Competition Thirty-Two Shortlisted: The Man Who Watched the Stars by Joshua Parker

Every night, after the town surrendered to sleep and the last light blinked out, the man climbed the hill behind his house, lay on the grass, and stared at the stars.

He didn’t trace constellations or whisper their names. He made no wishes; the ones he once carried had long gone unanswered. He simply watched because they were beautiful.

Down below, life moved on without him. People drifted away. Promises were broken. The one he had built his forever around was gone, taken without warning or concern.

But on that hill, he was not only his grief; he was a man beneath a sky vast enough to contain it. Those distant, heavenly jewels did not ask things of him he no longer knew how to give. They did not demand strength or promise healing. They simply shone.

Some nights, clouds came and erased them. Those were the hardest. He would lie there long after the chill crept into his bones, staring into blankness, waiting. Hoping. If the sky were merciful, a light would pierce through. Then another. Until the darkness loosened its grip upon the heavens and his heart.

And when the cold finally drove him home, he tried to carry their light with him, tucked behind his ribs. It did not mend what was broken. It did not return what was lost. But it reminded him that no matter how painful his sorrow, he would always have the stars.

She might be gone, but they always came back.

And so, each night, so did he.

As a qualified teacher with a passion for literature, Josh has always relished the sensation of immersing himself in a captivating book. When he began his teaching career, he sought to instil that same passion, which only deepened his own love for both reading and creative writing. His main aspiration as a writer is to push the limits of his abilities and produce novels that truly resonate with readers, offering them a haven where they can lose themselves in the stories he has created.

X – @JDParker01  Instagram – jdparker01

Photo by Snapwire

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