The Auora Veil

Once a cycle they open observation bays throughout the Lisa. Usually the only place to look out at the stars are from special decks with big clear ceilings. But on this one day there are open bay windows everywhere. This is the day we all get to watch the Aurora Veil.
The Grand Lisa targets a star emitting solar winds and skims close to it, as though Lisa was rising on a breeze. The geeked out particles in the solar wind interact with the magnetic field surrounding the Lisa and it creates a lightshow unlike any other.
The entire Lisa is cloaked in auroras across the whole color spectrum. They weave and blend into each other, rippling like water. It lasts for about twenty minutes and then they fade away, as the Lisa drifts off deeper into space. It’s one of the best days of the year because it feels like everyone on the ship is connected, all of us watching the Aurora Veil together.
My dad used to take me and my mom every year, but stopped when she passed away. He hasn’t been up much for going out since then. But I still go. I have to.
I don’t tell him this, but when I look into the Veil, I feel her with me. He still goes into a dark place when I talk about her, and I don’t want that. I know how he feels though.
You ever wonder if all those charged up particles are just pieces of us?
They say energy can’t be destroyed or created. I learned that in class. So maybe when we’re born we’re all charged up with life, given to us by our moms and dads. And maybe when we die its because our bodies can’t hold onto that charge anymore. Maybe that’s what happened to my mom. Maybe she is in the Aurora Veil with everyone else that ever died. Maybe we’re all excited because that one day a year is when we can see them.
Sometimes when I look at my dad, it feels like he’s fading. His eyes are dull and far away. I get scared that his body can’t hold onto its charge anymore. Like it’s just seeping out of him, and one day he’ll be gone too. I don’t want that. Not now.
Aurora Veil Day is in two weeks.
I’m going to ask my dad to come with me this time. I’m going to make him understand. She wasn’t destroyed because she can’t be. She just became something else and it’s all around us. And maybe he’ll feel what I feel, and he’ll realize he doesn’t have to fade away just so he can be with her again.
And then he can stay here with me a bit longer.
That would be nice.