Starlight
A Tale of a Tiny Adventure
Once upon a time, in a tiny town at the edge of the world, there lived a girl. Every day, she would wake up, eat her breakfast, and kiss her mother and father goodbye as she walked off to school. Every evening, she would come home, eat her supper, and kiss her mother and father goodnight before going to bed. Each night, as her eyelids grew heavy, she gazed out of her window at the starless night sky, the darkest blue that draped over her tiny town, and wonder what else was out there in the world beyond her home and what it would feel like to reach out and touch that night sky. She imagined it was soft like a gentle, velvet blanket.
The next morning, the girl woke up with the sun, ate her breakfast, kissed her mother and father goodbye, and made her way to school. That evening, just as the many evenings before, she ate her supper, kissed her mother and father goodnight, and went to bed. That night, like the many others before, she gazed out the window at the sky. She yawned as her eyes slowly began to close, but then…a tiny flash, a glint appeared in the sky. Nothing had ever appeared across the sky before, it was a flat navy blue. But there, there in the sky, a bright white sparkle danced around, twirling and spinning before stopping and, without warning, falling to the world.
She looked on as it fell and saw a bright glow shining from a lake not too far away from her little house. She rubbed her eyes, stirring them awake, put on her slippers, and tiptoed as quietly as she could past her parents’ room and out the front door.
She ran around the house to her bedroom window and saw the light glowing just on the other side of the fence. She ran as fast as her tiny legs could carry her, crawled between two wider slats of the fence, until she was at the shore of the lake. She saw the light on the water, glowing and splashing around. She walked quietly towards its, she only wanted to see it, just a peek and that would be enough for her. She didn’t want to scare it away. She didn’t know what it was. As quietly as she tried, she slipped and a single ripple of water reached the light and it stopped hopping around and turned towards the girl. It hopped so far back, she thought it had returned to the sky.
“No wait!” she said, “I just wanted to meet you!”
The light came closer to the girl, “Why?” it asked in a soft, high voice that was barely above a whisper.
“I saw you fall from the sky,” she replied, “I wanted to see if you were okay.”
At this, the light seemed to blush, if there was a way for a spot of light to blush, and it came closer to the girl, revealing its face. It had two friendly, beady eyes, a tiny nose, and a small mouth that didn’t stop smiling.
“I didn’t fall,” it laughed, “I was playing!”
“But,” she said, “I saw you fall.”
“Maybe, but it was fun!” The light laughed before hopping effortlessly on the surface of the water.
The girl followed the light as it hopped and skipped and danced on the water, teetering as it spun around.
“What,” she began, “what are you?”
With that, the light stopped and looked at the girl with wide eyes. It thought and looked about its glowing body and then at the girl.
“I don’t know,” it answered, “I’ve never really thought about it. What are you?”
“I’m a child!” the girl chuckled, “Isn’t it obvious?”
“I don’t know,” the light said, floating around her, inspecting her, “what makes you a child?”
The smile left the girl’s face and utter bewilderment replaced it. “Well,” she began, “I don’t know exactly, I’m small and I go to school, I play with toys and like butterflies.”
“So…if you weren’t small and didn’t go to school, you wouldn’t be a child?”
“No!” she snapped, “Of course I’d be a child!”
“But what makes you a child?”
Again, the girl was stumped. She hadn’t the foggiest idea how to answer this question as she’d never really thought about it before. She was a child, a little girl, and that was that…and that was all there was to it.
“I…I don’t know,” she said softly.
“Well, if you can’t make sense of what you are, how can you expect me to know what I am?” the light said, puffing itself up. The girl looked into its eyes and smiled.
“I guess it doesn’t matter,” she said.
“Right,” the light shouted and started dancing again.
“What are you doing?” the girl asked.
“Playing!” the light said, tripping and splashing into the lake, “Do you want to join?”
“What would we do?”
“What do you want to do?” the light said, “I can do anything…I think…I mean I did fall from the sky.”
“You said you were playing!” the girl griped, putting her hands on her hips. The light merely shrugged.
“Tell me,” it said, “what do you want to do?”
“Well,” the girl replied, thinking of ideas, “you were in the sky…what does it feel like?”
The light smiled and took the girl’s hand, “I’ll show you,” it said and smiled as they both leapt into the air.
The girl clung to the light as tightly as she could as she saw her little town grow even smaller until she could no longer see it, only her little world from one end to the other. It was a tiny world, much like her town, and it was surrounded my a great sea. For the first time, she saw the waterfalls at the edge of her world. She saw the mountains and the lush, green forests beyond her town and herds of wild animals curled up together for the night.
“Wow,” she whispered, taking it all in.
“I know,” the light said, holding her close, “I’ve always wanted to see it up close.”
They flew further up until finally her little world was just a speck of blue in the deep darkness of the surrounding sky. Finally, the light stopped and she felt its grip on her hand loosen.
“No!” she said, tightening her own grip.
“It’s okay,” the light said, smiling and looking the girl in the eyes, “trust me.”
It let go of the girl and she stayed where she was, floating. Her mouth opened and closed repeatedly as she not only looked around her, but looked for words. She spun in place and did a tumble in mid-air.
“I’m flying!” she cried, “I’m flying!”
She let out a howl of laughter and took the light in her hand and the two began dancing across the sky. They were spinning in circles so fast that everything around them turned into a blur. She only saw the light and the light only saw her. They continued to spin as fast as they could until they eventually lost grip of one another and spun around in the sky, laughing, tumbling, and squealing with absolute delight.
“Come with me!” the light called and sped off into the distance. The girl followed closely behind it. They whizzed and wheeled around each other, faster and faster until, without warning, the light stopped. The girl stopped just ahead of it. Before them, the sky, a midnight blue, dark and foreboding, yet soft and flowing.
“This is it,” the light said, taking the girl’s hand, “the sky.”
The light took her hand and placed her palm on the sky’s surface. As if awoken by a gentle nudge, the sky seemed to jump and ripple across the universe.
“Is it alive?” the girl asked, looking around for more signs of life. She flet the sky in her hand. It wasn’t velvety like she had imagined, it was smooth, like the touch of a baby’s cheek when it smiled, soft and innocent. She rubbed her hands across it, it rippled again with small waves that vibrated as far as she could see.
“It’s so fluttery,” she said, “like a hummingbird.”
“The sky moves so fast,” the light said.
“I wonder what it thinks…if it thinks.”
“If you were the sky,” the light asked, “what would you think about?”
“I think I’d wonder what the world feels like,” she answered.
“Then I think the sky must wonder the same thing,” the light said, smiling.
The two looked back to the little world, which was now just barely a glint of blue light, no bigger than a grain of rice. “What should we do next?” the light asked. The girl looked to her new friend and smiled.
“Well,” she said, “we’ve done something I want to do. I suppose now it’s your turn to pick what we do.”
The light smiled and the two bade farewell to the sky.
“I want to see more of your world,” it said, and took the girl by the hand and the two sped back to her tiny town.
As the two friends sped away from the sky, the girl saw her little world come into view, faster and faster, closer and closer it became. She squeezed the light’s hand and tighter and tried to pull back as not to make an unpleasant crash landing in her back yard. But, just as before, without warning the light stopped and gently placed her back on the ground before gently floating down.
“I was afraid we were going to crash!” she panted.
“Why would we crash,” the light asked, “you’re my best friend, I wouldn’t let anything happen to you!”
The light bounced around the girl’s back yard and looked through the windows of her house, making sure to stop to smell every flowr from the azaleas to the very last dandelion. The girl smiled and laughed. She never had a best friend before. She had never really had a friend before. She had the other children she sat with at lunch at school, but she never talked to them outside of lunch, much less outside of school. Her days all seemed to string together, each day the same as the one before it and as the next.
“So, what do you want to do?” she asked.
The light stopped and thought for a few seconds. Just as suddenly as it had always been, it took the girl’s hand and the two flew up high enough to see the entire town. There was a small, well lit building not too far from her house.
“There!” the light shouted, and the two shot to the building’s front door. They peered into the window to see a whole room of grown-ups having a party. They were drinking and eating, dancing with each other, and jumping about the room. One walked by the window and the two quickly ducked down to avoid being seen.
“What is that?” the light asked.
“It’s a party! Haven’t you ever been to one?”
“No, I know what a party is, I mean that,” it said waving it’s finger to the music.
“Oh,” the girl laughed, “you mean music!”
“Is that what is is?” the light asked, smiling, “It’s wonderful!”
It took the girl and spun her around before dipping her, trying to mimic what it had seen the people doing in the party. Just as if the two friends were eating and enjoying their time with everyone else, the light and the girl danced around the front of the building. They skipped, spun, hopped, and vaulted all around. The poles of the streetlamps became props from which they spun around, the flames served as spotlights. Each did their best to impress the other with their dance moves. They ran through the town dancing and singing, falling, and laughing before getting back to continue their own two-person party. At last, they reached the edge of the town and fell to the ground, laughing and catching their breath.
“What’s next?” the girl asked, eager to continue the adventure.
“I want to see what’s in there!” the light said, pointing to the forest.
The girl had never ventured into the forest before. She had heard stories about the beasts that lived in the forest, how wolves and foxes tricked little girls that wandered into their domain. She looked for a little bit longer before taking a gulp.
“Then we’ll go there!” she said, trying her best to be brave.
The light took her hand and the zoomed just above the ground for a split second, stopping just outside the edge of the forest. The trees were tall, and their dark green leaves blocked out the sky watching over them. The light took the first step into the trees, lighting a path for the two.
As they walked through the forest, the light looked in amazement at all the creatures that scurried away from its glow. Squirrels and chipmunks ran into their holes and burrows. Rabbits hopped away as fast as they could. The two kept walking, and the further they went into the forest, the more they saw. The light was excited to see fireflies in the distance and ran up to them, only for them to scatter and make their own glowing paths. The two then came across a stag drinking from a babbling creek. He hadn’t noticed them, or if the did he was uninterested or unafraid, as he did not flee like the other animals. The light crept closer to get a better look and stepped in a small twig that made the faintest snap. The stag slowly raised his head and turned to the two friends.
“What are you two doing here?” he asked in a deep, raspy voice.
“My friend,” the girl squeaked, “my friend wanted to see what was in here.”
The stag turned to the light, “And?” he asked, “Did you find what you wanted?”
“I didn’t want anything,” the light replied, “I…I just wanted to see.”
The stag took a deep breath, his stone face didn’t budge as he stared down at the two companions. “Fair enough,” he said, “but I want you to do something for me. This is my forest and for letting you explore, I need your help in exchange. Agreed?”
“Yes sir,” the two said together.
“Then follow me,” he said, and made his way deeper into the forest.
“This forest used to be larger,” the stag began, “from one end of the world to the next. But as man’s numbers began to grow, my forest began to shrink. Now, it is but a small memory in comparison to the grandeur it once was, but it is still home.” He stopped and stared at the girl, “I have allowed man to hunt in my forest as you, too, must eat to survive. It is a delicate balance, but it has worked out so far.” The stag stopped and looked off into the distance, his voice grew sharper, clearer, and more serious. “What I do not allow is traps in my forest that prolong the suffering of those who live here! That is man’s invention. Hunters must kill and show respect and must never allow their prey to suffer. Those who are killed for food must be revered and respected, they give their lives so your kind may live. There is honor in that. There is no honor in letting an innocent creature suffer.”
The stag stopped and turned to the two before looking and pointing his head towards a clearing in the forest.
“There,” he said, “there’s a wolf who is trapped by her leg, if she is not freed, she and her pups will die.”
“But…it’s a wolf,” the girl said.
“Yes?” the stag replied, “What’s that got anything to do with it?”
“Wolves eat our sheep,” she said, doing her best not to look the stag in the eye, “I’ve heard stories — ”
“So she should be punished for doing what comes naturally? For being a wolf?” the stag asked, raising its voice, “Should I punish you for being what you are?”
“No…but…” the girl began.
The stag looked into her eyes, he could see the fear and confusion. He curbed his temper as he understood that her ideas about the wolf were not her own doing. “You’re right,” he said, “that wolf may eat your sheep. She could attack and eat me the moment she’s freed. But that’s the way of nature, that’s life. It’s not always fair and we aren’t always rewarded for our good deeds. But…that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t act in kindness. Even to a wolf.”
The girl nodded her head. She and the light both approached the wolf, who was panting and drained of all energy, holding onto just enough to stay alive. She looked at the two friends as they nervously approached her and then turned to a den below a tree where three small pups peered out at their mother.
“Please,” she said, “my babies…” she couldn’t finish, she was exhausted.
The girl and the light took either side of the trap that was clamped tightly onto the wolf’s paw and pulled either side as hard as they could until she could pull her paw free. They threw the trap to a tree where it snapped shut.
The wolf did not move and was barely breathing. The girl and the light looked at her pups, who were still looking on at their mother, wide eyed and worried. Without saying a word, the two picked the wolf up and carried her to her din and placed her carefully inside, minding her head. The pups yipped and barked and licked their mother, doing their best to wake her up. When she realized where she was, the wolf licked her pups and nuzzled them, tears flowing from her eyes. She looked up at her two rescuers.
“Thank you,” she said, bowing. She began to tend to her pups.
The girl and the light turned to the stag, who stood next to the trap, looking at it with burning eyes, before stomping it into a thousand pieces. He then looked at the two and bowed to them before running back into the depths of the forest. They knew not to follow him. They walked back to the clearance where the wolf had been trapped and looked up to the sky, still starless, but not as dark as it once had been.
“Come with me,” the light said, and took the girl up above the trees. The two flew across the treetops towards the shore where they first met.
They landed at the edge of the great sea where the water fell off. The light took the girl and the two hung their legs over the edge and looked to the sky.
“Where did you come from?” she asked.
The light looked up at the sky for a while, looking around, face furrowed, as if it were lost. “Somewhere…out there,” it answered, “but its been so long, I don’t remember where out there is. I just know…it’s somewhere.”
“So,” the girl asked, “you’re lost?”
“Lost?” the light said, “No, of course not! I’m right here, you’re looking at me!
The girl couldn’t help but laugh. She wanted to explain what she meant but she saw the light stare into the deep vastness of the sky, she understood it knew what she meant.
“How long have you been away from your home?” she asked.
“I don’t remember,” it said, still looking at the sky, “a long time, I suppose.”
“Are you lonely?” she asked.
“I don’t think so,” it said, “I meet friends like you…and I go. I’m alone, but not lonely.”
“Oh,” the girl said, “I think I’m lonely.”
“Why?”
“I don’t really have any friends,” she said, “I do the same thing every day. I go to school, I learn, I come home, I eat supper with my mother and father, and hen I go to bed. I’ve never done anything like this. Never!”
“Why not?” the light asked, “You have such wonderful things around you! So many things to see and explore! Music!”
“I suppose you’re right,” she said, “I don’t know.”
“Come with me!” the light said as it smiled and, once again, took the girl by her hand. They made their way to the sandy shore of the lake by her house and walked around for a few minutes. The light looked at the sand with great intent, as if looking for something specific.
“Aha!” it exclaimed, “Perfect! Stay back!”
The light then closed its eyes and took a deep breath before picking up two large handfuls of sand. The girl looked on as it squeezed its hands togetehr and seemed to be building a great amount of energy, so much so that its own body began to glow even brighter and even started to shoot off sparks left and right. Some flew into the sea while others flew close to the town. Soon, the light lost all form and became a spot with two eyes. She couldn’t make out any other features, nor could she see the sand it had picked up. Then, like it was with the light, without a single warning, it flung the first fistful of sand in its hands up as high as it could into the sky. The sky rippled and caught the pieces of glowing sand and placed them far and wide on its surface.
“One more!” the light shouted and threw the second fistful into the sky. The blue silken sheet that spanned across the world was decorated with a thousand or more slowed big and small, bright and dim. She could only gaze, awestruck, at the newly adorned sky above her. It wasn’t the flawless midnight velvet that she had known for so ling, that sky was long gone now. This sky was patched with wonder, with a thousand memories all looking down upon her.
“Wow,” she said, her mouth still gaping, “how did you do that?”
“I don’t know,” the light replied with a shrug, “but now you have a thousand memories of this night!”
“I wish I could do that,” the girl said, “I’d make stars fill the sky twice over.”
‘But then,” the light said, “it wouldn’t be special.”
“What do you mean?” the girl huffed, “Is it only special when you do it? That hardly seems fair!”
“No,” it said, “but it would become ordinary. If you did it too many times it wouldn’t be special anymore. It would be normal, something you could easily do. Life isn’t about making the extraordinary ordinary, but about seeing the extraordinary in the ordinary. Finding it and seeing it for all it can be. It’s turning your own sand into stars, like your town.”
The girl looked back on her town, then at the light and nodded, “I understand…I think.”
The light looked up at the sky and saw the stars fading into the rising sun.
“I should go now,” it said, sadly smiling, “if I stay, I’ll disappear into the sunlight.”
“Okay,” the girl said, trying to hold back tears, even though one made its way out and ran down her cheek. The two hugged, a very tight, very friendly hug.
The light smiled once again and squealed as it bounced on the water before jumping back into the sky, disappearing in the distance as the girl looked on, waving until she could no longer see her new friend.
She looked around and made her way back home, it would be time for her to get ready for school in only a few hours. She ran back home and made it inside without her mother or father noticing, and managed to get a few good hours of sleep before having to wake up.
The next morning, the girl woke up, ate her breakfast, and kissed her mother and father as she went off to school. It was the same day as the one before, and the one before that. She knew the night she had must have been a dream. Light doesn’t fall from the sky, stags don’t talk, and wolves aren’t kind and caring. As she walked to school, she looked towards the forest in the distance. There she saw three wolf pups playing just outside the trees, their mother watching carefully. Then, it seemed, the mother wolf looked towards the girl and bowed her head before calling her babes back into the forest. The girl rubbed her eyes, she must have been imagining things, she was tired from a restless sleep.
On her way home from school, she looked to the forest again, and thought, for only a second, she could see a great stag just within the trees watching her make her way home. It, too, bowed its head to her. She smiled, but again, knew it was all in her head. It was a wonderful dream, indeed, but she must have not slept well since her head was playing tricks on her.
That evening, just like every evening before, she ate her supper and kissed her mother and father goodnight before going to bed. That particular night, she was much too tired to keep her eyes open to see the night sky. As soon as she was under her covers, her eyes closed, and she drifted off into a deep, dream filled sleep. She didn’t see the night sky, or the thousands of stars that sparkled and filled it. Nor did she see one particularly jumpy ball of light that shot across the whole sky, causing it to ripple with glee.
The townspeople, however, did witness this from their windows and all the residents, old and young, even the girl’s mother and father, walked out to marvel at the wonder that night. They were unaware of how or why it happened, but amazed all the same.
The end.
