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John still won't tell me why we are here at the Greenwish Observatory in the middle of the night. I keep asking him but his answer is always the same. It's a surprise and I'll find out why we're here once the sun has finished setting. I have to admit to feeling intrigued and I can't wait to find out what it is.
John has a blanket tucked under his arm and I can only guess the surprise will feature sitting on the grass at some point. Unusually the observatory is in darkness and London is nothing more than a faint orange glow behind us that is partially obscured by the hill we have slowly been walking our way up. John had banned us from shifting because he reckoned somebody would notice a dragon and a phoenix hopping over the fence. I wish he had let us fly though. I'm going to be exhausted by the time we reach the top. Even phoenixes get tired out by physical activity.
Finally, just as the last of the sun's light disappears beneath the horizon, John declares we have reached the perfect spot and starts unfolding the blanket. I stop gratefully and sink down on the grass, gazing down at the glittering city. It's beautiful in an artificial sort of way but I couldn't imagine living anywhere else. I glance over at John and smile. "Are you going to tell me what we're doing here now?"
John laughs and lays back on the blanket, resting his head on his hands. "Join me and you'll find out." He says with a mischevious grin and a sparkle in his eye.
I roll my eyes, John always did have a flare for the dramatic, but I do as he says, curious to find out what he has planned. Once I am lying down it is easy to work out. High above us, un-tainted by the orange glow that constantly hangs over London, is a night sky speckled with stars. I let out a breath and a wide smile spreads across my face. "It's beautiful. I never knew you could see them so close to the city."
John takes my hand and squeezes it gently. "A squirrel shifter told me about this place. I thought it would be perfect for tonight." He says softly.
I turn my head to face him but am unable to make out his face in the semi-darkness. I think about allowing my inner fires to rise to the surface. Before I can John squeezes my hand tightly and lets out a quiet laugh. "Look, it's starting!" He cries.
I look back up at the sky in time to see a shooting star flash across it. My smile grows wider and I let out a quiet sigh of satisfaction.
John moves a little closer until the side of his leg is pressing against mine. "So, what do you think? Was the climb worth it?" He asks quietly, resting his head against my shoulder.
I am quiet for a moment as I watch another star shoot across the vast blackness of the sky, a tiny spark of green illuminating the night around it for the briefest of moments. There is an old shifter legend about the stars; something to do with the souls of the dead passing through on their way to another world but I can't quite remember it any more. Which is a shame because I remember it being a beautiful story... I jump a little when John lightly nudges me and I realise he is still waiting for my answer. "It's wonderful. Definitly worth the walk. Thank you for bringing me up here." I say, putting my arm around John's shoulders so I can draw him close to me.
Then neither of us speak again for a long while, the two of us content to lay together on the grass and watch the stars.