Song of the Stars, Colors of the Soul

A Story by reibirb

A short, simple story about a young girl who is hidden and suppressed, who meets a being that gives her the best kind of freedom.

A young girl walked home through the grey fields. Her house stood alone at the end of a long dirt driveway, isolated from the rest of the town. School was the only place she was allowed to go to in the small village; other than that she could only explore the endless fields of colorless grass. Never once had she heard music, or laughter. The only colors in her small, lonely world came from herself. Each emotion she felt brought forth a different colored mist, and she had just started learning how to recognize them. Her parents hated her for it; they called her sick, an abomination, and other, worse names. The girl had no idea why her colors were wrong, but she had grown to fear the retribution she faced every time she let it spill out.

She slowed down as she reached her house, wanting to stay out in the fresh air a little while longer before she was locked away for the night. A slight breeze rustled the dry stalks, a rarity here. She turned her face to the wind, drinking in the feeling on her skin, the movement through her hair and skirt. A pale pink seeped from under her clothes, before the wind died down after only a few seconds. She fell to her knees, letting the tall, scratchy grass hide her from the view of the house. The familiar dull blue of despair flowed from her fallen form. Eventually, she got back up, and brushed the clinging seeds from her clothes.

That night, she lay motionless on her mat, same as always. Nothing moved outside or inside the house. Hours passed as she was unable to fall asleep, as usual. This night, however, something seemed to change in the air, right as the clock struck midnight. The girl sat up, startled by some strange noise outside her window. Quiet strains of music floated in through the missing window pane, barely more than whispers. To the girl, however, those whispers spoke of hope. She jumped up and ran to the window, her bare feet pattering on the wooden floor. She was too small to see above the window sill, but she could hear the music louder now.

The song was one she had never heard before, far different than the short, simple melodies sung in class to help them memorize facts. This song bounced, it looped, it held its breath then let it out in a long cry. She felt she could reach out and touch the sounds with her hand, they felt so real. A feeling she had never felt before grew within her, and she felt as though she would burst. A soft purple glow started to radiate from her, and the room filled with her laughter.

The next morning, the girl told her parents about what she had felt last night, listening to the music through the window. She wanted to share this new excitement with her parents, even though they never shared anything with her. To her shock and disappointment, they were appalled.

“You shouldn’t listen to that music! It’s wrong!” her mother gasped.

“How dare you?! We raised you better than this!” her father yelled. The girl couldn’t see why they were so upset. Didn’t they know how beautiful music was? She wanted to tell them, she felt like crying and yelling back at them. She nearly let the red of her anger show. But she knew she would only be punished for it, so she bowed her head and meekly apologized. She was not allowed to go to school that day. She let the sharp, bitterness of the acidic yellow mist fill her room while her parents were gone.

That night, she lay in bed awake once again. This time, however, she was listening intently for the sounds that had awoken this strange new feeling within her. After hours lying awake, thinking that it would never come, she heard the faint strains of the music again. Jumping up immediately, she ran to the window again. It was much louder this time, she guessed that if only she could see over the windowsill, she would be able to find the source of the noise. Unfortunately, no matter how tall she stretched, she still couldn’t see outside. But she could still listen, and she did all night, watching the beautiful purple mist swirl and pulse along with the music.

The next day she fell asleep in class, and her teacher smacked her hand with the ruler. She knew that if she cried, the bright blue mist would come with her tears, and then she would be in even more trouble, so she went back to her seat and fought with her emotions. The memory of the music from the night before, and the hope that she might hear it again, helped to calm her down. That night, she snuck quietly out of her room, and grabbed a chair from the table in the kitchen. She was barely strong enough to lift it off the floor and carry it instead of dragging it, and she collapsed in her room from holding her breath until she made it back to safety. She sat there, leaning against the wall and breathing heavily, until she calmed down again, and she waited for the music. Finally, around the same time as the other nights, the soft sounds started. They grew louder as she carried her chair across the room to the window, and as the sounds reached the volume where she was sure they were right outside, she climbed up on the chair and finally peeked out above the windowsill.

The person outside was shaped like a human, but they couldn’t be. The bright moon painted the endless field of grass a pure white, but their figure was glowing a bright blue. Dark long hair flowed around them like a cool stream, as they stepped and spun and seemed to float among the tall grass. They were holding something that seemed to be creating the sound: a strange device with long strings running up and down a thin piece of wood. The person held another thin piece of wood, and as they drew it across the strings of the device, the music floated through her window. The girl watched in awe as the ethereal being rustled through the grass, making the device sing the most beautiful songs. Never in their dance did they look over to where the girl was watching from her window. She was fine with this; she had no idea what she would say to them and she was content to just look. She could have watched all night, but after the sleepless night before, she could barely keep her head up, so she carefully carried the chair back to the kitchen and lay back down on her bed to sleep; the purple mist and the music wrapping her in a blanket of warmth and safety.

The girl watched the person dance every night after that. It was the one thing she looked forward to; it kept her going when her parents or her teacher yelled at and hit her. One night, she decided to stay up the whole night to see where the person went in the morning. They were never there when she woke up, so they must have a home they go back to. That night she watched as the blue glowing being danced like a bird in the sky. Joy radiated from them, and the girl responded with her purple mist. All night, the person danced and played their instrument, and the girl drank in the sight and the sounds. As the sky started to lighten, she felt warm and content, as though the music were physically filling her up. A sliver of golden light peeked over the horizon, and the being stopped dancing. They stood facing the sun, their blue glow contrasting against the bright yellow. They looked up toward the center of the sky; their blue light flared up brightly, and then it faded. By the time the sun was halfway over the horizon, the figure was gone.

The girl spent that day pondering where the person could have gone. They didn’t just disappear, because they had come back every night. Maybe they just turned invisible when it was daytime, and they were still out in that field sleeping or something. It didn’t bother her nearly as much when the teacher yelled at her for not paying attention; the full, warm feeling from the music had not left her. As she walked home through the long grass, the rustling reminding her of the sounds of the person dancing, she decided that she would talk to them tonight. Her curiosity was stronger than her uncertainty of what might happen, so she went to bed early that night. She woke up in the middle of the night, went out to get the chair, and pulled it over to the window. The being was there as usual, dancing and playing. The girl took a moment to let the music wash over her, then she climbed up over the windowsill. She sat there, looking down at the drop to the ground. Working up the courage, she dropped down into the grass below. Afraid that her parents would wake up and hear, she ran quickly away from the house. It was exhilarating to run in the cool night air, flying through the grass like the dancing being. They were standing on a slight hill, and the girl got winded running up the incline, but she didn't stop. As she got closer, the person stopped playing, standing completely still as the little girl ran up to them with an excited look on her face. She stood there, breathing heavily, and stared in wonder up at the being. They stared back down at her.

Now that she was close to them, she could see that they did, in fact, have a face beneath the glow, something she had debated for a while. Their skin was blue like their glow; their face soft and neutral. A pattern of white dots spread across their nose and cheeks, like freckles, and it seemed to have been sprayed with purple and darker blue, so that the white dots were surrounded by a nebula. Their long black hair moved slightly, even when they were standing still, little strands of it flowing outward in arcs around their figure. They didn't seem to be wearing anything, but they didn't look naked to the girl. More like some of the dolls the girls at school would bring to play with, smooth and featureless. The nebula and white freckled pattern spread across their shoulders and upper arms, as well as the outer sides of their legs. The girl studied the strange, yet beautiful features of the being that had given her so much joy and hope. Finally, she spoke to them.

“Who are you?” The being opened their mouth to answer. Sounds came out, but they did not sound like any words or language the girl had heard before. It sounded more like a high pitched humming, as if a glass were vibrating nearby, and yet, it seemed to surround her more than it came from the person’s mouth. It was surprisingly pleasant to listen to, but it wouldn't make for a very good conversation. “Um...I can't understand you. Can you understand me?” The person nodded, and spoke their strange humming again. “Oh, good!” The girl smiled. The being smiled back, a small smile, but still the first smile the girl had ever seen directed at her. The warm feeling the music gave her spread within her, and she was no longer afraid to let the purple of her joy show. The being stared at her in fascination this time, watching the curls of purple mist. “Oh, that...that happens when I'm happy,” she explained shyly. The person smiled wider, looking at her with an almost loving expression. “I really like your music! I've listened to it for a long time...It makes me feel happier than I ever have before.” The person bowed, an expression which the girl guessed was a form of thanks. “I wish I could understand you. I meant to ask where you go every day when the sun comes up.” The being smiled again and pointed upwards toward the night sky. “You live in the sky?” They nodded. “That sounds amazing! Can you fly?” The person shrugged, unsure how to answer the girl guessed. “Are you a human? You don't look like anyone I've seen.” They shook their head, and pointed up in the sky again. “You…what?” They pointed upward again, more insistently. “You're...the sky?” They shook their head again, and the glow around them pulsed. “Oh, you're a star!” the girl exclaimed. The person nodded happily. “You're a star!” She laughed at the impossibility and wonder of it. “I had no idea stars were people!” The star laughed, a clear, vibrato humming. To the girl’s surprise, they bent down and took hold of her hand. Their skin was warm, far warmer than any other person she had touched before. The star gestures toward the sky. “Up there? You want me to...go with you up there? To your home?” The star nodded. “Will it be okay for me? What if it’s cold, what if you let go and I fall?” The star smiled and wrapped their hands around the girl's waist, lifting her up into their arms. She felt reassured by the action, unfamiliar with friendly physical touch, but feeling relaxed in the star’s strong arms. She leaned against their chest, absorbing the warmth from them. The blue glow surrounding them brightened, and the ground fell away. The girl buried her face into the star’s chest, terrified of the sudden increase in speed. Suddenly, they slowed and came to a stop. The girl looked up.

They were surrounded by more stars than she had ever seen from her window. Many were the bright white that she thought all stars were, but there were other who were orange, red, blue, even bright yellow like the sun. As they floated through the vast field of light, they got close enough so she could see that they were all glowing people like the star she had met. They were all different shapes and sizes; some with long hair, some with short hair; some clear-skinned, others marked with dark spots, or nebula patterns like the star she was being held by. She stared in fascination, turning her head quickly in order to see everything before they floated past. There was a group of red stars that looked like old men, talking in low pulses. Some small white stars that looked as young as she were chasing each other around in small orbits, making high clicking sounds as laughter. Some yellow and blue stars were talking in varying tones and rhythms, and it made a symphony of perfectly matched sounds that the girl could have listened to as long as her blue star.

At some point, they reached an area with fewer stars clustered around them. The blue star held onto the girl’s hands and let her go from their warm embrace. She floated outward, weightless, and clung tightly to the stars hands. After she got over the fear of being let go, she smiled at her newfound freedom. Space was a little cold, but as long as she was holding the star’s warm hands, she felt secure. Laughing, she flew around and around the blue star. They laughed along with her, and the purple mist flowed out from her in waves. The star held her hand and flew with her, weaving around the other stars. Some of them smiled and laughed as they flew by; some of the smaller, younger ones joined them. They flew together, hand in hand, the girl rejoicing at her freedom, the star at their new friend with the beautiful colors. Together, they flew among the other stars for as long as they wanted, and when they stopped to rest, and the star played their violin again, the girl finally felt she had a real home.