Words: 710
A small child stands on a cliff, elevated to a breathtaking height. Her small frame is stark against a star-speckled night sky splashed in vibrant hues of blue.
Her hands are outstretched toward the heavens, cupped around a small star of glowing white-light. She draws the orb toward herself and settles onto the smooth stone. An elated smile crosses her face. She lifts one hand, letting the star hover above her fingertips. It's glorious light splays across her lap and fills the crevices of the rock around her.
There had only been joy in that child's eyes in those precious moments . . .
Now, there was only fear.
Ten years to the day since she had been granted a star by the Sky Kingdom, Miah was walking the same upward assent she had as a child. This time, the circumstances were very different.
As a child, she hadn't realized what being granted a star meant. When she reached her teen years, she started to see the changes. Her skin was pale, her hair translucent, her eyes light blue. All the other people in her homeland had dark hair and eyes, with bronze, sun kissed skin. She was an oddity in the Earth Kingdom.
And now, the Earth Kingdom didn't want her. The Star had given her the ability to heal with a touch of her fingers, and to perceive everyone's thoughts and deepest secrets. She had a star, she was different, so she couldn't be part of the Earth Kingdom.
They had tolerated her as a child, and even as teenager, but she was twenty one now. A choice had to be made. What Kingdom did she belong to? Being gifted with a Star left her with only two choices; the beautiful and aloof Sky Kingdom . . . or the dark and mysterious Night Kingdom.
She shuddered. The Night Kingdom was an unknown thing to her, a place that was elusive and shrouded with foreboding tales of horror. They said if you were to even look at a member of the Night Kingdom, you would lose your sanity and be lost to darkness forever.
She clutched the small star to her chest, letting its soft glow warm her soul. According to law, she had to give the star back to the Sky Kingdom if she wished to stay in the Earth Kingdom. She would lose her abilities and her appearance would gradually return to normal. Yet, she was willing to pay that price. She wanted to remain in the only Kingdom--the only home--she had ever known.
If the Sky Kingdom didn't take the star, then the Night Kingdom could claim her.
Trembling, Miah reached the summit. It wasn't as high as she remembered, but she had been smaller then. She lifted her chin to stare up at the night sky. The view was even more beautiful than she had remembered. The swirl of stars dancing across the night sky smiled down at her, and for a moment, her fears were forgotten. Then, drawing in a deep breath, she gently cupped her star in her hands and lifted it above her head.
"I return to you what once you gave to me," she whispered the words, expecting the star's warmth to vanish--leaving her standing alone, and redeemed, on the mountain.
Nothing happened.
Her knees felt weak as she gazed upwards, waiting for the star to slip away into the sky. Time passed, and still nothing happened. She repeated the phrase. The answer was silence.
Hours slipped away into the darkest time of night.
Her arms had gone numb, her body quivered with exhaustion, but she didn't move. She was not going to give up. "Please, please take it back!"
"It's a little too late for that," a man's voice said from behind her.
She spun with a gasp, hugging the star protectively. He stood an arm's length away, shrouded in a dark cloak. His thoughts, which should have been open to her perception, were completely concealed. It unnerved her.
"Who are you?" her heart raced in her chest. She didn't need to read this mind to know the answer--she knew before he said it.
"I'm from the Night Kingdom." His teeth flashed in the dark as he smiled, "I've come to get you."
© Copyright Charity K, 2013
