"Come!" they sang. "We have something to show you. There is much to tell!”

But we were anchored to the stone that made us. We were too starved for the sun's warmth, too fragile to soar beyond sweet air.

We rose, and died, in the blink of an eye. No one could stay long enough to make the journey alone.

No One. But a whole nation, surely.

So they stayed with us. They taught us their song, and showed us the light and truth they knew from their journeys. They helped us build a great bowl. A window to let us see the glowing skies, a wall to protect us from them. A Keep.

It took centuries. Generations of us passed into the Next, and our memories of their joyous arrival grew blurred. But what is a century to them? Hardly a breath.

After much long work, our terrarium was finished. They celebrated the eve of our departure with a gift of bright lights and a beautiful song, composed over eons.

Then they settled into their Rings. Chains, many of us worried as we forged them. Yokes of grief and bondage.

But they were willing. They told us the glowing silver would bring them great joy. The Rings were soft and warm. They were like the embrace they so craved from us. We were never able to give them a hug, but now all of us would encircle them with love and gratitude.

The final dawn came, and they watched the growing light with us. They heard our murmuring fears. They comforted us.

And then they saved us. They carried us from our stone, into the shining sky. We began our journey in awe. That wonder never left us; our eyes still shine with the stars. Together, we sailed through space and listened to their song.

We heard them and knew them. In time, we became them. There is no more Them. Now there is only We.

We still travel the endless sky, knowing not what lies at the end of our journey.

We are in no hurry. There is time. We are the Singing Halos, and we whisper our song through the sea of stars. We sing our story to all who hear us. We sing to you.

Come with us. We have something to show you. There is much to tell.