Fallen: Star by oily106 |  |
Fallen is a series of short stories, beginning with Fallen: Angel and continuing
through Fallen: Friends, Fallen: Faeries, and Fallen: Fyora. Read them in that
order if you wish to understand the story better.
Seek the shooting star…
We set out at once – to seek the shooting star, as the
vision had shown us. I had decided on walking along a path going west, to where
dense woods surrounded Neopia, for they were like the trees we had seen in the
vision. I had sensibly brought provisions and a map but Angel was light and
unburdened. The white Zafara skipped along happily, disregarding her broken
wings trailing behind her. She was her usual self – sweet, carefree and happy.
She picked tiny flowers from the grass to present to me as gifts and we were
forced to stop so she could paddle in a stream. Maybe it was just the thought
of returning to her Faerie and rising again that made her happy… I could not
be sure. Either way, it was a pleasure to accompany her on that journey and
much eased any worries I had about what lay ahead.
Evening came while we were walking and the light
was beginning to fail, changing the world around us to monotone. As luck would
have it, however, it was a clear, cloudless night. The stars could be seen,
even in the greying dusk. Already, a few stars had come out, tiny pinpricks
of light in a velvety sky. A large moon shone brightly, bathing us in soft white
light. I scoured the sky but could see no shooting star... yet. I was confident
it would come eventually though, so we walked aimlessly on. Angel had fallen
silent now and walked quietly beside me. We were both tense, glancing upwards
frequently to check for the star.
Suddenly, Angel’s head snapped up, my own a second
after it. A tiny trail of light had caught our eye. From one corner of the sky,
a path of white light was being carved across it – a shooting star, dragging
its bright tail behind it. We craned our heads upwards, watching its path. It
cut swiftly through the dark sky. We angled ourselves, so our backs were to
the star. We watched as it arched slowly over the sky, leaving a glittering
tail emblazoned in its wake. Our eyes still fixed on the star, we unconsciously
broke into a run, following it. Often, I stumbled but Angel never faltered and
I persevered for her sake. We ran off the track, through the wet grass, pursuing
it.
Abruptly, the star changed course and then halted,
hanging in the sky. We sped up until we were directly underneath it. There was
a moment of silence, of tension. I opened my mouth to voice a question that
never got asked, for the star suddenly dropped. It was falling, not in a vertical
line, but on an angle. It was plummeting downwards fast, burning a line of light
behind it. We moved again – running quickly until we hit the edge of the woods.
For a moment, we lost sight of the star as it fell below the treetops. A sudden
flare of light ahead of us guided us to its impact location and we moved off
again.
Weaving helter-skelter between the trees, we
finally reached a small clearing and stopped in awed silence. A small circle
of ground had been totally cleared of vegetation and it was brightly illuminated,
throwing the trees into sharp relief. Right in the centre of the circle was
a large crater, glowing fiercely. Despite the light and heat radiating off the
crater, we approached it. At the centre, in a deep hole, was a lump of melted
and twisted metal, too bright for eyes to properly distinguish and glowing white
hot – it had been the star. I glanced away and took a step back, frightened
and awed, but Angel reached out to it. She extended a cautious paw but, before
I could cry a warning, she withdrew her paw and turned her head.
From amongst the shadowy trees had stepped a
Faerie – Angel’s old Faerie, the former Uber Light Faerie. She was as in the
vision – tangled blonde hair, ripped dress, bare feet, tattered wings. But her
true nobility still shone through. She was still strikingly beautiful, inhumanly
so. Her porcelain skin shone in the darkness. She walked forward lightly, her
feet barely seeming to touch the dirt. An aura of light surrounded her. Her
eyes were fixed on Angel’s and I sensed the bond that there was between them
and felt ashamed. For I seemed a mere stupid spectator, a gawking voyeur, a
dumb intruder to view such an intimate scene.
"They say that something that is fallen is worthless,"
she said, stepping forwards. Her voice was melodic and soothing.
She stood in front of Angel, majestic even in
her dilapidation. Swiftly, she reached into the hole and withdrew the glowing
star, her eyes still holding Angel’s. She held the star on her delicate palm,
mindless of the fierce light.
"From a fallen star comes mira. It is the strongest,
lightest and most beautiful of all metals and is known only to the Faeries."
She touched the metal in front of her gently
and spoke again.
"They say something that is fallen is not worth
saving."
From the sky, a star streaked downwards, burning
up fiercely. Dreamily, Angel reached upwards and caught it before it hit the
ground. She cupped the flaming star in her paws.
"They say something that is fallen cannot rise
again," said the Faerie.
Both Angel and the Faerie bowed their heads and
the stars shot from their hands, rising upwards and dancing and twirling in
an intricate dance. The Faerie and the Zafara looked up at them and raised their
hands. The stars sped upwards, going back to hang in the sky again.
"They know nothing," said the Faerie quietly.
"Nothing at all."
She placed her hands over the Zafara’s paws,
lightly. Angel and the Faerie looked into each other’s eyes again, both bathed
in a radiant light. I watched the pet and Faerie become reunited.
"We will rise ~ Oni’eleva."
Above them, the stars danced.
Angels will dance amongst the stars…
The End
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