Chapter 1 — Wick and the Cloud That Becomes a Star

Wick floated in the deep, dark quiet of space. Wick was a tiny, glowing creature. Wick looked like a firefly larva, but wore a chunky astronaut suit. The suit was bright white, like a cartoon drawing. It made little poof sounds when Wick moved. Wick’s soft glow was warm cream. It had a gentle ember light. Wick loved watching new stars begin. “Gas collapses; pressure builds; the spark lights,” Wick often hummed. This was Wick’s favorite saying. It was the secret to how stars are born.

Today, Wick hovered near a giant cloud. It was a huge, cold cloud of gas and dust. People called it a nebula. It looked like a wispy, gray blanket. Tiny specks of space dust glittered inside. But Wick knew it was a star nursery. This was where baby stars were made. Wick clutched a stack of special cards. A small, round device hung from Wick’s belt. It was a gravity-collapse-tracker. Wick called the cards “protostar-cards.” They showed every step of how stars light up.

Wick squinted at a big lump in the cloud. This lump was getting bigger. It was pulling itself together. Wick’s antennae wiggled with excitement. “Almost ready,” Wick whispered. Wick tapped the tracker. It made a soft whirr-click sound. A tiny screen lit up. It showed a swirling cloud. Then it showed the cloud shrinking fast. A cartoon face on the screen looked very serious. Its eyebrows were furrowed. “Gravity is doing its job,” Wick said. Gravity is a strong pull. It pulls things closer. It was pulling this gas cloud tighter and tighter.

Wick pulled out the first card. It showed a big, fluffy cloud. “Stage one,” Wick announced. “A cold gas cloud. A nebula.” Wick pointed to the lump in the distance. “See? Just like that.” Then Wick pulled out a second card. This one showed the cloud getting much smaller. It was squishing in on itself. “Gravity pulls it all together,” Wick explained. “It collapses. It gets super squished.” The tracker screen showed a little arrow. It pointed down, down, down. The cartoon face on the screen nodded slowly.

“The core gets hot,” Wick said. Wick held up a third card. It showed the very center of the cloud glowing bright red. “That’s from the squishing,” Wick added. “It’s like rubbing your hands together really fast.” Wick rubbed two tiny, gloved hands. A tiny spark flew off. “They get warm, right?” Wick asked. “Well, the middle of that cloud gets really, really hot. Millions of degrees!” Wick’s own glow brightened a bit. Wick was very excited. This was the best part. Wick loved the heat.

Wick held the last card ready. It showed a bright, shining star. “This is the big moment,” Wick breathed. The lump in the nebula pulsed. The tracker beeped loudly. “Core temperature at ten million K!” a tiny voice chirped from the tracker. The cartoon face on the screen grinned wide. “That’s super-duper hot!” Wick said. “Hot enough to make hydrogen fuse!” Wick explained. “Hydrogen is the gas in the cloud.” Wick looked at the lump. “Time for the spark!”

The lump shimmered. A tiny flash of light burst from its center. POP! The lump began to glow steadily. It was a brand-new star. “Yes!” Wick cheered. Wick did a little happy spin. The chunky suit poofed again. “Gas collapses; pressure builds; the spark lights!” Wick held up the last card. “A protostar ignites!” Wick announced. “It becomes a main-sequence star.” Wick put the cards away. The tracker showed a happy little star. It winked on the screen. Wick smiled. Another star was born.

Wick loved watching this happen. It could take a very long time. Thousands of years. Even millions of years. But Wick was always patient. Wick loved watching them shine. Each new star was a tiny victory. Wick carefully tucked the protostar-cards back into a pouch. The gravity-collapse-tracker hummed softly. Wick floated a little closer to the new star. Its light was still faint. But it was there. A warm, steady glow. Wick felt a happy warmth spread through its own glowing body. This was Wick’s job. This was Wick’s joy. To see the spark light up.