THE LONELY STAR

Dominion, Volume 27, Issue 59, 2 December 1933, Page 23

THE LONELY STAR

Elphine sat on the doorstep, with hen knees drawn up and her chin in her hands. It was twilight—a wild, grey twilight with a rain-wet breeze and scudding clouds in the sky. There was only one little star to be seen, doing its best to twinkle from its sad surroundings of misty grey cloud. “Poor little star,” said Elphine aloud, “you look so lonely up there, among all those frightening clouds. I wish I could come up there and comfort you.” As she spoke, the star seemed to send a brighter ray through the clouds. Elphine watched it grow longer and longer, until at last she saw that it was not really a ray of starlight at all, but a ladder with rung of shining silver cord. As she jumped up with a cry of surprise, the end touched the ground just at her feet. Looking up, she thought she saw some-one beckoning sb she put one foot rather doubtfully on the first gleaming rung, and clung to the ladder with her hands. Instantly she felt herself being drawn up through the air, and all she could do was to hold tight to the ladder in case she fell. In no time she found herself above the clouds, with the top of the ladder in sight; and there, pulling up the silver cord, was a little fairy creature with a shining star around her pretty little frightened face. She drew Elphine up to the ridge on which she sat, and turned to her with a little smile. “Oh, Elphine,” she said; “I’m so glad you said you'd like to come up here! It is indeed very lonely among the clouds, when I cannob see any of my far-away sisters. The sky-mother told us all a very long time ago that if anyone ever offered to come and stay with us awhile we might let down our ladders to them. That was oh! such a long time ago—when we first came to give light to the earth by niglit; and you are the only one who has ever expressed a wish to come up here.” “What a strange land it is!” exclaimed Elphine. “Why, there are big cracks everywhere in the ground." “Through those my sisters look down to brighten the earth,” the star replied. “To-night I am the only one, and soon I shall not need to stay here any longer, for there is going to be a storm, and the clouds will cover the whole sky. Then I will go home to join my sisters and brothers at play.” “Are all the stars your brothers and sisters?” asked Elphine. “All the sky-people are my brothers and sisters,” answered the star. “The stars are my sisters, and the lightnings my brothers—they’re little mischiefs, and bent on fun to-night, I know, though Sky-mother bid them stay qt home. The mooii is my big sister, and the sun is my big brother.” “And Sky-mother, is she the mother of all of you?” Elphine asked. “I—l don’t know,” the star replied. “I really think we haven’t any mothers, any of us, because we’ve been here always; but Sky-mother takes care of us all.” “Where do you all live?” was Elphine’s next question. “Oh, in a beautiful palace far away from here; I’m afraid I couldn’t take you there, it’s so far; and besides, Sky-mother didn’t say we could take our friends there. Oh, look, there are some of my brothers.” , , Elphine followed the star’s pointing finger, and saw a troop of shining little people flying towards them. “How bright they are!” she cried. It hurts my eyes to look at them.” “They are really very handsome boys,” said the star. "Our family are all goodlooking.” Then she called out, “Boys, you had better go home, for you know Sky-mother said you were not to come out to-night.” “You cannot stop us," cried one bright little fellow in reply. “We are going to go out below the clouds, and frighten the people on earth. They shan’t see us, though, never fear, for we shall fly too quickly for that.” And all the troop of mischiefs suddenly swooped through the crack from'which the star had let down her ladder, flying so swiftly on their

ELPHINE VISITS SKYLAND

let down for you, Elphine. And now good-bye! Cling tight.” Elphine did as she was bid, and was lowered down on the silver ladder. . “Good-bye, she called, as she disappeared through the clouds, and saw the earth spread out in the darkness below. In a moment more she was standing on her own doorstep once more, and the ladder was being drawn swiftly up. As it vanished from sight, the clouds cleared away a little and Elphine saw her friend, the star, standing in a clear patch of sky. She waved her hand, and, though she was ■ so far awav, she thought she saw the ' star move back. Then another cloud swept across the clear space and the , star was lost to sight A troop of little lightnings passed across the sky in one quick flash, and once more the Sky-mother called angrily after them. • “Elphine,” called her mother's voice, “come in, dear. You have been sitting out there in the cold too long, and it is going to rain.” > Elphine smiled as she went inside. She had not been sitting on the step for a long time at all, but she thought ■ she had better not teU her mother that. Original by “Excelsior Elf,” aged 16, Hawera.