“I’d like to have a star of my own.” Said the little girl as she gazed at the dark sky one summer. “Why?” asked the boy lying beside her, his brown hair laid comfortably on the soft carpet of grass.
The two were star gazing. The sky was littered with the shiny trinkets from far away.
“Stars are pretty. I want to have something pretty I can call my own.”
“But you can’t have a star. Look how far it is from where are now.”
“I know. But mom said a girl can dream.”
More summers passed and they grew up. They lay on the grass of the very same hill for many years. They grew in mind and body but the dreams remained young and vivid.
One night, as they both laid in the same spot where they had laid many years ago, the young man blurted: “Would you still like that star?”
“Star? What star?” asked the puzzled young lady.
“The star you always wanted to have.”
“Oh, that. You remembered?”
“Of course, how could I forget? We were lying on the same bed of grass, staring at the same sky and breathing the same air. I wouldn’t forget that for the world.”
Both were still staring at the night sky. Indeed, nothing has changed; it ws still the same blue tapestry laden with tiny diamonds.
“I still would like a star of my own. But I know that won’t happen.”
“Why?” asked the young man.
“You can’t own a star, silly.”
“Really? Wait here.”
“Where are you going?”
The young man stood up and brushed the dirt off his head.
“Stay right where you are.”
After a while, the young man returned with rope. He had tied the end like a lasso.
“What are you going to do with that rope?”
“Just wait. You’ll see soon enough.”
The young man anchored himself atop the hill’s highest point. He gave a grunt and threw the lasso into the air. It caught nothing at first but he came at it again. His second throw caught a tiny trinket from the sky. He slowly pulled on the rope and reeled in the little star. The hill became a beacon of light.
“Here you go, your own star.” Said the young man as he handed the star to her.
“How?” the young lady was dumbfounded.
“You said long ago that ‘a girl can dream.’ And here it is.”
“Why are you doing this?”
“I believe in dreams. You should, too. It doesn’t mean that we can stop believing just because we’ve added years to our lives. I think it’s all the more reason to keep dreaming. And besides, I didn’t have to reel in that star for you.”
“Why not?”
The young man just smiled and laid down. He closed his eyes and breathed in.
“Keep that star.”
“I want to share it with you.”
“You already did. Many summers ago.”
