Short Fiction · Chapter
I: The Star-Gem explained
Douglas O'Brien and Steve Arnsen discover a meteorite while fishing.
What happens
Douglas O'Brien and Steve Arnsen discover a meteorite while fishing. Inside, O'Brien finds a gray, multifaceted gem. He becomes obsessed with the jewel, claiming it shows him a vision of a goddess-like woman. Arnsen grows concerned as O'Brien's behavior becomes increasingly withdrawn and enchanted.
Themes in this chapter
Forbidden Knowledge and Curses
The discovery of the star-gem hints at forbidden or dangerous knowledge, as O'Brien becomes ensorcelled by the jewel.
Obsession and Madness
O'Brien's fixation on the gem and his vision of a woman suggests an obsessive and potentially maddening influence.
Characters to notice
- Steve Arnsen
Arnsen is present during the discovery of the meteorite and gem. He is skeptical and worried about O'Brien's growing obsession.
- Douglas O'Brien
O'Brien discovers the star-gem inside the meteorite and becomes entranced by it, claiming it shows him a vision of a beautiful woman.
Key passages
“It lay in the crater it had dug for itself, a rounded arc visible about the brown earth. Already sumac and vines were mending the broken soil.”
The meteorite rested in a crater it had formed, partially covered by regrowing vegetation.
Describes the initial setting where the meteorite is found.
“It was a gray crystal, egg-sized, filled with cloudy, frozen mists. It had been cut into a diamond-shaped, multifaced gem.”
The gem was a gray, egg-sized crystal with cloudy interior, shaped into a multifaceted diamond form.
Describes the appearance of the star-gem.
“She has red hair, red as dying suns are red, and she's a goddess like Deirdre, too. The Song of Solomon was made for her.”
O'Brien describes the woman from his vision as having red hair like dying suns and being as divine as Deirdre, comparing her to the beloved in the Song of Solomon.
O'Brien's description of the woman he sees in the gem.