The Star Magnolia

The breeze was warm and light, Anne had just finished dinner and did her nightly summer ritual of running out to the front yard to the star magnolia tree. It was an enormous tree. Anne could easily sing “Ring Around the Rosie” and make her way around the tree in one trip. She ran from the house straight to that tree. Her bare feet crunching the grass and she ran down towards the tree; she was filled with joy. She ran with her arms spread out like an eagle’s wings and let the warm air brush past her with each step she took. By the time she arrived at the old tire swing, she sat on and gripped the frayed rope. She began to sway back and forth. And back and forth. With each sway, Anne rose higher and higher. Before she knew it, she could see over the hill and into the valley. The sky was illuminated with pink, orange and blue. The sun was beginning to set over the mountain that lay across the other side of the valley. Anne had never left her home. She had always wanted to travel and see what the world had to offer. Every night, Anne wanted to try to see what was on the other side of that mountain. She had only ever seen the evergreen trees that filled the valley below. She could hear birds and see a whole flock soaring above the valley. Anne had wanted nothing more than to fly and see the world below her. She used that swing to get higher and higher to see if she could see over the mountain. She swayed upwards in a rapid motion and very quickly would reach the peak in the tree.

For a moment, she would see everything in the valley, and she could see the peak of that mountain. She was so close yet so far. Her tiny feet would touch the leaves of the magnolia. She was one with the world when she was up in the air. As she made her descent, she would fly back down instantaneously. Everything around was a blur as she fell back to earth. She could only feel the hot, summer air stinging her skin and the wind brushing her hair to the front of her face so she would lose sight of the world around her. As she was back down on the ground. The sun soon fell behind the mountain. All light was lost. Anne felt hopeless. It’s impossible to see behind the mountain, especially with no light. She grew hopeless. Suddenly she looked back up at the darkness above her and could see millions upon millions of little dots illuminating the darkness. They were blinking at her, and Anne suddenly grew more and more excited. She jumped down from the swing and started walking back up to her house. When she turned to look back at the magnolia tree, she could see the moon with all its brightness and glory shinning above the valley and onto the peak of the mountain. Anne began to smile. She looked up above her, and before she knew it, there was a shooting star soaring across the sky. Anne’s smile grew and laughter was the only thing that could be heard. Her laughter filled the air and it flowed into the valley. She began running once more, towards the edge of the hill. She was racing the shooting star. She came to a sudden stop at the edge of the hill, for she knew she was not permitted to go into the valley. Anne stuck her arm out and up as if to try to grab the star and pull it back to be in her grasp. Anne suddenly found a new hope for herself. She giggled and spun around with her arms out, as if to give the world a hug. She knew that the world knew she was here, and that the world would wait for her to take her across the journeys of a lifetime. But for now, Anne continued to sit on the tire swing under the star magnolia. She was content and closed her eyes and listened to the wind as it sang songs of happiness, light and rejoice in the beauty of the world surrounding it.