Have you ever looked up into the sky at night and seen a bright star shining? Perhaps it was my sister or one of my friends. You can never tell. You perhaps think it is the same star that you notice every night. But I often wonder if you have ever seen a star fall from the sky. It is a rare sight. But I have a tale to tell you, especially for little boys and girls like you, concerning a star that fell and of what happened to her.
The other night I was lying in my bed wide awake, and I suddenly heard a funny noise down in the street, as if someone were calling, “Psst! Psst!” I jumped up in a moment, and peeped through the window. Right over the house opposite stood a light so bright that I could not look at it. “I wonder what that is,” I said to myself. But I had not to wonder long, for I soon remembered that a very bright star had chanced to light at the very same spot the night before. I jumped up quickly, dressed myself, and determined to go and find out what really had happened.
When I was dressed, I peeped once more through the window. The bright light still shone there. I ran down stairs and out into the street.
I was surprised to find that it was not very cold. Clouds were passing quickly across the sky, hiding the stars from view. But there was one star showing very bright, and shining bravely at the end of the street. It was none other than Lumi the star who had fallen. I went across to her, and said: “How is it you happen to be so far from home?”
“Well,” said Lumi, “you see, it was like this: Just before daybreak, I missed my way in the clouds, and fell down and down until I found myself lying in the garden of Mrs. Rose. It is very pleasant lying there, to be sure, but I soon grew tired. So, you see, I sang as loud and as sweet a song as I could, hoping that all the little children in the house would wake up and see me. But they did not wake. I think they must have been bad children, or they could not have helped it. So I sang once more; and suddenly all the little children came running down under the trees, and called out: “What a lovely star! What a lovely star!” I was so pleased. Now I am quite used to the place, and I really don’t know what I should do if I were to go back to my old place in the sky. Alas! There are no more children by with the same pretty names.”
“I am a child,” I said, “and I have a pretty name. You shall see.”
Quickly I raised my hand, and shouted out aloud: “So-so, oh! The bees in the hive sting me so!” And at once all the bees came buzzing round me, and hummed so happily that Lumi jumped in her delight. My name was shouted all over the countryside; but the people did not understand what it meant. Some sang a tune, but they thought I was foolish and silly. At length all the people of the town went to the church and said fine prayers, bringing all the finest words they could think of.
But they thought it was of no use, for I became a hundred times brighter than before. I felt tired, and so did the song; but Lumi would not give in. The children laughed, and danced, and shouted. Suddenly, she said: “That will do now. You may all go to bed. I thought I was going to be kept awake all night.” And with that, down she fell in a bright shower of gold into the earth in the middle of the beautiful garden, took root, and became a lovely little tree.
Now, perhaps, every time you look at the dim stars in the sky, one of them, perhaps, may be Lumi the star. And perhaps, too, they may be saying your name over and over again.