Short Story 2

Xiao Zhuang and the Rescue of the Fallen Star

One night, Xiao Zhuang was having a stroll with daddy at the field near the playground while enjoying the view of the stars and moon in the night sky.

After a short distance, from the corner of her eyes, Xiao Zhuang noticed a small light source amongst the grass... A faint, but definitive light.

She walked towards it cautiously, stopped to bend down to take a closer look. With her curiousity, she clasped the light source in her hands and ran towards daddy shouting "Daddy, daddy, look what I found in the grass!"

Daddy stopped walking and looked at the bright thing in the little hands of Xiao Zhuang. "My oh my, what have you got in your hands, dear?"

Only then, did Xiao Zhuang take a closer look at the thing in her hands. Despite the sharp and piercing brightness, she made it out to be of the shape of a star. "I think I have got a star!"

"Indeed it is a star. The question is why is it on the ground and not in the sky where it is supposed to be?" said daddy.

Suddenly, a sobbing cry came from the star, "I was playing catch with my other star friends but was too careless that I ran too fast and fell to the ground..."

At this point, Xiao Zhuang and daddy then understood what really happened. Daddy look at the sky and started to point in one particular direction, and ask "Did you drop from that direction?"

Xiao Zhuang also looked up into the sky and she saw a small hole in the shape of a star in the direction that daddy pointed. "Daddy, how can we help the star to go back to its place in the sky?" she asked earnestly, wanting very much to help the little fallen star.

"Let's see what we have in our magic box, it usually does the trick." said daddy. The magic box was soon taken out and opened. Within the magic box, Xiao Zhuang saw some paper, some sticks, glue and a long bundle of string.

"Daddy, I don't see how can all these things help the star get back into the sky..." pronounced Xiao Zhuang with a tone of disappointment.

"My little one, trust me. Let me show you how these can help." daddy said confidently.

He was soon at work, cutting the paper and sticks, gluing them together. Xiao Zhuang soon realised that daddy was making a kite, and that the kite would be flown into the sky which could then take the star into the sky!

With this realisation, a smile appeared on her little face and she excitedly joined daddy in the making of the kite.

In a while's time, the kite was all done and ready to take off. Xiao Zhuang was holding the kite while daddy held onto the bundle of string in preparation to fly it. "One, two, three.... let go!" was the command given by daddy.

In the same instant when Xiao Zhuang let go off the kite, a strong wind blew in the direction to bring the kite zooming up into the night sky. Co-ordinating the pulling and releasing of the string, daddy soon got the kite all the way up in the sky so high that it cannot be seen with their eyes, and also to the exact position where the hole in the sky is.

"Now, put the star on the string and give it a little push." Daddy told Xiao Zhuang. With both hands, she carefully place the star on the string and said "Here you go, little star. Be careful along the way, bye-bye!"

"Thank you, Xiao Zhuang and daddy, for helping me to get back into the sky. I will never forget you and will be looking at you from above. Bye bye."

With a slight push, the little star started to roll upwards along the string. Slowly at first, but soon gathering momentum and started to sprint back into the sky.

The star soon found its place in the sky and was placed fittingly into the hole left empty earlier. Now the sky looks complete, with all the stars and moon in place.

Strangely, the wind that supported the kite was gone immediately after, and the kite came down onto the ground. Daddy started to keep the kite while Xiao Zhuang continued to stare into the sky, feeling really pleased to be of help to the little star.

As she walked home with daddy, she turned her head to look into the sky again, and for a very short moment, she was very convinced that the little star winked at her, or rather "twinkled" at her...