A collaborative story written by my creative writing class
A little boy makes a wish on a star. Suddenly, the star winks out of the sky. Just then, a little girl appears in their backyard. She has a short blond hair. Her skin is glowing.
"Cool! Are you my star?" the boy asks. But the little girl runs around, falls to the ground and shouts, "Who am I? What is this place?"
"We're here in Berkion," the boy answers. "I'm Felix and you're a star. I'll call you Astrid. Do you want some sandwiches?"
"Okay! I want food!" Astrid squeals.
"Um...but first, I need help getting back on that," Felix points at his wheelchair.
"Is this a fancy chair? What does it do?" Astrid asks while helping him on it.
"It helps me move around. Thanks." Felix shows the way back into his house. They go in and make sandwiches from Nutella, ham, cheese, bacon, and apples.
Felix watches Astrid devour her sandwich tower and chuckles. "You eat like a pig. Just like my sister," he says.
"Where is she?" Astrid asks in between mouthfuls.
Felix's forehead crumples. "Don't you know her?"
Astrid puts her sandwich down and stares at him. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"But don't people who die become stars?" Felix mumbles.
"No," Astrid says. "I don't know."
Felix looks at Astrid. She is glowing brighter until everything turns white.
Felix looks around and sees his younger self running in their backyard with her sister. Just then, a car screeched to a stop. He watches as his sister's boyfriend came out of the car and grabbed his sister. He watches as they got into the car. He watches as his younger self runs and jumps at the back of the car. He watches himself watching his sister and her boyfriend fighting as they drive off. And he watches as he losses grip and falls down.
Felix snaps back into reality. Tears stream down his face like an endless waterfall. On the wall behind him, Astrid spots a picture of a ginger-haired girl with a lopsided smile awkwardly carrying a younger Felix. She turns to him and asks, "How old were you when this happened?"
"It was 3 years ago. I was 7. And my sister was 16 when she died."
"Oh." An unsettling silence hung in the air. Astrid leans forward and hugs Felix's small frame.
Over the summer, Felix and Astrid became good friends, almost like brother and sister. Each day that passes, Felix became stronger and his smile, wider. But Astrid's light became dimmer and her hair, darker.
One late afternoon, as they were lazing around in the backyard, Felix exclaims, "Astrid! Look! I can move my feet"
Astrid gasps, "That's amazing!"
Felix replies, "It's a miracle!"
A ghost of a smile grazed Astrid's lips. She stands up and beckons Felix to do the same. Bewildered, Felix tries to stand and is surprised that he can! He looks at Astrid and moves his left foot and then his right foot.
"I can stand! I can walk! I can jump! I can dance! I can run!" he cries out, tackling Astrid in a bear hug.
Astrid laughs with him as they both fall to the ground.
After recovering from their laughing fit, Astrid turns to Felix who was sprawled next to her on the grass and whispered, "Felix, I need to tell you something."
Felix, still ecstatic, looks at her. "What is it?"
"I need to leave soon," Astrid says.
Felix's face shifts from happiness to confusion and pain. "But why?"
Astrid heaved a heavy sigh. "My time is almost up. I was born into this form when you made a wish. But now I must go. The star that you wished upon was a dying star therefore I am as well."
Felix eyes wells up with tears. He clutches his chest, feels an old wound reopening inside his heart. "What do you mean by that?"
"I must fade away and there is nothing we can do. Take care of yourself."
"Why? What? When?..." Felix grasped her friend's hand but ended up with a fistful of nothing. He tries again. Astrid's figure erratically flickers in and out of existence. Her eyes glistens with tears. She steps back, out of reach.
"Time is running out. I must leave now." Astrid waves to Felix.
As the last rays of the setting sun falls on her face, she begins to glow, her hair shimmering blond. The wind picks up, swirling around her. Felix blinks and she is gone.
Felix bows his head, his tears falling on the ground. Then he looks up to the night sky and smiles as a shooting star dashes across the sky.
