Nothing stirred as Andrew crept quietly out of the front door, hardly thinking about the consequences if he was caught. Leaving his parents snoring softly behind him, he padded silently across the neighborhood to where the beach lay, its hungry waves flinging spray far into the night sky. He stared up at the expanse of stars, twinkling, almost calling for him. But as Andrew stared toward the horizon, the stars winked out, leaving him in complete darkness.

He had the vague sensation of falling, then was enveloped in water that flew upward as he plummeted downwards, flailing, surely not to see the surface again. He had just about run out of breath when a concussive force slammed into him from below, launching him out and up, into the endless void of the sky.