Down the hallway, Arielle followed the man in a white lab coat. Their shoes made no sound on the cold grey floor, and the soft white lights illuminated the walls.

Soon, the man stopped to look at the ceiling. Arielle stepped up to his side and looked at him, wondering what he saw. Then the hallway vanished as she looked up.

Now a massive asteroid was in view up close, and it cast a large, dark shadow upon them. Inch by inch, it drifted across their vision. They stepped back and saw how it stretched a hundred miles.

Arielle didn’t question how they were standing and breathing in outer space. They just stood there and watched as the asteroid approached the planet on the right — a small, rocky planet with rugged brown land and pale blue waters, with some murky yellow clouds in its atmosphere.

Time seemed to accelerate as the asteroid drifted closer and closer, as if the planet wanted impact. And then it collided with a flash. A thick cloud of dust swept over the planet, which crumbled and shook. The air caught on fire, and chunks of rock fell.

Arielle blinked once. Twice. And soon the flames died off.

She looked away into the expanse of stars, which seemed to be trying to tell her something. But she was deaf in this endless vacuum of space… numb, cold and quiet.

Then she turned to the stranger beside her and saw a tear running down his cheek. In his eyes, she noticed the wavering reflection of stardust, but he didn’t say anything.