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.

Andrew had always loved the stars. The way they hung in the sky, always moving but never changing, containing what he was sure were limitless mysteries. And sometimes, late at night when he stared out his window tracing constellations, it felt almost as though they were calling him too. He couldn't quite make out the words to their silent song, but he felt as though it must be fascinating.

Slowly, vision returned to him. His eyes were opening, or light was returning to the world, or maybe both? But this wasn't the world he had left. He saw walls around him, tall and swirling purple, almost like water reflecting a twilight sky. Light came from everywhere and nowhere, no visible source to be found. Strangest of all, there was no floor beneath him, just a black void that stretched down forever. He took a step forward and felt something catch his foot. So maybe the floor was invisible?

He heard the sound of running water coming from somewhere and decided to walk towards it. Corridors branched off from this hall, many different-colored directions, like a maze. Andrew made his best guesses about which way to go, always keeping the noise in his ears. At last, he reached the water.

At least, he had thought it was water from the sound. Looking down at it, rushing just beneath his feet, he saw that it was pure light. The light of millions of stars, torn from the sky and flowing through this void.

He knelt down and listened to the light, whispering softly. There was no song now, just a desperate plea for help.

Reach the center of the maze before dawn, or the stars will never return to the sky.