Her eyes were as beautiful as the grey-and-white-about-to-rain sky; she didn’t know why everyone else found the sky gloomy though little Anliya loved to look up that soothing sky and felt grateful when the cold breeze pats her eyelashes before it pours down.

Her innocent little hands slid opened the window that showed her what she called ‘the wonderland of woods’; the canopy seemed to her like rising mountains when the old oak trees reminded her of shadows, like the people who stood at that very ground for her father’s funeral! Against the cold wall did she place her tiny head, listening to the psithurism which she thought was nature’s lullaby as her great stormy eyes wandered through the inky black sky among the glowing stars ‘Oh, the more I count the more it seems! 39,40,41,42 c’mon... I missed the blue one again..1,2,3--’ abruptly, over the calm rustling of leaves, she heard a sudden disturbing cry which sent chills up her spines!

The interrupted Stargazer stared deep into the woods ‘A ghost maybe?’ she heard it once more; this time a series of annoying cries.

Slowly but carefully she took tiny steps out into the woods, looking around ‘Daddy, is that you?’ No reply; the trees went on with the playlist. Determined and out of curiosity Anliya settled herself on an elegantly polished stone. Sitting there luxuriously like a little princess with long wavy hair beyond her little head could bear, she listened keenly ‘There it goes again, dad did you hear that?’

Anliya jumped onto the leaf-strewn earth and two things happened at once, she stepped on a twig which broke into two pieces with a ‘snap’ and out of the oldest tree she could spot in the Wonderland of woods, there flew out a family of white owls from the hole into that gentle night!

‘’What the-?’’ Anliya knew they were annoyed by something. Wait, there it lay above a mass of leaves which made that crunching noise as she made her way towards whatever had been left, whatever emitted that luminescent glow like a giant star! Curious like a cat, she crouched down, X-raying the glass jar that let out an uncomfortable yet mysterious yellow light that made her eyes burn ‘They left a STAR?!’

She wondered and pondered around the star examining it carefully, after minutes of exclamation she smiled at it ‘You are a beautiful big star!’ Her little hands picked up the star, it burned against her skin, but that wasn’t enough to stop her for she ran clutching the star and each time she looked down at it and into the darkness again lights blurred across her vision. 

Leaves were left flying as she ran, in the threatening darkness she didn’t notice the twigs assembled straight in front of her; hard to the ground she fell, the old dry leaves groaned over her painting breaths... In her desperation to search for her bright companion she didn’t notice the cold liquid running through her skin, nor did she feel the itching on her left knee. Jumping up she spoke to the darkness ‘The star?’

The word had barely left her mouth before a distant thud echoed around the woods; She took a step forward but was held back by the hallucination around her!

Out of nowhere, a million little fireflies rushed out lighting up the darkness, like spreading forest fire they were strewn everywhere, like prisoners enjoying their spare freedom the little creatures flew hovering in the alluring atmosphere; the old oak trees resembled huge light towers with sparkles of fireflies moving around noiselessly! 

Anliya was petrified where she stood, her gaping mouth admired ‘Woah..’ It was the night sky she couldn’t see above the huge canopy. Her vision faded as her eyes filled with something hot and when the wind let it roll down her cheeks she remembered something, that deep mellifluous voice of her Dad.. ‘Annie,

           Those are the stars on the earth

           They lurk in the woods, twinkling

           Lighting up the darkness, dazzling

           As you look at its eternal glow

           The magic begins to flow

           Memories bloom back nostalgic

           Like a charm, it remains epic

           In the ripping heavenly pain

           It flashes even before death’.

She was brought back to earth as she felt something tickling in her long wavy hair, dancing and dangling at the end of a hair strip was a magnificent firefly. Its glow didn’t resemble that of a crackling fire nor that phosphorescent light of a Saphire; could that possibly a Star after all?

‘’Dad, daddy! I caught a Star, Aaaaa’’ she screamed wiping her teary eyes and ran to her father’s grave, the firefly enclosed gently in her palm and as she approached it flashing her wide smile she patted the elegantly polished stone lovingly ‘Daddy, Annie’s got a gift for you. Can you see how beautiful it is? Do you remember the day we danced with Stars here and you fell asleep early before Annie? Are you still dreaming inside the stone? I miss you, Daddy!’

The little girl slept curled up on the stone peacefully, Trees sang her lullaby and the breeze embraced her, the firefly moved noiselessly on the grave.

As years went on, people still wondered why two graves in the woods of a late father and his daughter lighted up every night like a new Galaxy!