Meteor Showers

Have any of you ever seen a meteor zooming through the sky? My mother saw one on December 31, on our way home from the New Years Dance. None of us saw it, though.
Well, that sparked our curiosity, and my mom began looking up meteor showers. Well, there is one tomorrow. It is the Quadrantid meteor shower. This meteor shower is very hard to see, though, if the conditions are not just right. It is easier to see if you are in the Northern hemisphere, and especially easy to see for those in Canada and the Midwest of the US. But we're still going to try and see some.
We're hoping to get up at 3:30 or 4:00 in the morning when the shower is at it's peak.
To learn more about meteor showers, go to this website-http://meteorshowersonline.com/index.html

So, I hope ya'll had a happy New Years Eve and Day. I must inform you that I will be leaving for Florida on the 7th or 9th, it still isn't confirmed what day, but I WILL be leaving. I will get back on the 15th or 16th, date still unconfirmed, but I am looking forward to going. We are going with my Mumsie and Pa, and last year I took Shadow with me, but this year I'm taking him and Elliott. What FUN!!!! I'm also taking my trusty MP3 player, just in case I get really bored or something.
And now for the story.
This won second place in Rose's story contest, and I am happy to say that I'm going to post it here. I didn't think it was very good, but I might just be to much of perfectionist.
(Just taken from Rose's blog, I didn't save this revised version and am now whacking myself with a frying pan for it) :P


Prolouge
The snowflakes were falling so thickly now, I was afraid to go out to the stables, as I had been told to. I turned, lifting the thick leather that kept the cold out of the castle. Melanie turned to me.
"Stardust, if you do not stop lifting that curtain, the room will get cold. It will make your brother worse, I fear. Now please, go to him, for he is calling for you. " Melanie had the habit of telling me everything to do at once, whether it be good or bad. To spite this, Melanie had been a very nice nurse maid to my brother and I.
"Yes ma'm." I answered, and turned to my brothers door. As I opened it, a dull creaking sound filled our quite place. Usually, it would stretch far and wide, but the snow outside kept it in.
"Sister, is that you?" The prince lay on his bed, propped up by pillows. He held a book in his hand.
"Yes, my brother, it is I. How do you feel?" I asked.
"Terribly pain-stricken, but I will live." my brother answered.
4 years ago, a great plague broke out over our domain. It killed many children and the elderly. Our parents were among those to die almost a week after catching it. My younger sisters and brothers also died. My older brother, who was only sixteen, took the throne. Then he succumbed to the plague as well, but, stubborn as he is, he would not say he had it. He caught it near the end of the epidemic, therefore it was not so severe. It was winter at the time, so we thought he simply had a cold. Then, after summer arrived, he continued to get worse. It has been 3 years, but he still is living. Strangely, I only caught a slight bit of it, and recovered quickly. The doctor is still not sure why I was spared. After you have succumbed to the sickness, if you are even alive, you cannot have it again.
"Are you upset?" My brother rasped, his voice echoing within him. He looked so sick, yet courageous. Like he had when he was young and healthy.
"Oh, I just don't know what to do. Looking at you tonight, I realize you need a cure, you need to live. I surely cannot rule this kingdom alone." I declared.
"But Stardust, my starry-eyed sister, their will be a dashing young prince to help you!" My brother smiled weakly. I smiled back. He was always reminding me of that 'dashing prince' who would come along one day.
"But that prince is you, don't you understand? The Western lands are already sending messengers asking why you are not acting for them!" The Western lands were in utter chaos and decline. Civil wars, epidemics, and destruction were typical problems that lurked their. But since a country like the one that became after the plague would not be encouraged by the fact that their leader was dying, the prince had ordered not one soul inside the castle be allowed to talk of his sickness but his sister and a few others. And since most of the people who had worked there were deceased, it wasn't very difficult to keep everything quiet. Therefore, since no-one knew of the prince's sickness, it looked pretty bad when the Western land lost it's most wise ruler and my brother did nothing about it.
You see, when I had not even been borne, there was great uneasiness in the West. They did not get along at all with us, of the North, and strongly disliked those of the East. They are a warring people, and utterly hated those of the South. Soon a civil war between all of us broke out. My father was but a boy, and his father was killed in the war. But my father once he assumed the throne, could not stop the great catastrophe that came. Many, many people were killed. But, when almost all hope had been lost a young, supposedly inexperienced boy, to tell the truth, came out of nowhere claiming he possessed a power that no other had. When no one would listen to his claims of great talent, he requested that my father allow him to demonstrate his power. My father granted his request, and, along with his brother Adrian the First, this boy if seventeen, who went by the name of Sapphire, rose up and demonstrated a great blast of destructive power like no other. Later, when the war had finally been organized enough that their were two sides, Sapphire sided with the North and with my father, even though he was of the West. We won in a great battle . Much had been lost, but Sapphire returned to the West and offered to be their leader. They reluctantly agreed, but in the years that followed, they came to love and trust him.
Then, quite suddenly, with no heir to replace him, Sapphire died. The whole West of this country slowly returned to what it had been.
I knew of nothing but that they had said Sapphire's power could heal any ailment, yet could crush every bone in your body with a blink of his eye. I long to find a treatment for my brother. But, all Sapphire's family members were killed. He had no children. Even if he did, I doubt they had his power.
"Sister, you have already half the kingdom under your control. You rule the East and South. You are capable. I know you are." My brother assured me. I looked into his black eyes.
"But..."
"No 'buts'. I am tired. We will discuss no more on this matter tonight." The prince announced.
"Yes, my brother. Rest tonight, and have delightful dreams. I will see you tomorrow." I told him.
"Stardust?" I turned to my closest relative.
"Yes?"
"Please do not worry."
"I will not." But I knew I was lying.

***

Far away, a boy of eighteen rode through the night on his horse. His jet black hair blew in his bright green eyes, yet filling them was a look of utter determination. He slowed as he saw that a fallen tree blocked his path. Lifting a gloved hand, the boy cried out,
"In the name of my father, and his brother, prepare to be disintegrated into a million dream shards by the great Adrian the Second!"
With that cry, the boy raised his arm over his head, snapped his fingers, and the tree broke into a million glowing pieces..............

Well, thanks for enduring my rambling and story!
-Autumn