Hello dear ones and welcome to today's reading.
A reading of my story Lunar and the Lost Star.
As always just taking a few moments to arrive here in the space.
Wherever you are,
Whatever you've been doing,
Allowing yourself to just come into a place of rest and relaxation.
So that you can lay back and enjoy the story.
And when you're ready dear ones we'll begin.
Lunar had always loved the stars.
While other children played games or watched television in the evening,
Lunar would press her nose against the bedroom window gazing up at the night sky.
She knew every constellation by heart and could spot planets without a telescope.
But her favorite was the brightest star in the sky.
The one that twinkled with a little flicker as if it were laughing One crisp autumn night as she sat watching the stars,
Something unusual happened.
The twinkling star that she loved so much flickered strangely.
Once,
Twice,
And then shot across the sky in a streak of silver light.
But instead of fading away like a normal shooting star,
It seemed to form lower and lower.
Down into the woods behind her house.
Lunar's heart pounded.
Had her star just fallen to earth?
Without hesitation she grabbed her flashlight,
Slipped into the warmest sweater and crept out of the house.
The woods at night could be eerie but Lunar wasn't afraid.
The excitement inside her burned too brightly.
She followed a faint glow through the trees,
Pushing past branches and stepping carefully over roots until she reached a small clearing.
And there,
Lying in a bed of silver grass,
Was something that she had never seen before.
It was small,
No bigger than a cat,
With a round body that shimmered like moonlight on water.
Two large glowing eyes blinked up at her,
Reflecting the stars.
It had tiny,
Delicate wings,
But they drooped as if too tired to move.
Lunar's breath caught.
Are you a star?
She whispered.
The little creature hummed softly,
A sound like wind chimes in the breeze.
It touched its tiny hands to its chest,
And a faint light pulsed there like a heartbeat,
Only made of starlight.
You are a star,
Lunar gasped,
Kneeling beside it.
And you fell,
The little being nodded.
It was hurt,
It was lost,
And it needed help.
Determined,
Lunar gently wrapped the creature in her scarf and cradled it in her arms.
It was warm,
Like holding a cup of cocoa on a cold night.
She hurried back to her house,
Careful not to jostle it.
Back in her room,
She made a nest of blankets and pillows and placed the creature inside.
It looked up at her,
Eyes full of gratitude.
I'll take care of you,
Lunar promised.
You need a name.
How about Nova?
The little star hummed again,
Brighter this time.
It seemed to like the name.
Over the next few days,
Lunar and Nova became inseparable.
She brought it tiny bites of fruit,
Though Nova didn't eat.
She played music for it,
And though it didn't dance,
It hummed along in its wind-chime voice.
Sometimes,
When she pressed her ear close,
She swore she could hear echoes of the universe inside it.
Whispers of shooting stars,
Distant planets,
And galaxies swirling like whirlpools.
But soon,
Lunar noticed something worrying.
Nova's glow was fading.
At first,
It was just a little dimmer in the mornings.
Then,
By the third day,
Its shimmering body had lost most of its silver sheen.
Its wings barely moved.
Its humming grew softer and weaker.
Lunar's heart clenched.
It was dying.
You need to go home,
Don't you?
She whispered,
Brushing a tear from her cheek.
Nova blinked at her and reached out a tiny glowing hand,
Touching her forehead.
A warmth spread through her,
Filling her with images.
Not words,
But feelings.
A place far,
Far away.
A home made of light,
And a longing to return.
Lunar understood.
She had to get Nova back to the stars.
But how?
For hours,
She thought.
Rockets were impossible.
Calling someone for help wasn't an option.
Who would believe her?
Then,
As she stared at her old bicycle,
Leaning against the porch,
An idea sparked.
And Lunar got to work.
She found all the fairy lights in her house and wrapped them around the frame of her bike,
Making it glow like a comet.
She gathered string,
Paper,
And tape,
And crafted a pair of wings for the basket so it looked like a shooting star.
Finally,
She packed a soft nest of blankets where Nova could sit safely.
That night,
When the moon was at its highest,
She placed Nova gently in the basket.
This will work,
She whispered.
It has to.
She pedaled hard,
Racing up the hill behind her house,
Where the sky seemed closer.
The wind whipped through her hair,
And the fairy lights shimmered around her,
Like a streak of light across the darkness.
Faster,
Faster.
She didn't stop.
Even as her legs burned,
She rode as if she could break free of the Earth itself.
And then,
A beam of silver light split the sky.
It struck the hilltop like a starburst,
Surrounding them in glowing dust.
Nova's eyes widened.
Its body shimmered,
Bright and strong once more.
It was time.
Nova floated up from the basket,
Hovering in the beam of light.
It looked down at Luna,
And then reached out one last time,
Placing its warm hand against her forehead.
And then,
She heard it.
Not a hum.
Not an image.
But a voice.
Like a thousand bells ringing in the distance.
Thank you,
Luna.
Luna gasped.
Tears welled in her eyes,
But she smiled through them.
Goodbye,
Nova.
With a final pulse of starlight,
Nova rose higher and higher,
Up into the sky,
Until it became nothing more than a twinkle.
Its twinkle.
The one Luna had always watched from her window.
Luna stood there for a long time,
Staring up at the sky.
And when her favorite star winked at her,
She winked back.
