As I drove up the winding road to the middle of nowhere, I idly mused upon the current state of TAC as I contemplated the shrinking ozone layer. When I arrived at the parking lot, it was filled with friends eager for a night's observing. I counted at least 8 telescopes set up.
I started my night's observing with one of my favorite objects, M 24. It was better than lumpy darkness. With that checked off my list, I located IC 1885. It looked like blackness. After that, I accidentally located M 5. It looked like the last six objects I'd seen. Then, for a real challenge, I checked off M 43. It was better than desert sand. Then, I went for M 35 in Perseus. It was a blurry likeness of a glimmer of the Big Bang.
Finally, it was time to pack up and leave. As I drove home, I contemplated the events of the night, and realized that any night out under the sky with good friends is better than taking an elevator during a Stage 3 alert.