The Tale of the Starlighters
“What are those?” The
little girl pointed a chubby finger towards the night sky.
“Stars,” Ashton
replied.
“But how do they get
there?”
“Well, Talia,” Ashton
considered the tragic recent event and decided an astronomical lecture was not
what the girl needed now, “Starlighters of course,” he continued without
hesitation.
“Starlighters!” Talia
exclaimed, her eyes lighting up with excitement.
Ashton nodded. “Mmm-hmm.
They climb huge ladders,” he extended his arms for emphasis “and they carry
long poles that have a bright light on the end.” He stood up and began to act
out the tale. “They find a spot in the sky and they STRIKE.” He lunged forward fencing-style and struck the air to
demonstrate. “And the ball of light on the end of the pole lights up the sky!”
He made a grand gesture towards the stars and collapsed on the ground next to
the girl. “And then the starlighters climb back down, put away their ladders,
and sleep until more stars must be made.”
“But how do they know
when to make more stars?” The girl was fully engrossed in his story.
Ashton’s beaming
smile faltered and his gaze fell to the ground. His voice lowered.
“Starlighters make a star whenever someone dies.”
Talia’s face drooped
and tears began to form in her blue eyes.
“No, no – don’t cry”
Ashton panicked. “They form a star out of a person’s soul so they can continue
to watch over their family.” He watched her face carefully. Her tears had not
spilled over yet. “It’s really not sad at all.” He held her gaze and took her
face into his hands. Her lip quivered. “They still get to see their loved
ones.”
Talia wiped away her
tears and looked at the sky hesitantly. “Are my grampa and gramma up there?”
Ashton nodded.
Her eyes widened and
her expression shifted. She was in awe. She paused for a moment, deep in
thought. “I will be up there too someday. With them.”
“Yes. And so will I,
and your mother and father, and Aunt Elizabeth.”
They both watched the
night sky. The moon passed slowly with time.
The girl was still
awestruck and Ashton felt he should be proud of himself for cheering her up. But
he wasn’t. All he could think of was the truth.
