Out With The Old
That very night, everyone had fun witnessing the auroras.
As expected, when the magnificent lights shone down from the sky, it was as if the whole land was
painted in vibrant colors. They lit up the night sky, dancing around in fantastic colors. They moved and
danced unpredictably—initially barely perceptible, then suddenly growing vivid. The indescribable but
breathtaking scenery was destined to be etched in everyone’s mind forever.
Sasha hadn’t had a complete recovery, so by the end of the lights, she was already snuggled up in
Sebastian’s thick coat.
The man had covered her completely with his coat, and only her head was exposed to the air. If Vivian
wasn’t here, one would’ve thought she was Sebastian’s daughter.
“Oh, this is breathtakingly beautiful, Sebby. Let’s take a photo to commemorate the moment,” she
urged.
“It’s not like we won’t be here for a second time,” came the man’s straightforward reply.
Sasha nearly burst into laughter.
In the end, she took many photos using her own smartphone.
The other couples also took photos of the skies and selfies. All in all, they had a great time tonight.
However, the kids thought otherwise.
“What are you doing, Ian? Why are you taking photos and writing stuff?” Vivian was curious.
“You don’t understand. He’s doing his research,” Matteo explained.
He knew Ian more than anyone, so he offered an explanation to his sister while helping his brother with
the telescope.
Vivian widened her eyes and gazed at Ian with admiration.
Shortly after, something unexpected happened.
“Daddy, we need to leave. A storm is approaching in an hour!”
Suddenly, Ian dashed over to his parents with his notebook in his hand.
Sebastian and Sasha were enjoying their time alone when their son interrupted their session.
“Storm? There was nothing about that in the weather report before we came.”
“That’s because they can’t calculate the change that swiftly. Auroras happen when particles from the
sun interact with gases in our atmosphere, causing beautiful displays of light in the sky. The bright
dancing lights of the aurora are actually collisions between electrically charged particles from the sun
that enter the Earth’s atmosphere. The origin of the aurora begins on the surface of the sun when solar
activity ejects a cloud of gas. Scientists call this a coronal mass ejection. If one of these reaches Earth,
talking about two to three days, it’ll collide with the Earth’s magnetic field. This field is invisible, and if
you could see its shape, it would make Earth look like a comet with a long magnetic ‘tail’ stretching a
million miles behind Earth in the opposite direction of the sun. When a coronal mass ejection collides
with the magnetic field, it causes complex changes to happen to the magnetic tail region. These
changes generate currents of charged particles, which then flow along lines of magnetic force into the
Polar Regions. These particles are boosted in energy in Earth’s upper atmosphere, and when they
collide with oxygen and nitrogen atoms, they produce dazzling auroral light. Occasionally, auroras are
seen in latitudes below the auroral zone when a geomagnetic storm temporarily enlarges the auroral
oval. Right now, a geomagnetic storm is coming our way,” the little boy stated solemnly.
He then stuffed two pieces of paper full of his calculations into his father’s palm.
Both Sebastian and Sasha were lost for words.
The two other couples parted their lips in surprise—this boy was clearly a child prodigy!
Devin had absolute trust in his nephew and was the first to rise to his feet. “If that’s the case, let’s go,
Sebastian. Otherwise, we’ll be in trouble if the storm arrives.”
“Mmm, I agree with that,” Solomon chimed in.
Sebastian’s eyes twitched.
In the end, he had to listen to his son’s warning. He stood up to pack before leaving.
At this moment, Ambrose had just returned to the base when he heard that they had departed for
Aurora Island. Knowing how erratic the weather could be, he panicked immediately.
“Why didn’t you stop them from heading to that island? Don’t you know how dangerous it is there?”
“It wasn’t us. Mr. Anderson was the one who suggested that they head there,” the engineers in the
research laboratory replied in exasperation.
Ambrose’s panic heightened at their explanation. Their director, Bertram Anderson, wasn’t really good
at science. He only ended up as their director because of his management skills.
Oh, no. They are in trouble!
Before he could hire a boat to bring him there, his wife, Leah Jesson, came to him.
“Ambrose, don’t worry. Sebastian is capable enough to figure a way out,” she comforted him.
“Well…”
He gave up on the idea of getting a boat after hearing his wife’s advice.
Luckily, shortly after, the security guard informed him that they were back. The storm on Aurora Island
had just started ten minutes ago.
Oh, that was close!
Ambrose dashed out excitedly.
“Sebastian, you’re finally back! I was so worried!” he exclaimed.
“Yes, Mr. Pence. We’re back,” Sebastian answered in an apologetic tone when he saw Ambrose
running toward him.
He was holding his daughter in his arms.
Sasha was right behind him, holding her sons’ hands. She seemed guilty to see this elderly man, too.
“You must’ve been worried sick. Sorry about that,” she apologized.
“It’s fine. I’m glad you’re back. Please don’t blame Mr. Anderson. He might be the leader, but he doesn’t
know anything about our research. Don’t be mad.”
Ambrose relaxed when he realized they were safe and sound.
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