Song of the Cosmos by Nienna

Song of the Cosmos

“It was a dark and stormy night.” is the first line of A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L’engle.

”There are other worlds, you know, in which even Varda cannot hear you, nor does Manwë know what shall befall. It is said that only Eru himself knows the fates of these worlds and of those who dwell therein, and that for the order of the cosmos to be upheld, they must be kept tidy, and separate. But sometimes it is necessary, for reasons none of us can foresee, to set our brave souls into the complete unknown of another universe, to accomplish some necessities in the fabric of time. You three have been chosen, if you are up to the task.”

And so it came to pass that three Maiar of Varda were among strange stars. Literally. They lit up the sky as if it were their own, and, soon enough, it was. They were part of a new song of the cosmos, singing alongside the swaying trees, droplets of ocean, and suns beyond them going down and coming up, in the endless cycle of time.

But there was a darkness in this world. A darkness which at first appeared to be caused by the marring of Melkor, and yet was beyond it, so that they could not tell which had preceded the other. Perhaps the darkness was in all worlds, only it showed itself in different ways.

There came a time when the darkness was snuffing out the light, and spreading so fast that none could contain it. Heartbroken and afraid but strong, many stars sacrificed themselves to clear away a patch of darkness. The three Maiar were among them.

They had thought their purpose in this universe was done. But it was only partially so, and they were kept in this world in such a manner that they could accomplish things previously beyond their grasp. Gradually and with time, they got used to their new forms. Now the Maiar were formless, and yet all forms, empty, and yet teeming. Time herself guided them in the years after their sacrifice. She taught them how to wrinkle time and space, how to understand their new capacity. Many years passed, and the Maiar took on new names, new shapes, and new worlds within worlds.
And then at last, “It was a dark and stormy night.”