Transmutations by Matthew Buscemi

Author:Matthew Buscemi [Buscemi, Matthew]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-01-18T22:00:00+00:00

Lunar Eclipse

Eslyum 17, Year of His Holiness 763

The journey home felt longer than it ever has before. My hands are still shaking as I write this. Never before have I been more afraid to walk the streets of my home city. But His Holiness has always remained a staunch supporter of the observation of the stars, & I doubt even the events of the past few days could undermine the foundation he provides for our researches. If anything, I have heard that it has only availed Him of its importance.

But politics is not my forte. I shall leave such endeavors in the hands of others, such as Methis. He enjoys hosting guests from the Court.

I sit now in my studio. It is quiet outside, though not the natural quiet of night. I saw fires still burning on my way here and heard shouting in the distance. It was as though I had been transported to another world. But here in Arno district, at least, people have shuttered themselves inside, & the insanity remains at a distance.

It almost makes me wish I had never reported the anomaly. Seven days ago, I spotted it during a routine observation of Luna. A dot in the sky nearby, too big to be a star and also brand new. I estimated it at roughly one twentieth of Luna’s size. I wrote up a report immediately, of course, & sent it off to the Court the next morning. I didn’t give it much more thought. Shooting stars appear with some frequency, & stars have been known to flare or blink out on occasion. There are even the odd ones whose light waxes and wanes at steady intervals like lighthouse beams. Why not should a new light join Luna, albeit a strange one?

And besides, to the naked eye, it merely looked like a new star.

When I arrived at the observatory the next evening, I observed it again, & was both surprised and alarmed to discover it had grown larger. It had also drawn closer to Luna. Observing with the telescope, it now appeared as an unnaturally large star. I sent for a carriage, went to court, & spoke directly with the Science Minister. I related my findings with some urgency, and he insisted I was overreacting. At the time, I remember feeling somewhat silly, as though I were an unruly child, obstinately demanding attention from parents with better things to do. I went back to the observatory and tried to get on with my evening as best I could.

Oh, how I wish the Minister’s judgment had proved correct. By the next evening, our new “star” had grown yet again & drawn even closer to Luna. It could no longer be mistaken for a star. I filed an urgent report and set a courier out with it, not daring to make the journey to Court myself.

That next evening was my last journey from home to the observatory for many evenings. I remember the streets being eerily silent in

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