in the dim light of my study, surrounded by astronomy manuals and star charts, a case unfolded that seemed to reject the mundane for the celestial. the mystery hinged on preexpenditure—a term rarely used in my usual inquiries—but it was key to understanding how to reconstitute the intimate relationship humans once had with the night sky. it was almost as if the stars themselves were whispering their secrets, inviting me to look deeper and rekindle an age-old connection.