The Star Girl
The Star Girl
The Star Girl
The young boy looked up at the clear night sky. He hugged his knees to his chest, shielding himself from the cold night air. As he looked up, he wondered why there were so many stars. Moreover, he had no idea how they'd gotten up there. He laid himself down onto the tall grass and wondered sleepily. Minutes passed, and the little boy grew very tired and very annoyed that he could not figure out where the stars had come from.
*****
The little girl fiddled with her plain white dress as she watched the sleeping boy. He seemed so peaceful, but so sad... Oh, how she wished she could tell him about the stars. She wasn't supposed to talk to him, and she knew that. In any case, he wouldn't be able to hear her.
'Not here, in the real world,' she thought, "but maybe... maybe I could tell him in his dreams!"
She plopped herself down into the grass, scattering silver dust. She touched the boy's soft brown hair.
"Wow... he's amazing...," she marveled. She stroked his cheek softly with her small hand and closed her soft blue eyes.
*****
"Hello," said the little girl. She looked around the white space, wondering what sort of dream it was that it would be so blank. She looked up at the little boy and smiled.
The boy blushed; she was a very pretty girl. He tried in vain to tame his hair. "Hi. Who are you?"
"My name is... um... I don't..." The girl began to cry. She put her hands to her face and dropped to her knees, tears staining the floor.
The boy's eyes grew wide and he rushed over the the little girl.
"Hey, don't cry! What's the matter? Did I say something wrong?"
"Umm... I can't remember my name. Oh, this isn't fair!" she shouted. At this her sobs grew louder.
"You can't remember your name? Why can't you remember your name?" The boy was very confused.
"No... It's just, I've been dead for so long and... no one has called me by my name for a long long time, and so I guess-- I guess I forgot it," She said between sobs.
The boy backed away on unsteady legs. Dead. The girl was a ghost, a spirit. He turned and ran, terrified. The little girl looked up quickly and cried out a helplessly sad cry.
"Wait!" she shouted, but he continued to run. "I came to tell you about the stars!!" She kept screaming at the boy, a fierce wind beginning to blow, as if generated by her desperation. "Come back! Please, don't go!"
Her desperate cries tugged at his heart likes hands. He stopped running, unable to ignore her sobs and realizing he had nowhere to go. He looked back at the girl, now on her hands and knees and her face covered in tears. She was still crying. The white space behind her had turned into a starry night sky. A powerful wind blew from the sky, blowing away all of the white space like sand. Now they stood in a cosmos of shooting stars and distant planets, moving slowly around them.
"Please stay." The girl wiped her tears from her face. She sniffled and stood up, her bare feet standing on an invisible floor. She walked up to the boy and placed a hand on his cheek. The boy was too terrified to move, but he noticed that he could not feel her pale little fingers on his face. They stood in silence for a small eternity. Time didn't play a role on the cosmic dream stage. The girl brushed back her short flaxen hair.
"When we die, we have a few things to choose from. Some people choose to go to heaven, some to be angels for whomever they choose here one earth, and some of us don't make it to heaven. Then there are some of us, like me, who choose to watch everyone on earth as stars. We look like all the other ones, but sometimes we're there... and sometimes, we're not."
The boy backed away from the girl and asked her, "W...where do you go? And where do all that other stars come from, the ones who aren't... uh, like you?"
The girl smiled. "Well, the other stars are exactly that: stars. Big, burning fiery gasses, formed just the way you learn about them at school. They aren't the prettiest ones, though. The ones that change colors or are especially bright, those are what we are. We come down to earth and walk around, visit people we knew. Of course, I've been dead so long... none of my family is around anymore. It gets really lonely. I've been watching you, though. I know you wanted to know about the stars, so I--"
"How did you know about that?" the boy questioned. He had grown less wary of the girl, and found that she seemed very kind... just sad.
"Oh, I, um... I heard you say it one time when your were out there in the grass. But I felt really bad, you know? I was right there, and I never thought to tell you about the stars. I couldn't talk to you... nobody can see me or hear me."
"Then why can I see you now? And I can here you."
"Well, because this is a dream."
"Oh. It doesn't feel like one." He'd been so lost in her ocean eyes he'd almost forgotten that it wasn't real. But it had to be... the girl couldn't be an illusion. He didn't want to believe that he might never see her again. He was starting to hate himself for making her cry.
"I have to go now," the little girl said suddenly.
"Why? I don't want you to leave... not yet."
He ran to the girl and hugged her tightly, wishing she weren't dead, that she had her family, that she could feel his arms around her.
"You could stay with me, and then you wouldn't be so alone."
"It's not that simple," she smiled sadly. Knowingly. "I have to go. You're waking up."
The boy looked up. She was taller than him, maybe two years older. He stood on his toes, held her hand and kissed her cheek, and she look down at him with wide blue eyes.
"Thank you," she whispered. She'd felt his soft lips on her face. It was the first thing she had felt in a long time. "Thank you so much. Goodbye," she said, tears in her eyes and a smile on her face. She floated away from him and her hand slowly slipped out of his, and she was gone.
*****
The boy trudged up the hill and laid down in the grass, the same way he had every night since he had first met the little girl. He was older now; taller, too, but she hadn't aged. He looked up at the stars and saw her, the small blinking star to the left of the next hilltop. He smiled and shut his eyes, waiting for sleep to take him back to the starry place, where he knew the star girl would be waiting for him.
The young boy looked up at the clear night sky. He hugged his knees to his chest, shielding himself from the cold night air. As he looked up, he wondered why there were so many stars. Moreover, he had no idea how they'd gotten up there. He laid himself down onto the tall grass and wondered sleepily. Minutes passed, and the little boy grew very tired and very annoyed that he could not figure out where the stars had come from.
*****
The little girl fiddled with her plain white dress as she watched the sleeping boy. He seemed so peaceful, but so sad... Oh, how she wished she could tell him about the stars. She wasn't supposed to talk to him, and she knew that. In any case, he wouldn't be able to hear her.
'Not here, in the real world,' she thought, "but maybe... maybe I could tell him in his dreams!"
She plopped herself down into the grass, scattering silver dust. She touched the boy's soft brown hair.
"Wow... he's amazing...," she marveled. She stroked his cheek softly with her small hand and closed her soft blue eyes.
*****
"Hello," said the little girl. She looked around the white space, wondering what sort of dream it was that it would be so blank. She looked up at the little boy and smiled.
The boy blushed; she was a very pretty girl. He tried in vain to tame his hair. "Hi. Who are you?"
"My name is... um... I don't..." The girl began to cry. She put her hands to her face and dropped to her knees, tears staining the floor.
The boy's eyes grew wide and he rushed over the the little girl.
"Hey, don't cry! What's the matter? Did I say something wrong?"
"Umm... I can't remember my name. Oh, this isn't fair!" she shouted. At this her sobs grew louder.
"You can't remember your name? Why can't you remember your name?" The boy was very confused.
"No... It's just, I've been dead for so long and... no one has called me by my name for a long long time, and so I guess-- I guess I forgot it," She said between sobs.
The boy backed away on unsteady legs. Dead. The girl was a ghost, a spirit. He turned and ran, terrified. The little girl looked up quickly and cried out a helplessly sad cry.
"Wait!" she shouted, but he continued to run. "I came to tell you about the stars!!" She kept screaming at the boy, a fierce wind beginning to blow, as if generated by her desperation. "Come back! Please, don't go!"
Her desperate cries tugged at his heart likes hands. He stopped running, unable to ignore her sobs and realizing he had nowhere to go. He looked back at the girl, now on her hands and knees and her face covered in tears. She was still crying. The white space behind her had turned into a starry night sky. A powerful wind blew from the sky, blowing away all of the white space like sand. Now they stood in a cosmos of shooting stars and distant planets, moving slowly around them.
"Please stay." The girl wiped her tears from her face. She sniffled and stood up, her bare feet standing on an invisible floor. She walked up to the boy and placed a hand on his cheek. The boy was too terrified to move, but he noticed that he could not feel her pale little fingers on his face. They stood in silence for a small eternity. Time didn't play a role on the cosmic dream stage. The girl brushed back her short flaxen hair.
"When we die, we have a few things to choose from. Some people choose to go to heaven, some to be angels for whomever they choose here one earth, and some of us don't make it to heaven. Then there are some of us, like me, who choose to watch everyone on earth as stars. We look like all the other ones, but sometimes we're there... and sometimes, we're not."
The boy backed away from the girl and asked her, "W...where do you go? And where do all that other stars come from, the ones who aren't... uh, like you?"
The girl smiled. "Well, the other stars are exactly that: stars. Big, burning fiery gasses, formed just the way you learn about them at school. They aren't the prettiest ones, though. The ones that change colors or are especially bright, those are what we are. We come down to earth and walk around, visit people we knew. Of course, I've been dead so long... none of my family is around anymore. It gets really lonely. I've been watching you, though. I know you wanted to know about the stars, so I--"
"How did you know about that?" the boy questioned. He had grown less wary of the girl, and found that she seemed very kind... just sad.
"Oh, I, um... I heard you say it one time when your were out there in the grass. But I felt really bad, you know? I was right there, and I never thought to tell you about the stars. I couldn't talk to you... nobody can see me or hear me."
"Then why can I see you now? And I can here you."
"Well, because this is a dream."
"Oh. It doesn't feel like one." He'd been so lost in her ocean eyes he'd almost forgotten that it wasn't real. But it had to be... the girl couldn't be an illusion. He didn't want to believe that he might never see her again. He was starting to hate himself for making her cry.
"I have to go now," the little girl said suddenly.
"Why? I don't want you to leave... not yet."
He ran to the girl and hugged her tightly, wishing she weren't dead, that she had her family, that she could feel his arms around her.
"You could stay with me, and then you wouldn't be so alone."
"It's not that simple," she smiled sadly. Knowingly. "I have to go. You're waking up."
The boy looked up. She was taller than him, maybe two years older. He stood on his toes, held her hand and kissed her cheek, and she look down at him with wide blue eyes.
"Thank you," she whispered. She'd felt his soft lips on her face. It was the first thing she had felt in a long time. "Thank you so much. Goodbye," she said, tears in her eyes and a smile on her face. She floated away from him and her hand slowly slipped out of his, and she was gone.
*****
The boy trudged up the hill and laid down in the grass, the same way he had every night since he had first met the little girl. He was older now; taller, too, but she hadn't aged. He looked up at the stars and saw her, the small blinking star to the left of the next hilltop. He smiled and shut his eyes, waiting for sleep to take him back to the starry place, where he knew the star girl would be waiting for him.