He was stuck, re-reading the same words over and over again. He had wanted a distraction, something to clear his mind. But he couldn't seem to focus on the book in his hands. He just continued to re-read the same three sentences over and over, unable to process the words even after the many times he read them.

After a moment he sighed and slid the bookmark back into the middle of the book before snapping it shut. He tossed it onto the desk in front of him before spinning in his swivel chair to face the other side of his bedroom. Then he proceeded to stare up at the blank white ceiling.

"You remember that time we went camping?"

The familiar words echoed in his mind. A memory that he once cherished, feeling bittersweet now that the owner of that voice was long gone and he'd never hear her again.

"We stayed up late and looked at the stars. There were so many. How come we can't see that many from our house?"

He remembered his reply like it was yesterday, when in fact that memory took place several years ago. Yet he remembered almost every single detail about that day on the rooftop of his home, sitting beside her.

"I'd rather live in the forest. Wouldn't that be cool? Then we could stay up every night looking at the stars. Maybe we'd even see a few shooting stars. What would you wish for if we did?"

At the time he had just shrugged and responded with, I'm not sure. Back then he didn't really want anything. He had his family, his home, the clothes on his back and the food on their table. What more could he have asked for?

But now he had a wish. One that he would make a thousand times. A wish that he knows would never come true but would still hope for it anyway. Tears collected in his eyes as he stared up at the blank ceiling, remembering the glow-in-the-dark stars he used to have taped up there.
...