But tonight was special. She had missed the night of closet approach a few days earlier thanks to a period of endless rain. A strange season it had been. Where usually fields were golden, this year the autumn was ushering in as rain soaked green. Not the newness of spring green mind you, but green nonetheless, out of season. Still, she had stopped tonight to search the sky, determined to savor the serenity stargazing always brought.

She had been named for the stars, of course, Cassie, short for Cassiopeia. Ever since she was a little girl she was sure the stars held extra magic for her. Perhaps a part of her soul belonged to the vast infinity of the starry night. In any case the stars drew her in and held her in their arms.

There, nearly directly in front of her not far about the towering trees on the hillside was the bright red, yes truly it was red, speck that was Mars, closer and larger than he had been for generations. Magnificent. Arresting. She could only stare and sigh and wonder at the sight.

So she sat and soaked up the mystery of the stars, bathed in the ever-so-slightly red tinged light. Mars had come so close just as she needed an extra sense of peace and comfort. Her tasks ahead felt less daunting now. She stretched and sat up taller as the burdens eased. The poets had it wrong, she thought. Mars wasn't the red of rage or war but the red of heart's blood and the comfort of a fire.

Now bathed in the Mars' red light, Cassie turned back into the emptying apartment. Tomorrow would be another day filled with sorting, choosing what to keep and what to give away. The memories of her father permeated each item, threatening at times to overwhelm her with his loss. From now on, though, each clear night, she would pause at least a moment to accept the gift of seeing through a different light as long as Mars hung outside her door.