Submission (#261) Approved

BOOOOOOOOOOOOM! The ground shook and baubles clattered against the study’s walls. Every kittom in the room bolted upright, ears raised in alert.

“What in Eyre was that?” cried Verdin, eyes wide as the caverns of Zevija.

“I’ll go check. Stay here and protect the younger kittoms,” ordered Stella as she dashed out of the room toward the atrium.

As she approached, a fizzing sound filled the air, accompanied by pronounced coughing and gagging. At the far end of the atrium, she could just make out the shape of a tiny kittom enveloped in a massive pile of pastel pink froth.

“Are you okay?” Stella called out.

“Just a… minor miscalculation. I’ll be… uh… fine,” sputtered the kittom as he pulled himself from the mire and shook himself off. His coat was mostly white with burgundy heart-shaped markings and a tiny pair of winglets on his legs. His anima shone like liquid gold and tiny crown of rose bubbles still graced his forehead. He looked somewhat familiar, but Stella couldn’t put a paw on where she’d seen him before.

“WHERE’S THE FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRE?!” exclaimed Tommaso as he barreled into the room, nearly bowling Stella over. He slid to a halt in front of the strange kittom. “Who are you and why have you disturbed my slumber?”

“My name is Cu- I mean Henry. Yes, my name is Henry and I was playing with science.”

Tommaso stepped back and quickly assessed the situation. “You mixed baking soda, vinegar and pyromious root, right?”

“…maybe…”

“Well, at least you’re not going to die. Let’s get this place straightened up.”

Stella ran off to assure her classmates that everything was okay while the others scrubbed the workbench and floor. When Stella returned a few minutes later, Tommaso was wiping up the last traces of the ill-fated experiment. “Where’s Henry?” She asked.

“What… he was just here. That little weasel left me to clean up his mess!” Tommaso glowered and harrumphed.

Stella couldn’t help but giggle. She loved those little wrinkles that popped up in the corners of his eyes when his emotions flared. “Here, let me just get…” Stella wiped a spot of foam from his shoulder.

Tommaso gasped in surprise quickly turned his back to attack a spot of floor he had already thoroughly scoured. Stella swore his cheeks looked flushed.

The two worked in silence until Stella finally cleared her throat. “Hey… I was wondering. Would you like to join me for the meteor shower? I almost forgot in all the commotion, but I’m sure it looks incredible right now. We can turn out the lights and watch them through the…” Stella trailed off as she glanced up at the ceiling. The glass panels were completely fogged over! The ceiling was too high to reach and there was no way that they would clear on their own before the shower’s peak.

Stella sighed and slumped her shoulders. No other rooms offered unobstructed views of the night sky.

“You know, we could always go outside for a little bit. I know we can’t stay long, but we’ll have the best views in all of Eyre,” Tommaso suggested with a sly smile.

“I’d love to! Let’s go invite the others.”

“As you wish.”

Together, Stella and Tommaso led a small army of kittoms out to a stand of glowing mushrooms, where they sat, gazing up at Silveil’s ever night. The crowd murmured with excitement as stars streaked across the sky. It was truly a breathtaking sight.

A jolt ran down Tommaso’s spine and he began to shiver. Stella leaned in and gently draped half of her starry purple scarf over his shoulders. The two kittoms snuggled closer together.

“Did you make a wish?” Stella whispered in his ear.

“Nope. I have everything that I need...”