Ch. 7: A Single Wish
(My wish…)
I looked at the fallen star, shining in my hand.
Feelings welled up from deep within my heart, and there was no other wish I could make.
(Stop the Stardust Clock…!)
As soon as I thought it, the falling star flew from my hand and the Stardust Clock lit up.
In the next instant… the brightness faded from the Stardust Clock, and it looked like a regular hourglass.
Ster: “…what just happened? This has never…it couldn’t be.”
Ster let out a thin breath, as if to create a falling star.
However, all that came out was the sound of his breathing.
Ster: “My power…”
Dumbfounded, Ster stared at his own hands.
Ch. 8: Vanished Power
The stillness was too much, and it hurt my ears…-.
Ster was silent for a while, then grabbed my wrist.
Ster: “What did you wish for?”
OO: “I just thought, if I could stop the stardust then…”
Ster looked at me, unblinking.
Ster: “I see. Because of that, I guess I’ve lost my power.”
(I couldn’t stand to see Ster like that and watch him disappear.)
Ster: “I’ve become like I was then? If I don’t have the power to grant wishes then… …who needs me?”
OO: “That’s not…!”
Ster: “Don’t you understand? Granting people’s wishes was the one thing that proved I was alive.”
OO: “You can still grant wishes…even without that power. There will be some things that are impossible, but if you put your all into it, you can grant plenty of wishes still. You said it yourself, right Ster? That you love seeing people smile. Those people, and me, smiling…-.”
Ster: “That’s because I borrowed the power of the stars to grant your wishes.”
(No…!)
Ster: “But now that power is gone.”
(You’re wrong!!)
Ster stared fixedly at me with those crystal clear eyes.
OO: “…!”
There was an unbearable sadness in his eyes, and with all my strength I yanked at the chain of the necklace he’d given me.
Ster: “…!”
The delicate chain of the necklace broke, and the adorning flower fell to the bed.
OO: “Ster…you’re wrong.”
Ster: “OO…?”
OO: “I was happy when you gave me something so beautiful. But the thing that made me most happy…was you smiling. Your smile made me happy. And the thought that you wanted to give me a flower that would never wilt…made me happy too.”
Ster: “OO…”
Ster looked at me in surprise.
Seeing his eyes, devoid of light, I thought of how I loved his smile, from the bottom of my heart.
OO: “Ster, let’s try again. Let’s gather the smiles of the people.”
Ster: “Like I said, I can’t do that anymore.”
OO: “Can you really not do it, even without that power? Can you really not make people happy, and make them smile? Don’t you want to try and see for yourself?”
Ster: “I…-. …OO.”
Ster quietly closed his eyes.
Then he gently embraced me.
Ster: “Thanks. You’re a nice person.”
His hands affectionately clasped around my back.
My heart, quivering in pain, slowly recovered.
Ch. 9: Desert Planet
—–And so we waited for Ster to recover, and then set out on a journey to grant wishes.
One day, we stopped at the Desert Planet…-.
OO: “Ster, I think I can see someone over there…”
Looking, there was a man waving at us and standing next to a broken airplane.
Ster: “A traveler I’d guess…looks like his plane crashed. He’s lucky to be alive.”
I moved to follow Ster as he walked ahead, but the sand sucked at my feet and I couldn’t really make any headway.
Ster: “…here.”
Ster held his hand out to me.
(It’s warm…)
That hand was no longer cold, and that made me incredibly happy.
However, those feelings were dampened as I remembered how Ster hadn’t smiled even once since that day.
Ster: “Are you alright?”
Ster called out to the man, and in return the man’s eyes went round in surprise.
Traveler: “Oh…you wouldn’t happen to be Prince Ster of the Meteobel Royal Family would you?”
Ster: “How do you know my name?”
Traveler: “A while ago you granted my wish for this plane. Ah, this is good. Prince, my plane has crashed. Would you be willing to fix it with your power this one time?”
Ster: “…sorry. I can’t do that anymore.”
Traveler: “You can’t?”
Ster: “…I’ve lost my powers.”
As Ster’s words vanished into the air, the man’s eyes went round once more.
(What should I do…I know!)
I started to gather up the scattered parts of the broken airplane.
Traveler: “And what are you doing?”
OO: “Let’s try fixing it!”
Ster: “OO…for starters, airplanes fly above the ground, and we don’t know anything about them.”
OO: “But it’s important right? It’s possible the fix could be surprisingly simple.”
Traveler: “Miss, you…alright, let’s give it a shot.”
OO: “Hurry up Ster.”
Ster: “…sure.”
The stars fell one after another in the desert night sky.
Relying on their glitter for light, the three of us gathered the parts of the plane.
Ch. 10: A Smile in His Eyes
After we’d finished gathering the parts of the plane, some time had passed…-.
Ster: “This really is hopeless. We can’t fix it.”
(We started on this journey because I wanted to see Ster smiling again, but I wonder if it’s useless…)
It was like we were just going through the motions, and just like us the engine wouldn’t start.
Traveler: “Yes, seems that way. But that’s alright. I’ll end my travels.”
He lovingly patted the fuselage of the plane, then dropped himself into the sand.
Traveler: “I got this from the prince, and travelled around the world. Those days were like a dream…”
Ster: “I’m sorry I couldn’t fix it.”
Traveler: “What are you saying!? You gave me the best ending to the best journey.”
Ster: “The best? …even though I couldn’t grant your wish?”
Traveler: “It would have been nice if you could have, but I was able to get something even better. You and that young miss giving it your all with me… Thinking back on this moment, I can feel that sense of warmth at any time. There’s no better way to end a journey.”
The man smiled in delight, and happily closed his eyes.
Ster: “…”
(Ster is smiling…)
Traveler: “Oh, that’s the smile of a lady-killer. Miss, haven’t you completely fallen for him?”
OO: “Eh, I…!”
(But…)
The smile was faint.
Just seeing Ster’s smile like that brightened my heart so much.
Ster: “It may not be a pleasant experience…but I can send you as far as your own planet if you’d like.”
Traveler: “That’s alright, my friends should be here soon enough, but I appreciate the offer. I’ll just stay here with this one for a little while longer. …Ah! I know. Would you two take a photograph with me? In commemoration of this day as the end of my travels.”
Ster: “A photograph…?”
Traveler: “There’s a mechanism you put on the ground with a thing called a camera. Well, it’s like an impromptu portrait.”
The man took out an appropriate stand for the camera, then gently set the camera on it.
Traveler: “Alright, now just stand still!”
…
……
Then, after we’d returned to Meteobel Castle…-.
OO: “Ster, here…”
I did my best to hold back the smile I felt bubbling to the surface.
Ster: “…oh leave it alone.”
The photo of the three of us was developed, and between me and the man who were both smiling stood Ster, stiff as a board.”
Ster: “It was my first time alright? Having my picture taken or whatever.”
He took the photo from my hand and put it in his pocket.
Ster: “It’s an interesting piece of technology…”
He often looked at the camera he’d gotten, peering into the lens.
OO: “Then let me take another one. This time you have to smile, okay?”
I jokingly moved to take the camera from Ster’s hand and…
OO: “Ster…?”
I wondered why he gently placed the camera on the desk, then he turned me around so my back was to him.
Ster: “More importantly…”
Ster pulled me into a deep embrace from behind.
OO: “Ah…”
He placed a kiss on the nape of my neck, and I felt a sweet numbness spreading through my body.
Ster: “There’s something I want to tell you.”
OO: “Eh…?”
Ster: “What you said to me before. That even without my powers, I could make people smile if I gave it my all. I was always happy seeing other’s smiling, even when I was distressed. But you know…now I understand. The smile I want to see most is yours.”
OO: “Ster…”
Ster: “I’ve always thought about this since I was a kid. Why was my lifespan so short even when I had been born into a family with this kind of power? I wondered why I had even been born.”
His lips followed up my neck…then finally he gently kissed near the base of my ear.
Ster: “I’m sure I was born to grant your wishes.”
OO: “…”
Ster: “Forever after…I’ll use every bit of this life you gave me. I want to grant your wishes. I want to see you smile.”
His sweet whispers mixed with the loud pounding of my heart.
Ster: “Smile for me…”
Saying as much, he held out a small bunch of flowers.
OO: “These are…”
Ster: “I picked them in the garden just now. I wanted to give you real flowers. When they wilt…I’ll pick more for you. I’ll do it as many times as you want, so I can see your smile.”
With those words, he smiled at me affectionately.
OO: “Ster…”
(What do I do…I feel like I’m melting.)
His smile filled my heart with happiness.
Ster: “I love you…OO.”
The night breeze made the curtain sway gently.
I saw myself reflected in his eyes, holding the small bunch of flowers, and I smiled in delight.
END