Night was never quiet.

They had heard stories, when they were young. Stories of fictional words where night rang with silence. There were even memories from the elderly, scientific data, studies that had been done, that all said that the night had used to be a quiet, sacred place and with that silence came peace. Peace to dance, to sleep, to stare up at the silent stars.

But if it had ever been silent, it was not in their lifetime. They had never known anything but laying down to the sound of the stars. Science said the silence had been the time it took for the noise to reach Earth, the sound of the stars singing as they burned.

Their parents had heard tell of silent nights, but even they could not truly remember them. They often remarked how wonderful it would be, to have a peaceful night. No waking to sudden dissonance, no wonders if the sudden bang was a crescendo or if someone was breaking in. Just quiet.

They didn’t see it that way, though.

To them, night was a time to dance and play, to exalt in the beautiful melodies and harsh dissonance the stars gave to them. When they were laid to bed, they would be lulled to sleep by the crashing, flowing music. When they woke, they would get to hear the last harsh notes before the sun rose.

It seemed, every night, as if that music was playing just for them. For their ears and their heart. And as they listened to the music it was as if nothing could touch them. They were beyond worry, beyond fear, beyond doubt. There was only music in the dark, guiding them to safety.

As they grew, they searched and studied. They scoured every source, wrote papers, performed experiments, all so they could hear the stars singing to them as they had since the time they were born.

And though their searches were in vain, they knew they would find a way. A way to say thank you to these things science said were mindless, feelingless balls of burning hydrogen and helium that gave them such hope and joy. Even when they spent their nights surrounded by books and empty coffee mugs, the stars were there, singing, to keep them moving forward. They wanted to say thank you, the one way they could think of. And someday, they vowed, they would.

Someday, they would get to sing to the stars.

And the stars couldn’t wait to hear it.