Stardancer

Sina Hörth

by Sina Hörth

Story

“Ok children settle down, gather round the fire. It’s story time!”

Children of various races scrambled to find a seat around the fire without spilling their drinks. After some mild shoving and a few stolen marshmallows, every child had a seat, and the counsellors found themselves at the receiving end of forty expectant pairs of eyes. They shared a fond smile with each other.

“Alright”, Zeyna, a tall grown Berlea and the oldest counsellor clapped her hands together, the leaves covering them rustling quietly, “what story do you want to hear tonight?”

The children started yelling at once, drowning out each other’s story suggestions but one name could be heard clearly.

“You guys wanna hear Stardancer?” Zeyna asked, receiving enthusiastic nods in return. Her fellow counsellors traded a grin, one mouthing Again? Zeyna scuffed him lightly and smiled at the children. “Alright Stardancer it is!” with a sweeping hand gesture, she let the flames in front of her dance and began the story.

“Long ago, when the humans had just started reaching beyond their galaxy, there was one among them who stood out. With a lost voice and preferring to watch the stars whenever he could, he was the odd one when he was younger. But now humans were travelling into unknown regions and had no maps. No knowledge of the right way and during that time he rose above them all and would go down in history as Stardancer.”

Zeyna and the others smiled when the children whispered the name along with her.

“They said he danced with the stars wherever he went. That he followed them and moved to their silent symphony. A symphony only he seemed to hear. He was never lost and always reached his destination. You would still find him watching the stars when you looked for him. Just sitting and listening to their ancient song, watching them paint endless pictures in the void of space. If you wanted to follow him, you had to listen and watch as well. Trying to decipher his actions and maybe the way of the stars itself. No one ever knew how he did it. How he moved along them with no maps or compass. How he always steered ships clear of storms and danger. Even the ones that barely flickered up on the screen. Every captain wanted him as their navigator. When the humans reached deeper into the universe, that became true for other species as well.After all, he was the best, and whoever he led never got lost. For years he guided ships through the unknown. Until one day, he simply vanished!” Shocked gasps could be heard from the children. Zeyna lifted a hand to quiet them down.

“No one knows where he went. No trace was ever found of him again and to this day we still have no answer to this mystery. But legend says that he still dances with the stars and that if a ship is ever lost, he will appear and lead it to safety. So when you go out there, always listen to the stars and maybe you’ll hear or see the same things he once did!”

When the story ended, the children were silent, looking up at the sky as if they could catch a glimpse of Stardancer right now.

© Sina Hörth 2022-08-29

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