The Starlight Queen

Distant and yet within reach, the stars around her cosmic travels twinkled and glowed as she passed them. With their names countless and their ages limitless, she could do little but smile to them all as she entered the Milky Way. A bright ball of orange and yellow heat pulled her close as she pressed forward of the sparkling river around her. Her aimless direction over the years had brought her too many sights and while the hot, gaseous giant was nothing new, it was the marble of blue and green that was near him that had caught her glance. The hard shell of space particles and travelling rocks that she had collected was barely warmed at the side of the giant she came to speak with.

"Hello." she said.

"Hello there, it's so nice to see someone new out here. May I ask your name?" the bright ball asked.

"I have known many names but you may call me Celeste." she said.

"It is nice to know you Celeste, I am Sol."

Celeste circled Sol at a fair speed so as to always be met with his face. A happy flare of heat danced from his body and passed over her gently. Celeste felt the small attempt to warm her and nodded at his gift.

"Thank you Sol, but I'm afraid not much can get through these walls. I've grown so accustomed to their chill I can feel little else at this point." she said.

"That is sad to hear. Is there nothing to melt the shell that surrounds you." he asked.

"I do not know, I had hoped company and friendship would help against it but there are so few beings like you in the world to converse with." she said.

"May I suggest you visit Earth then? Its inhabitants are often swarming for the same feeling!" he said.

"I suppose it would not hurt. Thank you for your advice Sol." she said.

Celeste rounded Sol one last time and as the colorful marble of his suggestion came into view, she moved towards it. Along the way she passed planets of various shapes and sizes but they were all as cold and vacant as so many before them. A sad and familiar feeling sank into her chest as she passed their hollow and empty crusts.

Ahead of her, the small marble of her focus grew larger and upon nearing it she looked to the creatures below to take knowledge of their forms and cultures. Slowly she descended into the atmosphere and soared across the deep blue seas that surrounded the high peaks of green, fertile lands. She burned over endless dunes of tan and red sands, the soft twinkle of the small grains reflecting her stardust tail as she lit-up against the sky around her. She felt her figure shape and adjust as she neared a destination that was brightly lit against the dark night around it.

A large and open park caught her view ahead of her and she directed herself towards its inviting surroundings. Tall and short trees filled the space around her as she neared her impact zone. she readied herself for the hard impact at her body.

"Crash! Thwack! "

The sound of snapping limbs and breaking earth were heard for miles around her as she came to the cushioned stop in the grass of the planet.

"Welcome to Earth." a voice said.

The crumble and clatter of hard rock’s morphed and shifted at the shell of her body. Her cold, bluish black exterior changed and she found arms and legs in place of her rocky familiarities. A thin and raven haired woman stood in the pitted chasm that had been created at her arrival. The tail of her starlight particles had formed a sheer and radiant cloth wrap around her body that sat with a small sash of satin excess draping over her shoulder.

"Thank you for catching Me." she said to the ground at her bare feet.

"May I ask why you are here?" the Earth said.

"I am here on the advice of Sol. He suggested I might find some companionship among the creatures that walk your surface." Celeste said.

"In that, he is not wrong. There are so many humans here that fit the desires and needs of at least one other creature they know. Friendship and love are bound to find you here." said the Earth.

"Humans?"

"Is that what they are called?" Celeste asked.

"Indeed they are, be patient with them and they will show you beauty and grace that few in the cosmos have known." the Earth replied.

Celeste walked up the long ramp of dirt and rocks that had been made. As her head crested the top of the ridge she saw the winding pathways and guiding railings of trees, metal, and asphalt. She stepped onto the near path at her right and walked into the woods of the park. She looked at an approaching woman who appeared to be running from something. As she neared Celeste she gave a wide berth of clearance around her and continued in her speed. Celeste looked to see who might have been chasing her but saw no one.

She continued to walk the stony pathway at her feet and looked to the distant regions of the far and wide park. Sitting in random and various patches were groups of the "humans" that she had been told of. Soft embraces of young couples were seen spread upon the lush mats of green grass. A tender and warm compassion was not only seen but felt by Celeste the longer she looked at them. She had stopped in her tracks and stared to one couple in particular. A young woman had been playfully engaged with a young man and the pair of them laughed and giggled as their fingers poked and tickled at one another. The joyful sounds she made brought a smile to Celeste’s face as she stood behind the railing that separated her and the groups of people in front of her.

She looked up to the sky and saw the twinkle of stars above her. The bright orb of the full moon above showered the beings of the planet with a soft, encompassing glow that reminded Celeste of why she was here. Another happy giggle brought her eyes back to the happy couple as they stood from the grounds and began to walk towards the tall structures of metal and electricity. As they passed the small grove of trees and rounded the corner of her sight, Celeste turned and felt the heft of a young man bumping against her.

"Oh! I'm sorry miss. I didn't see you standing there!" he said.

Celeste stood without response and looked to the young man that was before her. He had a strange fabric of course blue texture around his legs and a dark yet soft looking material covering his torso. Over that material was a short and thin fabric that covered over him. On his shoulder was a black threaded case that he seemed to be holding onto carefully. It was wide and moderate in height and appeared to have ridged edges and corners about it.

"Um...Miss? Are you okay?" he asked.

After a long pause, Celeste finally replied.

"I'm fine. Thank you for your concern." she said.

The young man stared into her eyes and felt the consumption of curiosity and wonder fill him.

"I'm sorry but can I just say you have some very wondrous eyes." he said.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"It's hard to describe but I feel like I'm looking into the creation of fire." he said.

"I'm sorry but I don't understand what you mean. Are these not like others on this planet?" she said.

A lifted arch of curiosity fixed upon the young man's brow at her statement. He placed his hand on the small silver clasp of his bag and rounded it of the case at his shoulder. Opening the lid of the case revealed several mechanical components and a small device that he reached into the bag to retrieve.

"Can I take a picture of them? I'm not trying to be rude or invasive it's just that I've never seen something so radiant before." he asked.

Celeste looked to the strange device that the young man held in front of him and curious to its purpose, she nodded to him to grant approval. A smile widened on his lips as he set the bag onto the ground beside them. He pulled out a long lens and fastened it to the front section of the device he had been cradling. A dull "click" was heard and he set the strap around his neck then stood and faced Celeste straight on.

"Don't move, I want to get this right." he said.

Celeste stood motionless at his request, her eyes stared into the black circle of the machine the young man had been handling and heard the soft sound of the shutter within going off. A moment later he had lowered the device down and pressed at the small buttons of the rear to bring up the images he had just captured.

"Wow!" he said.

"May I see?" Celeste asked.

The young man smiled to her request and stood beside her to allow her to see what had transfixed him so. The image was, in its own manner, captivating and beautiful. A small and singular image of her eye filled the small screen and within it was the mix of deep colored reds and blues. They swirled at one another to create the ruby like passion of the fire that he had spoken of.

As the two stood intimately close to one another the young man had felt the hard chill at her body against him.

"Oh you're freezing. Here please take this!" he said.

The young man undid the larger fabric that he wore atop the thin shirt and draped it over her shoulders. Feeling the residual heat of his body from the jacket on her shoulders, she smiled at his kind gesture and kissed his cheek.

"What was that for?" he asked.

"For your kindness. I haven't been here very long and I'm already filled with happiness." she said.

"Well...you're welcome." he said.

The young man returned his camera to the bag and closed the pack before returning it to his shoulder.

"Can I walk you home or to wherever it is you’re headed?" he asked.

"I'm not sure where I'm going but I would welcome the company." she said.

The young man smiled to her and he turned with an outstretched arm to allow her the choice of where she was walking. She placed her arm around his bicep and the pair walked towards the edge of the park. Hours of conversation passed between them as they wandered the forest and grounds of what she came to know as "Central Park". The early hours of the morning went unnoticed by the company they found in one another and Celeste found herself smiling to the rising glow of Sol over the horizon.

"Thank you for your advice my friend. You were right." she said.

"What was that miss?" the young man asked.

"Nothing but please, call me Celeste." she said.

The young man smiled at her request as she pulled at his arm to keep him closer to her.

"That's a beautiful name." he said.

She smiled at his words and leaned her head at his arm as they continued to walk through the woods. A long and once forgotten feeling of warmth filled her heart as the two came to know one another with great intimacy over the next few years.