x
321Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRwcTAHCN84
Stella awoke from her slumber up in the treehouse when she heard the sound of crickets trilling nearby. Her eyes flickered up and down as they met the moonlit, indigo sky. It was far too early for her to be awake, but hearing the crickets made her form a small smile. They were a sign of good luck. She hadn’t heard crickets in ages.
321Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXC1AymQUeT
Something pulsed next to her. Something flooded with blazing light. She sat up and steadied herself, yawning deeply. Then, turning her head to the right, her eyes immediately widened. The flames in her magic lantern burned as powerful as ever, blinking wildly as if someone was on the other side, signaling for help. Stella extended her arm and grasped the handles. The blinking eased.
321Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdiyFn7YZFN
“Who’s there?” she asked the lantern. At that moment, she realized how cold her environment was, especially because the treehouse was so exposed, and her dress was uncomfortably thin.
321Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw5c3tPRLZ9
The lantern spoke. Not with words, but with swift surges of light. It glowed twice, then stopped. “M,” she mumbled. Three times, then stopped. “O.” Once, then stopped again. “T.” It emitted four short beats. Then another short beat after that. Finally, it released a short, then long, then short pulse and gradually dimmed. Vanished.
321Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡruNRTBzQO5
Stella, having already learned the lantern’s language, jumped giddily. The lantern spelled out MO-T-H-E-R. She was sure of it.
321Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgkRCn6PRgU
She hadn’t heard from her mother in a long time. Specifically, two years. And now, her mother wanted Stella to find her.
321Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCy7rJWX3TH
“If that’s really you that’s calling, Mother,” she whispered, “then I’m coming to find you.”
321Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCBoIhwphtN
321Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlUe1MqpqaL
321Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgUtdCS2caI
Stella’s magic lantern had been passed down for generations. It started with her great-great-great-great-great grandfather, who was an artisan. Her mother used to tell tales about him before she tucked her into bed with a night kiss. He, Taveon, built everything from children’s toys to women’s jewelry, from flower vases to cutting knives. He was the most skilled and known craftsman in the village. One afternoon, he purchased a pouch of magic gold dust that he had mistaken for salt. The same night, he poured the salt into his dinner, and was taken aback when he realized it wasn’t. He threw the pouch on the floor, spilling its contents, thinking he was scammed with sand. Little did he know, as he went to sleep that night, the wind flurried through the windows, sweeping the dust into the corner of one of his unfinished projects — the two wooden lanterns. Now, Stella and her mother had one. They used them to communicate.
321Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtF4Nu7LYc9
321Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcgh7Y9LBvr
Stella loved that story, mostly because of how her mother told it. She would speak in a low, mysterious tone when she talked about magic, gesturing with her hands as she talked. She’d even make realistic noises, like the sound of crickets chirping the next day when Taveon woke up. Her mother could imitate sharp footsteps, thunder, and the sound of the autumn breeze, which would send thrilling shivers up Stella’s spine.
321Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcBRUpmzoJF
Her mother’s voice made it so much more magical.
321Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡohtgAxEter
321Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4sVYyCoZkG
321Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb3NPVy2v7s
The glow of the stars somehow made Stella feel warmer. The wide, navy sky somehow comforted her, like a tender, familiar embrace.
321Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZt30fc5fcd
“Mother,” she said gently, gazing at her lantern. “I’m here. I’m here, Mother.”
321Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8TDNDe7osk
The lantern didn’t respond. It was dead silent.
321Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡroxQoiNFfS
Stella took off her slippers and trod further north. It was faster that way, and her feet were much freer.
321Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzNa5i5g5I4
“Mother?” Her voice cracked and echoed.
321Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUIWXpTYDIW
Her strength did not decrease any less than what she had to begin with. The stars gave her hope. Stella breathed in the air; a briny odor shot up her nostrils, mixed with seaweed.
321Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYSfcEC2tHb
She was smelling the sea.
321Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTeO9FbRYBJ
The lantern suddenly buzzed with light. Her mother was there. Stella could sense her presence.
321Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRCZSwLhVfo
She hovered the lantern over her head and squinted.
321Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQz8cWEV0N4
The lantern pulsed violently. She stepped forward.
321Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6KsjG9u91J
Warmer. She took another few steps. Her feet brushed against the cool water.
Warmer. Stella’s ankles were soaked. She wiggled her toes to keep them from numbing.
Warmer. Her knees submerged.
Even warmer. The hem of her dress was drenched.
321Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQsJYAEfkTA
But Stella, with barely any traces of uncertainty, stared at the lantern, now being held at shoulder level. Four swift beats. Once. Stella focused on the rhythm as her mother continued to communicate.
321Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSlxMz1rtBy
H-E-R-E.
321Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQFhPcaxooc
Then, at that moment, that exact second, a little star fell and landed on her head.
321Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwPHJnw1gHN
She slowly reached to pick it up, startled.
321Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCdUF1Ps4Xj
It wasn’t a star. It was a firefly, glowing in the same rhythm as the message her mother sent. Then flew dozens, hundreds of them, surrounding Stella, like gleaming orbs from heaven. For a second she forgot that she was knee-deep in the bitter, freezing ocean.
321Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ASkr0qEMA
Because Stella was flying, flying above the water, her feet no longer touching the sea. Her dress wavered behind her like a cape. She was no longer trembling. No longer afraid. Both her arms were outstretched in the air, trying to get ahold of the fireflies. Trying to grasp the light that led Stella to her mother.
321Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbxR5IA9Xzz
321Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ30PzRlwbzk
321Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhFTR0ZYHVL
321Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgVy2gUq91Y
This was where her mother was all along. It was her home.
In the stars.
ns216.73.216.12da2
