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It was fall. Warm sunrises filled the English countryside, transforming frosty nights into mellow mornings. A light breeze blew through the fields, carrying the scent of fresh crops and herbs into the farm. When Shaun woke, he expected nothing out of the ordinary. He was content, as peaceful autumn mornings were his favorite in Mossy Bottom. The changing of the leaves had always astounded him, bright yellows and oranges melting into dead birch. It was a very interesting process. Outside, Bitzer drearily forced himself awake, not nearly as peaceful as the rest of the farm, as all of the work rested on his tired shoulders. Warm light crept through the doors into the barn, signaling the sheep to rise. Even today, Bitzer was too tired to blow his whistle, much to the relief of the rest of the flock.
All marched out accordingly and made their way to the troughs. Bitzer went off to fetch the heavy bags of food as the rest waited patiently. Despite the early morning, Shaun raised his ear to the sound of clamoring metal. Disgruntled murmurs from the Farmer arose, and the flock knew something was up. Shaun, curious as ever, sprucely made his way over to the odd sound.
On the other side of the stone wall was the Farmer, of course, packing a small stand into his truck. Along with it were various boxes of knickknacks and family ornaments. Among them were books, albums of photos, paintings, furniture, and a strange metal tube on a tripod. The Farmer began coughing violently, and waving his arms in the air to quell the dust that came with such antiques. He ran inside and grabbed another sealed box, fetched a box-cutter and opened it. Inside were clothes, fleece sweaters and skirts. He grabbed tape and sealed it shut again, seeming redundant to Shaun, and tossed it into the back of his pickup. Afar, Shaun could hear the sounds of food being poured, and knowing how it was first-come first-serve, he made his way back, looking back to the Farmer with still prying eyes.
Dusk fell quickly after a long day of grazing for Shaun and chores for Bitzer. After leaving hours earlier with his truck chock full of boxes, he returned, truck nearly empty and the Farmer looking surly as always. Shaun meandered over to the truck and perched himself to see over the wall once more. The farmer exited his truck and unloaded a single box and the metal tube, less dusty than before. He cursed under his breath then grabbed both the box and tube. The gate flung open with contempt as the Farmer, obstructed by the items he was carrying, waddled through. Shaun, usually staying out of sight of the Farmer for his usual impish reasons, was now trotting close behind, heedless of getting into trouble. The Farmer stopped at the dump, which was made up of a pile of parts or other unwanted things. Shaun, the clever little sheep he was, found it all very useful, unsure as to why the Farmer would throw it away. Perhaps he was resourceful unlike the rest of the humans he had come across. Or perhaps he didn't need much to make do.
After almost tripping and nearly losing his grip, the Farmer dropped the box and the tube out of his hands onto his feet. He let out a ghoulish scream and something rather profane, then regained his fragile sense of calm and stomped back towards the farmhouse, oblivious to Shaun's stalking. Shaun chuckled to himself. Though he loved the Farmer dearly, he couldn't help but giggle at such slapstick. Once he heard the slam of the farmhouse door, he stood up and began inspecting the items. The box contained numerous books with titles he could barely make out. The covers, mostly barren, had small illustrations of the sky, at night specifically, but in much greater detail. There were other books under those, containing unique patterns of stars and symbols they resembled. Some of the books had pictures inside, skies with thousands of stars and endless patterns to be had. The largest book had a cover with big letters that read "Astronomy for Dummies." Shaun could read and write some English but those words he had never seen before. Astronomy. He flipped through the pages of the largest book, regarding every image of the stars. The world began to darken around him, sun having set and moon beginning to shine, Shaun soon heard the calls of the sheepdog, whistling to round up the herd as it was time for bed. Shaun grabbed the largest book, hugging it to his chest, and sprinted for the barn.
When the moon reached the center of the sky and all were fast asleep, Shaun slipped open the door of the barn, wary of its loud creaks. He took a few steps out, book resting in his mouth as he crept forward, and eyed where the doghouse resided. Soft snores filled the cool air, and as the wind picked up, Shaun knew it was time to move. He ran out, all the way across the field, through the garden to the towering pile of artifacts. The box with books and the tube were still where the Farmer had dropped it, and the tube, which Shaun had yet to touch, lie on the ground somewhat broken and fragile. He picked it up, cradling it in his arms, and ran back towards the barn, cautious of Bitzer as he returned and shut the door. He climbed the ladder where his bed remained at the back of the barn, next to stored hay and a large window. Once atop, he switched on a torch and flipped the book open to a page he had marked by creasing it, and carefully unfolded the page. On the page was an illustration of a man, crouched down with his eye to the same tube Shaun bared, under a vast and starry sky. He pulled apart the legs of the tripod and set the tube up straight just like the illustration. He looked back to match it to the image, and once it looked right, he inched the tripod closer to the window. He grabbed the tube that rested atop the tripod and wiggled it around. It began to creak, much to the dismay of the other sheep, to which he stopped and instinctively put a hoof to his mouth, quieting himself. Others tossed and turned and eventually settled. Shaun relaxed and returned to the tube. He picked up the book now, which showed the man looking through the smaller end, which Shaun noticed adorned a piece of glass. In fact, both sides had a small circle of glass that met the edges. Shaun peered through the smaller end and realized he could see outside. Countrysides that normally seemed far away were now spotted with incredible detail. He turned the tube to see trees and fields, filled with crops. He smiled as he continued to look around, inspecting the land to see it like he hadn't before. He pulled away from the glass and looked back down to his book. The device was used to see stars, he thought to himself. That's how the pictures looked so bright and beautiful. They were magnified. He grabbed his end of the tube and pointed it upwards towards the sky. He was so excited. He placed his eye to the glass, but when he peered through, there was nothing.
No stars, no planets, or comets or brightly lit up sky. Just a vast sea of a dull grey. He pulled away again and checked the book, looking to see if he had done something wrong. He placed his eye through again.
All the stars were gone.
Disappointed, he sat up and closed his book, and flicked the switch of the torch to off. He grabbed his blanket and pillow and tossed them to the hay where he slept. One last time, he peered through the window, with little hope remaining to see something amazing. Then, he did.
Morning came, and it was much cooler than the day before. When Bitzer opened the doors to let the flock out, everyone was there but Shaun, whom could be seen asleep in the hayloft. Bitzer chimed his whistle again, startling Shaun awake. He quickly hurried down, still bewildered from the breathtaking sights he had seen the night before. Bitzer gave him a puzzled look, common between the two of them. Shaun bleated excitedly about something Bitzer couldn't understand. Shaun recognized Bitzer's confusion and pointed to the window, and then to his wrist to signal the time. This still meant nothing to the sheepdog. Shaun smiled and made his way out to the field, leaving Bitzer's questions unanswered.
Night fell, the air was cold and crisp, and everyone was ready for sleep.
Except for Shaun. He had slept in the field that day, and was now more awake than ever. When Bitzer closed the barn and began heading back to his house to get some rest, Shaun quickly reappeared holding the tripod, a torch, and a book. He bleated, and signaled Bitzer to follow. Bitzer scoffed, knowing he wasn't going to get any sleep, but obliged, as he was responsible for the flock's safety, and that included Shaun and his hare-brained schemes. Shaun quickly dipped back into the barn, and when he came out, Timmy was riding on his shoulders. He picked up his things, and handed the torch to Bitzer, leading them out into the countryside.
After about 15 minutes of walking and Bitzer getting more nervous by the second, Shaun stopped. They were in the middle of a grass field, and certainly not on their own property anymore. Shaun set Timmy down next to Bitzer who grabbed his hand. Bitzer bit at his fingers, nervous as he had no clue what this tube did or why Shaun dragged him out here in the middle of the night. As far as he knew, Shaun would murder them here and no one would ever know.
Of course, Shaun would never. Shaun was too distracted, bleating excitedly as he flipped through the book and began setting up the tripod. Timmy swayed from side to side, now calming Bitzer in his time of panic, whining and worrying.
Shaun bleated, to signal it was done, presenting the tripod as if it was a sight to behold. Bitzer and Timmy simply stared, unaware of what it was supposed to be. He grabbed the narrow end of the tube and pretended to look through it, modeling what they should do. Again, no response. Shaun rolled his eyes and walked over to Bitzer and Timmy. He picked up the torch that was now resting at Bitzer's feet and switched it to 'off' with a wry smile. In an instant, the entire sky lit up around them. What was once a deep blue was now an ocean of stars and planets. Bitzer and Timmy beamed, stunned by the sudden beauty of the night sky. Their eyes twinkled. No one ever saw stars like this on Mossy Bottom. The air around them went from an icy chill to a comforting and glowing warmth. Shaun lifted Timmy onto his shoulders as he excitedly pointed to the sky. He bleated to Shaun, excited by the new views, asking to learn more. Shaun grabbed Bitzer's paw as they cherished the scene. After taking in the raw beauty of the stars, Shaun led them over to the telescope and let them peer through. Timmy peeped with excitement as he saw distant planets that peppered the sky. Shaun began pointing out constellations he had read about, how the stars took shapes and made up unique shapes or animals. Bitzer peered through the telescope as Timmy climbed back atop Shaun's shoulders. Shaun showed them pictures and went on and on about what he had read. It was a special kind of moment for them. When someone you love shares something so dear, so unique, so lovely. They all kept warm that night.
In the morning, when the Farmer had seen that the sheep were not out after some time, he headed to the barn to investigate. There, he saw Bitzer passed out asleep in the barn next to Shaun. Instinctively, he went to yell, but for some reason the sight was so sweet, so familiar, that he decided to let it go. Instead he gently woke up the sheep and his sheepdog, and led the flock out to the fields.
The rest of the day was filled with naps, reading, and cheery reminisces of the night they'd had.
They'd be going stargazing again soon.