Pillars of Creation is a photograph taken by the Hubble Space Telescope of interstellar gas and dust in the Eagle Nebula, some 6,500-7,000 light years from Earth. They are so named because the gas and dust are in the process of creating new stars.

They walked alone. An old man and his young son are surrounded by a desert that stretches to the deep end of their vision. An empty horizon was before them, behind them, and all around them. The old man leaned on a staff that had seen a million days and nights. His son followed in his faithful footsteps. In the sandy dunes of this emptiness, the father would often lift his head and gaze into the heavens. The light of thousands…nay millions of stars greeted him. Smiling gratefully he would slightly adjust his course.

“Father, do you think we will reach them tonight?” asked the boy Kaleb, his voice barely a whisper that drifted quietly into the cool desert winds. “We will reach them when the time comes Kaleb,” replayed the old man patiently then continued, “look upwards my boy and tell me what you see.” Obediently Kaleb looked up and instantly identified the constellation. At the ripe age of fourteen, the boy knew the maps hidden in plain sight. On the darkest night, he only needed to look up to find his way. He knew the true names of stars… but he did not know the truth. “I see we are still heading into the west father,”

“Good we are faithful to the path, what more do you see?”

“I see mother… she shines brightly tonight, I wish she walked with us…”

“Yes,” said the old man in sorrow. His eyes wandered upward once more. For a moment, it seemed he might cry but instead he laughed! A beautiful merry laugh rolled over the dunes and for a brief moment, the lonely desert remembered what it had long forgotten. “Your mother walks where we cannot go…not yet,” the father said as he held his son’s shoulder. He stopped pulled his son closer and pointed upwards. “See that?” he was pointing at one of the spirals of the galaxy. Colorful, beautiful, and terrible it was. To gaze upon it is to be in awe. “Look Kaleb the streets of heaven are crowded with angels tonight.” A pause. Kaleb smiled. His right hand wiped a tear from his eye. His left held his father’s hand. Silence returned for a while but the old man broke it.

“Tell me Kaleb are you tired?”

“No father.”

“That is good; you have a long way to walk still.”

“But father I can see the rock we see on the Horizon.”

“Yes, that is also good for I’m almost spent.”

“Will we find who we seek waiting?”

“No, he is yet to come and that is good for I have much to tell you before the one I await arrives.”

The old man’s breath came faster and more labored. They walked in silence for a while again. He leaned heavily on his staff as they climbed a large dune. When they reached the top, they found a large rectangular rock. Stiffly, slowly the man walked to the rock and lowered himself to sit. He produced a small bag from beneath his robe and fetched a skin of water and some bread. He handed the food and drink to his son. “

Won’t you eat today as well father?” asked Kaleb. The old man shook his head meekly and whispered “a sip of water is all I need.” The wind was kind. It softly caressed his withered skin. In his ears, he heard the distant songs of heaven and earth. The voice of his wife. They waited. Father and son talked for hours. Days. Maybe even years. The knowledge of this time is beyond reckoning. Together they went through the lessons for fourteen years. The heavenly paths, the green language of the plants, the silky songs of river and sea. They spoke of flying birds and howling wolves. They spoke of an insect’s crawl and a human’s war. They spoke of time and soul. When they were done, the boy was excited and the man was exhausted. Kaleb was Happy he managed to answer all his father’s questions. The old man breathing heavily suddenly looked up with intensity. “It is time,” he said firmly. 

He stood up leaning on his staff and straightened his bent back. He stood tall and imposing like a statue of an ancient king carved in white marble. Kaleb stood behind him and gazed into the horizon. In the distance, he could see shapes moving. Soon the shapes grew in size and number. An army approached. Thousands of men and horses disturbed the tranquil sea of sand. Patiently Kaleb and his father waited. As the Army came close to their rock, the old man shouted in a booming voice, “Hail to the king of this doomed army, hail to soldiers marching to the gates of death.” 

The army stopped dead in their tracks. Confusion spread through the ranks. Finally, someone spotted the old man. Two dozens of horsemen clad in heavy armor trotted up the dune. They were carrying the king’s banners and the king was among them. They reached the rock and the king shouted in a commanding voice, “Who are you to stand in such a high place? Who is this crow who speaks of doom?”

“A crow you may see for I have grown old and weary, but I come with words of wisdom and glad tidings,” said the old man kindly but firmly.

“Speak then of these tidings of wisdom we are not lacking,”

“One can never gain enough wisdom mighty king, here is my tidings you and all your men have a choice turn back now and you will all survive this coming war or proceed in rage and nothing but death and suffering you shall find,”

“An enemy messenger you are! We will not be deterred our war is righteous,”

“These were not the words you whispered to your generals in your tent a month ago, nor are they the words you whispered before you slept a year ago,” The old man paused for a moment then continued “you march to bring death and death you shall give and receive, there can be no victory in your path only suffering for thousands and for you.”

“What is this nonsense how do you know of what I spoke? You are just a crazy old fool.”

“Old yes, crazy? Maybe, you whispered of doubts and fear, you whispered of mistakes you fear and of vengeance you seek.”

“What…How can you…sorcerer you must be killed!”

“I have no magic but the soul that lives in me the same soul that lives in you; I’m just a man wise enough to see the future.”

“How can you see the future? None can see what is yet to be!”

The old man laughed and turned to a smiling Kaleb “it always surprises me that people don’t believe seeing the future is possible.” The old man stepped off the rock and took a step towards the king and said softly “every day you look into the past and you don’t object to that, you have guides in your army that have guided you here by looking into the past dear king.”

“Looking into the past what do you mean?”

“The stars, we don’t see them only their light, the light that traveled hundreds of thousands of years to reach us, and for all we know they could all be dead by now.” The king fell silent. The old man pressed.

“Every day we look upwards and we see backward to find our way forward, I have studied the stars for my entire life so I can see the future,”

“Where…Where do you come from? Who are you?”

“Where do I come from? Fourteen years I have walked with my son beside me, fourteen years I have waited to save you… will please let me save you?” he turned to his son and whispered, “Tell him who we are.”

Kaleb bravely stepped forward and proudly said “We are the guardians of the fates, we are the star gazers and we are here to remind you… to hold you to the mark… we are all the same of stars we came and to stardust, we will return.” Silence. The wind stopped and the desert seemed to be holding its breath. Then the king asked, “How can I believe you? This is beyond my understanding.” The old man nodded and said, “a sign you seek and a sign I will give you if you vow to turn back and give me a small payment.” The king hesitated, “Payment? What payment?” the old man pulled his son to him and said, “my payment is this great king take my son back with you, to care for him and nurture him until he is old and his wife gives him his child…then release him he will find his way as I did before him.”

“What!” protested Kaleb.

“Agreed,” Said the king.

The old man got on his knees and hugged his son. He held him close to his chest and whispered in tears, “I have given you everything that I’m and everything that I know I’m your past and you are my future. We are one my boy but it is now my time to rest, to fade into eternity, and at last hear your mother sing again. We will be together once again in the streets of heaven. Remember me, hold to the mark.” The boy was crying now as his father stood up. He held his staff in front of him with his right hand and the boy held out his hand and grabbed the staff as well. They both stood holding the staff for a moment then in unison they said, “Of stars, we came, and to stardust, we will return.” The father smiled as a cold breath drifted over them. It was as if the desert sighed in relief. The old man’s skin glowed with golden light and then turned into luminescent dust that floated away. Kaleb held his staff alone. He slowly turned and faced the king. “Did my father die in vain or will you turn now and save yourself and your people? Will you keep your vow mighty king?” asked Kaleb with authority. The king stared in disbelief then dismounted and offered his horse to Kaleb. The young man holding the staff shook his head “I’m the guardian of the fates now…guardians walk.” Silently he picked up his father’s empty robe and bag, laid them on the rectangular rock, and covered them with sand. Then he began to walk east. After a brief moment of silence, the king and his army followed.

Pillars of Creation is a photograph taken by the Hubble Space Telescope of interstellar gas and dust in the Eagle Nebula, some 6,500-7,000 light years from Earth. They are so named because the gas and dust are in the process of creating new stars. The picture was taken on April 1, 1995. An astonishing discovery at the time but scientists later discovered that a nearby supernova shockwave would have destroyed the Pillars of Creation 6,000 years ago.