Alright, you know what?
I'm just going to make the edited paragraphs bolded,
so you don't have to read through the thing again.
You're welcome.
Chapter One
I gazed up at the night
sky and saw the stars dancing and planets twirling at a faster pace than ever,
but I had paid no attention. I kept pondering into the endless galaxy. The
stars truly didn't shine the same way it did on earth. The small floating
island in the small solar system was where I lived.
Mercury was tainted in
colors of gray and a tint of jasper, meanwhile Venus swirled with beige,
titian, and heavy spots of puce. Mars was a maroon and auburn colored rusty globe,
which seemed to be dirtied by spots and dusts of bistre, while snow caps were completely
white like a swan's feather. Sweet golden colors of Jupiter were dyed and had
patterns that looked most identical to marble floors. Pale ecru and wheat
colors were smoothed out as though the two colors were chalk, blending in on
Saturn. Rings were perfect circles with shades of brown, side by side, creating
a large path. Uranus had much the same texture as Saturn. Verdigris green, Maya
blue, and a touch of periwinkle gathered together to make the colors of Uranus,
which was soothing and dulcet. Darker, cooler colors of Neptune appeared the
farthest from the remote, floating island. Persian blue and sapphire mixed, and
small birthmarks of cyan and white were hinted on the planet. I don’t want to
mention earth for now.
“I’m almost like
Stargazer,” I laughed quietly.
“Starcatcher, Starcatcher,
star snatcher of the stars.”
“Stargazer, Stargazer,
caretaker of the stars.”
A lilt voice came from
behind. It was Stargazer. It was a little rhyme we shared and giggled softly
under our breaths.
“Starlight, Starlight,
black and white of the night.”
Starlight came from above
and said her rhyme. Stars jingled and sparkled as we laughed a little more.
Laughs are nostalgic, aren’t they?
“Starcatcher, did you get
more stars?” Starlight asks me.
I nodded and hold up four
fingers and wiggled them in the air. Four glimmering, plump, shooting stars
were caught in my oversized net and were put into a large jar in my leather
sling bag that slung over my left shoulder. It was covered with buckles and
zippers to keep the stars from escaping, or sometimes, pulling me throughout
the eternal night sky.
I pull up my short,
chestnut hair into a ponytail, to get it out of the way as I open the bag. My
hair was messy, but I didn’t mind one bit about it. I wore leather fingerless
gloves that buckled around my wrist. On the back of my wrist, there was a part
where a piece of leather was cut out to show my honey-colored skin, in the
shape of a star. I wore a tight white tank-top with small laces on the bottom rim, and blue
jean shorts. I kept my Starcatcher ID, a silver star necklace, around my neck.
This was a style I preferred rather than dresses that Starlight wore.
Starlight was beautiful.
She had skin as soft as irises, and even so, she was beautifully pale. Her hair
contrasted that with a silky raven colored hair. Her eyes sparkled with bright
blue colors like Uranus. She looked like a gorgeous husky being taken in a
human form. Her dress was a white pleated chiffon corset dress with thin
straps. The dress reached her knees but went no farther than that. She also had
a huge ribbon tied around her waist, which ended up with a perfect bow behind
her back.
I carefully took out the
jar as the shooting stars fell asleep and muttered the wishes they heard from earth
into the jar. I glance deeper down my bag and spot the crystal globe with a
bright star that calmly shines. My own shooting star to wish on one day.
I hand the jar to
Starlight and look over at Stargazer. He skips around backwards, looking up at
the planets. I wonder how he does that, it always makes me trip. He smiles and
I wave back.
“Starcatcher, should we
take them back to Dreamer, he’ll take a look at the wishes. Besides, I have a
full report on these stars.”
“Alright, but let me hang
around a bit longer.”
Starlight nods and I race
towards Stargazer, tackling him kindly in a playful way. His hair was soft
bundles of blankets, and was the color of platinum blonde. He was only 4,769
moons old, and was very skinny, though he ate much like a horse. His lashes
were long and his eyes were a softer, much paler color than Mercury. How gray and
beautiful they were! His skin were just like Starlight’s—so pale and soft… and
even glowing. His ears were usually pink at the tips, and his ears were sharp
like elves. He wore ripped jeans that reached were too big, but somehow folded
up to his ankles. The back of his jeans usually reached his heels, but he never
trips on it. He also wore a belt that was actually a normal, thick rope. A
lavender colored pouch was tied to it, keeping all these stones, gems, and
other interesting things to enjoy looking at. On top, he wore a sky blue shirt,
which was once again slightly over sized.
We smile and he tosses on
his wool, white scarf and adjusts the goggles on his head. He grins and sticks
out a thumbs-up sign.
This island was our home.
A floating island with a relatively giant tree for three to live in. There was
a hole, carved into the tree, and that was the entrance. When you go deeper,
you see three beds lined up next to each other. There is also a small round
table and small chairs for a dining table, and a small drawer for all
interesting objects discovered by us.
We collected all gems (one
of each), and other earth objects that wishers use. We found “clocks” and
“clock gears”, all old and rusty. Some were “pocket-watches”. Most don’t move
anymore, but there were marvelous. The “hands” of the clocks were delicate and
came in different shapes and forms. “Compasses” were also strange things.
Wishers had “north”, “east”, “south”, and “west” to help them to reach their
destined places. “Coins” were queer things too. Flat, cool, and sometimes shiny
things. All of them were different. Some had holes in them too! “Shells” came
from “oceans”, and Dreamer told us so many stories of them. Blue, wide, and
endless…
No, we aren’t siblings,
but close enough. Clear water trickles down from the branches every day and
into ponds. Ruby colored fruits are grown on the silver barked, golden leaved
trees. Perfect blades of grass are grown, and gems can be found in the ponds.
Dreamer supports us with first-aid kits and stories to entertain us. I wonder
how he doesn’t run out of any.
Dreamer is a wise, old man
that was like a grandfather to us. He had many stories to tell us about how
gems were created and all. He even taught us how to read and write. He kept
these things called “pens”, and said we could draw things with them. It was so
fun!
As you may have seen, we
all have a task to complete, given to us as fate. But at least we were not
alone. First, Stargazer spots shooting stars, and I, Starcatcher, catch them.
Starlight then inspects the shooting stars, and gives them to Dreamer. Dreamer
then makes the wish embedded in the stars come true, depending on what they
are. But sometimes it takes time for him to choose. Kind of like a “Lawyer of
Wishers and Wishes”, as Dreamer says about himself.
We were separated from earth
and given a task to do this for eternity till we die. And we all know our sad
pasts and I remember my real name. My
real name is…
Chapter Two
Stargazer leaped off
our island home, while Starlight and I followed right behind him. He led the
way, trying to remember the area with his sharp eyes. Ever since I was little,
I knew our small are in space like the back of my hand. That was because I was
Starcatcher, and I needed to know all routes. But I thought maybe I could teach
Stargazer, and Dreamer agreed. Stargazer quickly learned and Starlight was
pleased.
Just to tell you, we were all barefoot, and nobody had feet without a
small scratch or so. I, on the other hand, cannot be seen without at least
three Band-Aids.
We jumped off meteors and
waved at stars and leaped onto the Dreamer’s floating island. It was an old
dome made of crystals. The crystals acted as bricks, and were all perfect
hexagons. The round, spherical gems were strapped inside the glass
hexagon-shaped crystals and created the bricks. The gems were all bright
colors. They were magenta, sea green, mint blue, pale yellow, violet,
tangerine, and much more slightly different shades. We knock on the silver door
of the dome. A cracked, old man’s voice spoke.
“Come in, kids. You’ve got
some wishes for the old judge, right?”
We all laugh and skip in a
lilt manner through the entrance. There sat Dreamer with his small spectacles
on the tip of his pink nose. He had a long, silvery-white beard. His hair was
short and he was sitting at his wooden desk. Thirty light bulbs were hung from
the ceiling, and on his desk were lined up bottles of sleeping shooting stars.
Tall, short, fat, skinny, spherical, square, and all kinds of glass bottles
were there, keeping the dreaming shooting stars in them, all corked up and
glowing.
Then I realized that there
were, I think, three skinny bottles, with a white silky cloth draping over
them. I smiled slightly, and met Dreamer’s dazzling eyes. They were most likely
for us.
“Dreamer, Dreamer! We got
four plump stars!” Stargazer said with pride. “And I lead them back to Dreamer’s dome!”
Dreamer smiled and patted
him on the head. Stargazer’s pink, elf-like ears perk up, joyous to be praised
by our wise “grandfather”. His soft wrinkles on his face, but he never had them
on his forehead. He was wearing his usual white cloak and was barefooted. Even
at the age of his, he was an outdoor person. He loved to take a small walk in
his beautiful, wild garden, filled with all different kinds of flowers. Some
were kept under glass cases, since they needed something called “oxygen”. Even
on earth, I never had a chance to learn much. More like most memories were burned into ashes.
“I was just about to go to
the Milky Way to grant wishes! But let’s do that a little later, right?”
His eyes… were emerald.
Bright green with hazel highlights around the edges. I wish I had them. Mine
are just plain brown, like a dried up earth plant. I had always wanted to visit
the Milky Way, but Dreamer said it was dangerous. I do not understand what was
dangerous about wishes. I ask Dreamer as constant as I can but he just smiles
with a little tear that was soon blinked back.
I unbuckle all the belts,
buttons, and fasteners and give the jar to Dreamer. They were slowly breathing
and repeated their wishes again and again. I couldn’t hear too much of it, but
Starlight can.
“These are pure, beautiful
stars!” Dreamer said, but turned to Starlight with in an unsure tone. “These
shooting stars, they only have one…”
“Yes, Dreamer. Only one. I
will give a full report on in later, but not in front of Starcatcher, and definitely not Stargazer.”
“Why?” We both wail in
unison. Starlight was older than the two of us and is at least 5,267 moons old.
I was only 4,380. Two more days till my birthday.
“On your birthday, shall
Dreamer tell you all of the star’s secrets. In human years, Stargazer is 8, you
are 12, and I am 14. Till you turn 13, you must wait for the secrets.”
“Secrets?” I realize that Starlight
was holding tight onto Stargazer’s ears, trying to block off the conversation.
Stargazer was thrashing, but Starlight held tight.
“Alright, now I have some
presents for all of you, children!”
Starlight let go and
Stargazer growled. Dreamer carefully took off the silky cloth from the three
skinny bottles. Inside were green, heart shape petals. Four of them lined up
next to each other in somewhat a circle format. A thin green stem supported it
all.
“Dreamer!” Starlight
gasped. “Those are lucky clovers! From earth! How did you get them?”
He winked and gave them to
us. As we all took them, Starlight was joyous, while the two of us inspected
what was so special about the plain “clover”.
“Clovers,” Starlight
began, “are most commonly seen with three of these green leaves. But rarely,
you find four leaves on them, and people on earth say that it is unbelievably
lucky!”
Stargazer and I grinned
and skipped around in circles, cheering for the great present we all received.
“Luck-y! Luck-y! Luck-y!”
I carefully placed it in
my bag, and Stargazer put his in his pouch. Starlight asked to put it in a
smaller bottle, so she can hang it around her neck. Dreamer did, and made hole
in the cork. I was happier than ever, and decided to keep it safe.
But Dreamer seemed to keep
inspecting today’s shooting stars. He frowned, and for the first time ever, I
saw him worried. He kept turning the jar around and around in his big, warm
hands. Then he asked Starlight, warmly smiling at the tied clover on her neck,
to get stardust. Stardust was used for usually the hyper stars, that don’t fall
asleep. I guess Dreamer wants them to fall asleep longer.
“I have a wonderful
present for you, Starcatcher, on your birthday.”
I smile and couldn’t wait
a single second. I wondered all possibilities. My mind exploded with so many
crazy ideas of objects that wishers might possibly use. Dreamer then told us to
stay inside while he went over to the Milky Way. I’ve seen the Milky Way from
afar, but never went close to it. It was a road of stars. I’ve never seen stars
come together so close! I wondered how Dreamer lets the wishes come true. What
didn’t I know? What will I know? My heart skipped loudly, fluttering with
curiosity.
“Secrets!” I shout and
twirl in the dome. I stand the tip of my toes and throw my hands up, laughing
with pleasure. Starlight silently smiled, but hid her tears on the corners of
her eyes. Stargazer smiled and laughed out loud. “Secrets! Secrets!” It sounded
so mysterious, yet had that hint of delight and sweetness to it. But I never
knew that secrets have another side. A dark, musty one, that was bitter and
melancholic.
Chapter Three
A dry bell rang, and I
woke up. I had thought, "How did I get here?", but then I
remembered. Dreamer came back from his
duty, and told us to go home. Stargazer led us back and ate ruby berry fruits
from the tree. I was too tired and confused to do my usual task of grabbing
dozens of fruits-- with my star net or not. We then drank herb tea that
Starlight makes, and fell asleep.
I rub my eyes and yawn. A
good sleep was all I needed to pile up energy to do my task properly. Stargazer
had always been a deep-sleeper. I nudge him awake, and he grumbles softly, a
gibberish I couldn’t catch. On the other hand, Starlight was already awake.
“Good morning, everyone.
Berry jam on toasted bread?”
“Yeah!”
We shout in unison. We
giggled as we washed and spitted out the water from the pond out onto the
grass. Then we both smiled and did our daily game.
“One,” I start. “Two,”
Stargazer grins like crazy. “Three!” We suck in all our breaths and splash our
heads into the pool of water. I squinted open one eye, and see Stargazer with
his goggles on, and cheeks puffed out. I grin like a maniac and keep hold onto
my breath. I feel bubbles from next to me gushing out and tickling my cheeks. I
open my mouth and laugh underwater and fling my head out.
“Cheater!” I shout,
laughing out loud and spreading my arms out on the ground, laying down.
Stargazer soon smiles and shifts his goggles onto the top of his head. He
crisscrosses his legs and puts his elbows on top of his knees, then resting his
head on his hands.
“I feel like we’re really
close siblings…”
“Even without saying it,
we are!”
“Yeah,” Stargazer
clenched. “You remind me of the past on earth.”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to.”
“It’s not your fault. You
didn’t do it on purpose.”
I wave my hand in the air,
blurring the bright stars. I reach for one, knowing that I won’t reach them
when I’m lying down. I sit back up and stand, reaching out a hand for
Stargazer. We smile and nod, telling each other that we knew what we are
thinking. Let’s try to forget the past.
* * *
“One more cup of tea
please, Starlight! With extra ruby berry jam too, please!”
Stargazer swallowed down
the last piece of bread. I wonder how he remained so skinny, eating so much! I
wipe off the glob of jam on his chin and excuse myself from the table. I grab
my net and head out. I close my ears, trying to hear dashing stars, crying out
wishes. I couldn’t hear any. I wonder and dash inside the house, panicking.
“Stargazer! Please come! I
can’t hear them, the stars!”
I pull back my tears, but
they end up pouring out in oceans. I was never the kind of person who can cry
quietly. I bit my bottom lip real hard, and Stargazer leaped out of the chair
and house. I was scared, I was terrified. The soft whispers were nowhere.
Stargazer quickly wandered
his eyes in the sky, and he was bewildered. He fell onto his knees and kept
staring up. Starlight saw his reaction and dashed out. She gasped, hands
covering her mouth. I claw the tree, which then turn into clenched fists. My
head hurt, I was empty. All that was left were salty oceans overflowing and
spilling. I prayed that everything was a dream. Please, please, please, please… I kept repeating in my head. Why, why, why, why… I shut my eyes,
squeeze them, and open them. Through the blur of my eyes, I grasp onto my ID
necklace. No, no, no, no…
Stargazer screamed. He put
both heads on either side of his head, trying to believe it. His tears quickly
flow out. Starlight stood there, still as a stone. She muttered under her
breath many times.
“This… This can’t be
happening. It can’t be happening…”
Stars were bursting and
screaming in high-pitched shrieks. The light in them flew out, then disappearing.
One by one, all disappearing. Stars were… they were… gone. Forever. The planets
start to twirl and dash in an unbelievable speed. What was happening…?
Stargazer’s scream were being cut-off over the noise. The sun’s flames reached
out further, flaming arms, crackling and snapping. It seemed to be angry, it
was glaring.
What was happening? Before
I realize it, I saw an illusion… The normal earth with green land, brown
mountains, blue oceans, white clouds… it was all an illusion. Like a broken
television, it screened on and off, zigzagging. The true earth was under the
illusion. A burnt black land, musty gray oceans, and red lights. Starlight
grabbed Stargazer and hugged him, pulling him close to her chest. Stargazer
tried to turn around to see the view, but Starlight held back, trying not to
cry. The earth I knew was all an illusion. It was charred and horrifying. The
Milky Way started to flow like a crashing river, trying to escape the
explosion. Meteors crashed into each other, and everything was over.
