The night sky was a showcase of the universe's treasures. Unlike the city, where smog, skyscrapers and bright lights interfered, here there were only clouds, and tonight there were none of them. The moon, tonight in its crescent form, shone with its distinct, otherworldly light. Beside it, Venus twinkled, as beautiful as any of the multitudes of stars on display. And speaking of stars, it seemed that all of them were rejoicing at this rare opportunity to present themselves to mortal eyes. Here and there, constellations could be spotted, chief among them Ursa Major. Near it, Ursa Minor can be found, Polaris shining proudly as it points north. The beautiful dark canvas was undisturbed save for some birds and a plane high up, making its way west.
The wind started to pick up, and the grass swayed. The branches of the surrounding trees shook, and some leaves drifted off into the breeze. A faint but sweet smell of newly-bloomed flowers filled the clearing. The wind died down, and for a moment, it was peaceful again. And then they appeared.
Drifting across the horizon, spots of light danced around, as though vying for attention. They flew around, spreading their light across the clearing in indistinguishable patterns. Between the moon, stars and the fireflies was created a show of light unmatched by any artificial neon, strobe or laser lights elsewhere. Birds perched on nearby trees added their vocalizations, as if to add to the beautiful atmosphere.
The near-magical serenity was broken as a thin, concentrated beam of light descended from the dark night's sky. It lingered only for a second, as if trying to make one doubt it ever existed, but such doubts were soon erased, as another beam of light, this one nearer, follows. The succession of these beams of light is temporarily driven out of the mind as the plane falls down toward the earth, a blazing ball of fire.
The nearby birds fly off in every direction imaginable, the hurried flapping of their wings soon masked as the remains of the plane crashes and explodes, mere miles away. Meanwhile, the beams of light continue to rain down, each one getting nearer. One lands yards away, and a dark figure steps out of it as soon as it vanishes. The last thing one sees is a descending flash of light, as the figure unleashes some sort of weapon.
Darkness.
