Stars & Stories

I watched my great-kaka grab something in his palms. He winked and said, “Let me tell you a story.”

He blew into his palms and out of them came twinkling lights that rose into the air. Then I watched in awe as these lights came to life as great-kaka started to speak:

“Nevaeh— have you ever wondered how the night sky ended up full of bright dazzling bodies? You see- a long time ago~ there was a great Kingdom of the Ba. The King and Queen of the Kingdom were proud parents of a lovely princess. She loved nature and sometimes it seemed like she spoke to the creatures in it, too. Not only did she speak to the wild animals, but she spoke to the sun as well. Whenever it was sunrise, she would rush to her window to greet the sun. Then ask it if it could make the night at least a bit brighter.

“One day the King and Queen decided to send out a decree calling for another royal to from any Kingdom to marry the princess. So, many princes came from near and far to try to win over the princess’ heart.

“Among the princes, was a young guy who stepped in front of the King and Queen with a charming smile. He bowed before them and pleaded, ‘Your majesties. I have come from the Kingdom of Rei. If it pleases the court and everyone here...perhaps we should add in a challenge..yes.’

“The King and Queen were pleased. This would surely make things more delightful for them. Indeed, they loved this young royal’s idea! They scratched their heads and quietly asked the young royal, ‘Eh...what do you think..the challenge should be?’

“He chuckled lightly. Then said, 'The night sky is always dark. The challenge is to find a way to light it up, at least that way it will never be dark ever again.

“And the challenge was placed. The other princes didn’t like this young royal’s challenge. Who did he think he was to decide what the challenge would be? As the other princes debated on a way to get rid of the prince, he was no where in sight. It’s like he vanished into thin air.

“The prince stood further away from the Kingdom. He rubbed his hands and said, ‘Now let’s get to work, fellas.’

“A group of magicians he had traveled with grinned. They were so excited to work and find a way to make sure the prince would be with the princess.

“The magicians raised their arms in the air. Soon they started to chant ancient words passed along to them from the magicians who came before them.

“As soon as the chants began, the earth shook with a mighty rumble. The princess from the Kingdom of Ba had gathered all the animals from the forest. She cried out and asked the prince to stop at once. He laughed and shook his head.

“The magicians were startled by this, but carried on with their work. When they finished, a burst of blinding light shot out from the ground and swirled around like a tornado. The magicians grabbed their wands and worked to direct it away from them into the sky.

“As that light from the tornado hit the dark sky, it seemed to tear holes into the night sky. The magicians clapped their hands. They had managed to find a way to make the night sky at least a little bright with some night lights.

“The lights in the sky twinkled above their heads. They all watched with smiles on their faces as one light shot across the sky leaving a trail which looked like a tail of burning fire.

“Seeing the princess gaze at the stars in the sky, the prince bowed his head. She felt tears stream down her cheeks like a river. ‘Congratulations. I guess this means that you’ve won the challenge,’ she said as she sobbed.

“The prince moved closer to her and wiped the tears from her eyes. ‘You should not worry. I just wanted to make you smile. You should know I’ve watched you for a long time now. You see I’m actually the one who is King of the sky. I can take any form. But my real form is..’ The princess watched the prince’s body start to shine bright like the sun.

“The princess felt a sigh of relief. She embraced the prince and planted a kiss on his lips. ‘I have always loved the sun. Thank you for granting my wish. How can I ever repay you for this gift?’

“The prince winked and said, ‘By becoming my bride.’ The princess blushed and exclaimed, ‘Of course! I would love to!’”

I raised my head and looked at the stars. They seemed to be some that reminded me of a happy couple smiling down at me.

#Stars&Stories.

02.05.2021 © MAY.