On the quietest night of the year.
When the moon was a silver thread.
And the wind had grown still.
A child named Elion looked out of the bedroom window.
The house rested peacefully.
The kettle had cooled on the stove.
The hallway clock moved its hands with tiny,
Patient clicks.
Beneath the floorboards,
The old house settled into the earth with a gentle sigh.
And Elion watch the sky.
It stretched from one horizon to the other.
Deep blue and velvet dark.
Scattered with stars.
Elion had always wondered about them.
Perhaps they were candles?
Perhaps they were windows.
Perhaps each one held a small story,
Shining across the great distance of space.
That night,
One star began to tremble.
Than it moves.
It drifted slowly downward.
Like a snowflake floating through still air.
It passed beyond the rooftops,
Beyond the chimney pots,
And toward the meadow behind the house.
A soft golden glow appeared among the tall grasses.
Elion pulled on a sweater,
Slipped quietly downstairs,
And stepped outside.
Cool air brushed his face.
Dew shone on every blade of grass.
Above,
The stars continued their silent shining.
While one small place in the sky waited patiently for its light to return.
In the meadow,
Elion found the fallen star,
Resting in a hollow between two stones.
It was smaller than expected,
About the size of an apple.
And it gave off a gentle warmth.
Like a lamp covered with a silk cloth.
Its light made a sound like distant singing heard through water.
Alien knelt beside it.
Are you lost?
" he whispered.
The star brightened once,
And Elion understood.
The star needed to return to the sky.
And the journey required help.
So Elion carefully lifted it.
The star was light as a feather,
Yet its warmth spread through their hands and into their arms.
How do we get home?
Elion asks.
The star turned its glow toward the far end of the meadow.
Beneath an old oak tree,
A narrow path waited among the grasses.
Elion had never seen it before.
Pale stones formed a winding trail.
Each one glowing softly in the moonlight.
Elion followed.
The path led through the meadow and into the forest.
Tall trees gathered overhead.
Their branches woven together like a roof.
Silver ferns curved beside the trail.
Sleeping flowers folded their petals beneath the leaves.
Mushrooms rested on the moss,
Shaped like tiny umbrellas.
As Elion walked,
The star's gentle song stirred the forest.
An owl opened one eye from a branch.
A fox lifted its head from a nest of leaves.
A family of field mice emerged from beneath a root and watched the journey.
Their eyes reflected the star's golden glow.
The path ended at a small lake hidden among the trees.
Its surface rested as smoothly as glass.
Every star in the sky appeared below.
So clearly that the heavens and the water seem to share the same wide space.
The fallen star leaned toward the lake.
Elion lowered it until its light touched the surface.
At once,
The reflected stars began to move.
They drifted across the water,
Gathering beneath the little star in Elyon's hands.
The lake filled with soft silver gold lights.
Then a voice rose from the water.
It sounded deep,
Calm and kind.
To return to the sky,
" the voice said.
The star must remember what it has learned below.
Elion looked at the star.
What have you learned?
They asked.
The little light pulsed gently.
Alien thought of the meadow.
They spoke of dew resting on the grass.
Of patient roots beneath the soil.
And of seeds waiting quietly for spring.
They spoke of the Earth's quiet work,
Continuing through every hour of darkness.
The star grew warmer.
Elian thought of the forest.
They spoke of the owl,
The fox and the mice resting safely in their hidden homes.
They spoke of creatures guided by scent,
Sound,
Instinct and memory.
They spoke of the deep peace that lives beneath the forest's many sounds.
The star shone brighter.
Then Elion thought of the lake beneath its surface.
Fisht moved slowly through the water.
Tiny creatures carried on with their work in the mud.
The lake held the reflections of the stars with open patience,
Giving every light a place to appear.
The star began to hum.
From the sky above came a faint,
Answering melody.
Elion looked upward.
The stars were moving in a great slow spiral.
The light gathered above the lake.
Forming a shining pathway that stretched from the water towards the heavens.
The little star rose from Elion's hands.
It floated above the lake.
Then climbed higher,
Following the path of light.
As it travelled,
Its glow became softer and wider.
It passed the treetops,
Crossed the dark space above the forest.
And approach the waiting place in the sky.
When it reached its home,
The surrounding stars welcomed it with a warm shimmer.
For a moment,
The whole sky seemed brighter.
Its light filled the meadow,
Touched the treetops,
And rested like a blessing on the surface of the lake.
The voice of the water whispered.
Every star carries a story.
Some stories come from distant worlds.
Others rise from forests,
Oceans,
Rivers,
And sleeping homes.
The sky belongs to everything beneath it.
And everything beneath the sky belongs to the great story of light.
Elion stood quietly,
Looking upward.
The pale path faded into the grass.
And the animals return to their nests and burrows.
The lake became smooth and still once more.
The stars continued their ancient journeys.
And Elion walked back through the forest and across the meadow towards the sleeping house.
The grass brushed softly against his ankles.
The air carried the scent of cool earth,
Moss and leaves.
At the bedroom window,
Elion paused and looked back.
The star,
That had travelled so far,
Gave two slow gentle twinkles.
Then Elion climbed into bed.
The blankets were warm.
And the pillow welcomed his head.
Outside,
The night continued its quiet turning.
And above the roof the stars move through their endless journeys.
Beneath the ground,
Roots rested in the dark,
And in the trees an owl folded its wings.
Alien,
Was held between earth and sky.
And Sky.
So he let his eyes close.
The stars kept watch with their peaceful light.
Their shining filled the darkness with comfort,
With wonder,
With the promise of morning.
And as sleep arrived.
Helene dreamed of a golden path.
Stretching from the deepest lake to the highest knight.
With every star along the way.
Carrying a small and beautiful story home.
