every person there knew they were seeing something so special there were no words to adequately express it. The older ones knew they would probably not live long enough to see a repeat. The younger ones were simply mesmerized by the beauty. Carrie completely forgot about being cold.

“I never dreamed of seeing something like this,” Robert said quietly.

“Nor I,” Carrie murmured as she squeezed his hand.

It was past midnight when it happened. Carrie gasped with awe as the skies seemed to open up. A veritable rain of meteors blazed across the sky. It looked as if the entire heavens had exploded into the most amazing fireworks display she had ever seen.

“The entire sky is falling!” a woman screamed, clearly on the verge of panic.

“It’s the shower!” Felicia cried out as she sprang up from the blanket, raised her arms and began to dance under the bright light. “Look at it! I’ve never seen anything so beautiful! Just look at it!”

Carrie laughed and jumped up to join her, holding her head back to watch the meteors as she danced. “It’s beautiful!” she yelled. “Absolutely beautiful!” She was so glad she had learned the truth of the meteor shower from Felicia. Otherwise, she would have been terrified. As it was, she knew this was a moment she would remember her entire life.

Suddenly people were throwing their blankets aside, joining in the dance as the skies opened to pour an endless treasure of gleaming diamonds toward them.

Carrie knew it was a night she would never forget.