“What are you looking at, Daddy?” Kyle stood in the doorway, gazing at his father.

“I'm doing a little star watching. Would you like to have a look?” John scooted off the stool, leaving it empty for his son.

Kyle rushed to his father and climbed on the three-legged stool. “What do I do, Daddy?”

“Put your eye right here,” he pointed to the eye piece.

“Wow! I see stars! They twinkle, just like in the song.” Kyle hummed the tune to his father's smile.

“Keep your eye still, Kyle. I'm going to turn it a little so you can see the Orion Nebula.” John made some adjustments on the powerful telescope. “Look for something red.”

“I see it, Daddy. It looks like an explosion of color. Why is it red?” The boy's face scrunched together as he rearranged his face to a more comfortable position.

“Nebulas are explosions, Kyle. Very good description. They are gases mixed with interstellar dust. The red is expelled energy from other stars. You know what your mom used to say?” John lifted his son off the stool.

“What, Daddy? What did Mommy say?” Kyle wrapped his arms around his father's neck.

“She used to say I was silly to look at the stars all the time. You know what I say?”

Kyle shook his head from side to side.

“I say that a telescope is a window to the sky. Any time I want I can come out here, look through the lens and see millions of stars, scattered across the blackness of the eternal universe.” John carried the boy inside and put him down on his bed. “It's time to go to sleep.”

“Daddy, if the telescope is a window to the sky, can you see Mommy up in heaven? She used to tell me to look for the brightest star and that would be her in heaven, watching me.”

John caught his breath. A tear formed in the corner of his eye. “Would you like to go back outside and look for Mommy?”

“Oh yes, Daddy! Then I promise I'll go right to sleep.”

Kyle took his father's hand and led him to the balcony. Once again he climbed on the stool and waited while his dad adjusted the telescope.

“Let me look into heaven. There's the brightest star. Some people call it Sirius and some call it the Dog Star. I think it's your mother. Would you like to look?”

Lowering his eye, Kyle gazed through the telescope. “Daddy, I think it's Mommy. Look how bright it is. That has to be her! She promised she'd be there watching me while I slept.” Pearls of tears dripped from his eyes. “I miss her, Daddy.”

John hugged the boy. “I miss her too, Kyle. Now, let's get you to bed.” He tucked Kyle under the covers.

“Pull the curtains open, Daddy. I want to see Mommy.” Kyle rolled on his side.

The curtains parted, giving a view of the starlit heavens.

“Good night, Kyle. Sweet dreams.”

“Good night, Daddy. Good night, Mommy.”

Just for a moment, Sirius flicked a little brighter than normal.