Chapter 637: The man searching for a star
Brilliant meteors streaking across the night sky were rare even on Earth, in the greater universe, let alone in this world.
So when the meteor appeared, it was not only the children who grew wildly excited. Even the well-traveled Xivier was astonished. As it fell, she could not help standing on tiptoe, looking along its path to see where it would land.
So close!! Yet so far away.
That was what Xivier thought, and there was no contradiction in it. The fiery light trailing the meteor had even brightened part of the little town.
But close was only a relative term. This place had no saying about a horse running itself to death trying to reach a mountain that looked near, but it had similar proverbs. Xivier understood that well.
"I wonder if that star has died..."
Xivier murmured amid the children's excited chatter. Their keen ears caught her words, and the noisy merriment suddenly quieted.
The kindhearted children grew downcast too. Their people believed that many wondrous things were alive, including the stars in the sky.
Xivier watched the meteor's light gradually vanish beyond the horizon, then looked down at the children and reached out to pat their heads.
"All right, everyone, go home to bed. It's getting late. The star will be fine. Perhaps after resting on the ground for a while, it will find a way back into the sky."
"Mm..." "Okay!!"
"See you tomorrow, everyone!!!"
"See you tomorrow, Nono!!" "See you tomorrow, Little Tree!!"
The little friends jumped off the great haystack, waved goodbye in twos and threes, and headed home.
Xivier climbed down from the haystack too. She dusted off her hands, picked up the oil lamp from the ground, and lifted its shade. Her finger