Looking to the stars

Today is day 29 of the Ultimate Blogging Challenge and of Inktober. The prompt for today is “navigator.”

After night fell and the ground was full of shadows, Bearnacle Bear and his Poppa went to look at the stars.

“How will you know where you are going when you are far out at sea?” asked Poppa Bear.

“I will follow the stars. I think that there is one that I need to watch more closely, but I don’t know what it is,” said Bearnacle. “What star will help me be a better navigator?”

“It is the North Star, which is also known to the humans as Polaris. See? It’s right there and it’s a big, bright light in the night sky,” Poppa Bear explained. “It’s part of a constellation that’s called Ursa Minor. The humans named the constellations. Did you know that the Big Dipper, which you see over there, is part of a constellation called Ursa Major?”

“Oh,” said Bearnacle Bear. “I have so much to learn.”

“You are still a very young bear,” said Poppa Bear. “Did you know that Ursa means bear and that humans saw bears in the sky?”

“It must be magical to be a bear in the sky,” said Bearnacle Bear. “But I can’t fly like butterflies or condors. I suppose I will just have to watch the sky, whether I’m in a sailing ship or walking in the forest.”

“That is true,” said Poppa Bear. “Are you ready for a story that the humans like to tell about the constellations?”

“Oh sure,” said Bearnacle Bear, but he said it with a little less enthusiasm because he was thinking about the boy, who told him that he and his family were leaving forever and were going to live in the Land of the Humans. And he was thinking that the Boy talked about how the time in the future when humans and bears wouldn’t be able to talk to each other anymore.

“What’s the matter?” asked Poppa Bear. “Are you sad about story time or is it something else?”

“I love story time,” said Bearnacle Bear.

“Maybe you’re sad about something else,” said Poppa Bear. “I am always here. You can tell me when you’re ready.”

“Will you tell me the story of the bear in the sky?”

“Yes. I think this will make you happy to know that there’s a bear in the sky that is always watching over all of us. It means that, no matter where you are, you are never alone.

“There was once a beautiful girl, whose name was Callisto. She lived in Greece, and she knew all of the gods, and they knew her. The king of the gods, whose name was Zeus, fell in love with Callisto. But he fell in love with all of the girls. Callisto didn’t know that when she gave in to Zeus’ charms. She looked at him and believed that she saw pure love. But she wasn’t seeing pure love. She was seeing a reflection of the purity of her love in Zeus’ eyes.

“One day, Zeus’ wife, Hera, caught her husband and Callisto. She could tell that Callisto had a pure love for Zeus and that they had a romantic relationship that was more beautiful than her own with her husband. Hera became angry and jealous. Her anger knew no bounds when she was told by her spies that Callisto had a young son named Arcas and that Arcas was a beautiful and radiant boy, who shone like the stars because his father was a god.

“‘You have ruined my joy,’ Hera was reported to have told Callisto. ‘You must be punished for your vile deeds. Your son also must be made to suffer. I’m going to turn you into a bear. My husband will never look at you again. That son of yours… I don’t know, but great misfortune will befall him.

“Moments before Hera reached for Arcas to get her revenge, Zeus turned him into a bear. Hera jumped because she didn’t expect to see another bear. Before Hera could think about what had happened, Zeus threw both Callisto and Arcas in the sky, where they turned into constellations. They became Ursa Major and Ursa Minor or Big Bear and Little Bear. They and the North Star will always guide you.

“Also remember, a red sky at night is a sailor’s delight. A red sky in the morning is a sailor’s warning.”

:”I will remember, Poppa,” said Bearnacle Bear, and the two two of them sat down to watch the stars.