One by One

One by one, the lights go out, as I look on. I can see all the last ones from here. I used to have to travel far and wide to visit the stars.

From here, I see the last few. They flicker and die. It is a good thing to watch. It has been a long time, and I am so very tired. Soon it will be dark. Then I can rest.

I remember the first lights. The first breaks in the darkness. It was exciting to see something new be born. I remember each one from back then. I gave them names. I used to give them all names. I stopped, eventually. There were too many and I could no longer keep them straight.

Even then, I still enjoyed them. I enjoyed moving about, seeing the new ones, seeing how they changed, how they evolved, how they faded, and how they eventually died. I did not understand then that it would end, one day.

Little by little, I began to see the patterns in the lights. Began to notice that there would be a peak followed by a fall. Then I saw the peak come and go. As time went on, I saw more lights die than be born. Each time I looked out, the universe was slightly darker.

Now it is as it was in the beginning, with just a few lights. Now, though, they are all old, they are all fading, and one by one, they go out.

Soon, very soon, it will be dark again. And I will be alone.