A Tale of Earth and Sky by Chrissy McPhaul Lying outstretched in an open field I contemplated the beauty of the starry sky Suddenly the ground opened beneath me And the earth swallowed me whole I was alive but I could not move The surrounding earth was too heavy against my body The pressure began to build, causing my head to hurt My lungs burned for a breath of air Every passing second was an eternity To my mind that was slowly losing consciousness Then I felt a huge force within the earth Thrust my body through to the surface Air filled my burning lungs I breathed deeply and opened my eyes But I could not see a thing My world was black, thick with darkness The moon brought a little light above the horizon as it rose Showing the pitted surface of the earth I discoved that I was lying inside a crater All the stars had fallen from the sky