A Trail Of Stars

Once there was a girl called Pearl, an orphan who lived with her wicked Aunt and her three ugly cousins.

They didn't call her Pearl, however, because they thought that too nice a name for her; they called her Pebble because Pebbles are common stones that one finds in the street.

The poor girl had a terrible life living with her evil relatives; they made her dress in rags and eat scraps and left overs, while they all wore fancy dresses and dined on delicious food; they made her work as their slave, doing all the household chores while they sat around and did nothing and, at night, they locked her in the cold Attic with only a ragged blanket to cover her and without even a candle to see by.

The girls only consolation was that there was a big window in the Attic and, at night, from where she lay, she could see the stars and the big, full moon shining bright.

Sometimes she would count the stars; sometimes when the moon was very bright, she would dance in the moonlight and sometimes, when she saw a shooting star go by, she would even make a wish upon it.

"Oh I wish that my parents were alive", she would say, "Or that my Aunt and My cousins weren't so cruel or that I could escape from here to some nicer place where I was loved".

One night however, it was New Years Eve and her Aunt and Sisters were celebrating downstairs, while she was making a wish upon a shooting star, something very strange happened for, all at once, she saw the star change direction in the sky and then, rather than falling to Earth it came whizzing towards the attic window, getting bigger and bigger and glowing brighter and brighter as it got closer.

"Oh no", she said, hiding under her blanket, "I hope it doesn't come crashing through the window and hit me".

But the shooting star did not come crashing through the window.

Instead, to Pearls amazement, when it came close to the window, the window opened for it and the star, as gently as a fire fly buzzing, flew into the attic and landed on the floor.

Then, as if that was not amazing enough, the star started to turn into a man, its five star points becoming two arms, two legs and a head then the man, who was all dressed in clothes of shining silver said,

"Don't be afraid, Pearl. That is your name isn't it?".

The girl nodded.

"Who are you?", she asked, timidly, still hiding under her blanket.

"I'm your lucky star", said the man, "And tonight the stars heard your wish".

"They did?", asked Pearl, throwing off the blanket and smiling.

"Yes, so now I have to get you ready", said the Star.

"Ready? For What?", asked Pearl.

"For the big New Years Eve party that the Prince is holding at his palace. All the finest young ladies in the land will be there because the one that the Prince likes will be the one he chooses to marry", said the Star.

"Oh but I can't go to a party", said Pearl, "I haven't anything to wear?".

"Thats why I have to get you ready", said the Star.

Then the man took out a pair of silver scissors and, stretching his arm up into the night sky, snipped away a square of it that he pulled down, and then, with moonlight for thread and a silver twinkle for a needle he quickly made a dress of black velvet covered in sparkling stars for Pearl to wear, then he plucked down a bunch of the brightest stars and made them into a tiara for her head and diamond covered slippers for her feet.

And when she was all dressed in her sparkly outfit, the man pulled down the moon and made a golden carriage from it and catching six shooting stars in the palm of his hand, made them into white horses to pull the carriage.

Then carrying Pearl he flew down out of the window of the attic to where the carriage was waiting and, as if by magic, the door of the carriage opened.

"But just remember, Pearl", he said, "You must leave the Prince's party before the stroke of midnight for when the clock strikes twelve then the magic will wear off".

As she got into the carriage, its door closed again behind her and then, fast as a firework that shoots into the sky on New Years Eve, the carriage flew off down the street and, it went so fast that, before long it was infront of the palace.

Then, entering the Palace, Pearl was lead by the Princes servants into a big ballroom where an orchestra was playing and lords and ladies in fancy ballgowns and uniforms were waltzing round and round.

The moment that she entered the ballroom however, all eyes were drawn to her glittering star covered dress and everyone wondered who she could be.

"She must be a Princess surely", people said, whispering to each other,"With a dress like that".

Then the prince, thinking that Pearl was very beautiful and bowing courteously to her asked her if she would care to dance.

"Gladly", said Pearl and then, round and round the ballroom they waltzed together and Pearl was so happy that it almost felt as if they both waltzing upon air.

But then, just as it felt as if all her dreams and wishes had come true, suddenly she heard the sound of a bell chiming and, looking at a big clock on the wall realized that it was almost midnight.

"I have to go", she said to the Prince, tearing herself away from him.

"But don't you even want to stay and see the fireworks?", he asked.

"No, I have to get back home", she said, panicking.

"Well at least tell me your name", pleaded the Prince.

But there was no time, Pearl had to get back to her Aunts house before midnight because she knew that, if she didn't, the stars magic would wear off.

Infact she was in such a rush to get home that she forgot all about her golden carriage and ran all the way instead.

The Prince sighed unhappily for he was sure that he had found the Princess of his dreams, the girl that he wanted to marry and yet he did not know her name or where she lived.

Just then, however, looking down at where Pearl had been standing, he saw a trail of glittering stars upon the floor.

"They must have fallen off of her dress", he said.

And indeed they had. As the magic had started to wear off the stars that covered Pearls black velvet dress had fallen off one at a time so that, by the time she had reached the house of her Aunt and crept past her and her neices who were loudly snoring, drunklenly sleeping after their new years party, up the stairs to her attic, there was a long trail of glowing stars leading from the palace to her house.

And it was this trail of stars that the Prince followed, glowing so brightly that even in the dark of night he could see them clearly, all the way to Pearls house and up the stairs to her attic.

When Pearl saw the Prince entering the attic she hid herself in shame behind her ragged old blanket.

"Please", she said, "Don't look at me. I'm not what you think. I'm not a princess or a rich lady. I'm just a poor orphan girl".

It was so dark in the attic that the Prince had to pick up one of the stars from the floor and use its light to see by but when he saw Pearls face illuminated by it he smiled and said,

"I do not care if you are the poorest girl in the world, you are still the brightest star in heaven to me; the girl I want to be my princess".

And the next day, in a big Cathedral in the centre of the city, Pearl's Lucky star walked her up the aisle in a beautiful wedding gown and then she and the Prince were married.

Her wicked Aunt and Cousins were not so lucky, for the Prince, when he found out how cruel they had been to the girl he loved, had them locked in a dark dungeon with not even the stars to look upon but Pearl and Prince lived happily ever after.