Mina and the Star Key, Part 9: The Star Beneath the Leaf

Mina and the Star Key, Part 9: The Star Beneath the Leaf

The Story Begins

That evening, the garden beside the house was very quiet. Tiny drops of dew glittered on the grass, and a thin moon already shone above the fence.

Mina stepped over the stones in her red boots. In the pocket of her cardigan, a little silver star key warmed her gently. A moment earlier, a small, unassuming door had appeared in the old wall, and the key had quietly opened it. Beyond it was the same garden, and yet a little different. The leaves were bigger, the moss was softer, and the air smelled of mint.

Piko fluttered near her ear. His round little body glowed with warm golden light.

“It’s very rustly here tonight,” he whispered.

“But the wind isn’t blowing,” Mina said.

Just then, a big green leaf beside the path moved. It was not a loud rustle. Only a tiny one: shh.

Mina stopped. The leaf moved again, although the air around it was perfectly still.

“Maybe there’s a little bug living underneath it,” Mina said, slowly kneeling down.

Piko landed on her shoulder. Together, they lifted the edge of the leaf just a little.

There was no little bug underneath.

There was a tiny star. It had five round points and shone so faintly that its light was like a small spark from a lamp. Beside it lay a drop of dew, round and bright as a glass marble.

“Hello,” Mina said quietly. “Did you fall from the sky?”

The little star opened its tiny eyes.

“I’m not lost,” it murmured. “I’m just tired.”

Mina looked up. There were many stars in the deep blue sky. One shone, another glowed, and a third twinkled beside the moon.

“Then we’ll put you back!” she said at once. “Piko, will you help me? We can find a tall tree. Or a hill. Or a long branch!”

The little star curled up a little.

“Not now,” it whispered. “My light is still sleepy.”

Mina held out her hands, but then stopped. The little star looked as though it did not want to move at all. It was not sad. Just very, very tired.

“But you’ll feel better in the sky,” Mina said more softly.

Piko circled in the air, then settled back on her shoulder. With one wing, he pointed to the big leaf above the little star.

“Quiet makes good shade,” he whispered.

Mina looked at the leaf. It was broad, smooth, and strong. Beneath it was a pleasant dimness. The drops of dew along its edge did not move at all.

“It’s like a little house,” she said.

The little star only blinked slowly.

“What would help you?” Mina asked.

“A soft place,” said the little star. “And nothing fast.”

Mina knew just what to do.

A few steps away, she found a big purple petal that had fallen from an evening flower. It was soft as a little pillow. Then she gathered a few thin blades of grass. She did not pull up many, only the ones already lying on the ground. At last, she carefully scooped up one round drop of dew on the tip of a leaf.

Piko lit her way, but he did not tell her what to do. He only fluttered his wings once when the petal began to roll over a pebble.

“Don’t run away, little petal,” Mina giggled, pressing it down with her palm.

Beneath the big leaf, she made a little nest. She placed the blades of grass at the bottom, laid the purple petal on top, and left the drop of dew beside it.

“You can lie here,” she said.

When Things Start to Change

She did not pick up the little star. She simply waited.

After a while, the little star moved by itself. It tipped one way, then the other, until at last it rested on the petal. Its points nestled comfortably into the soft grass.

“The dew is cool,” it whispered.

“And the leaf gives you shade,” Piko added.

The little star closed its eyes. Its light did not go out; it simply breathed slowly. It grew a little brighter, then softened again.

Mina sat beside the leaf. First she hugged her knees and watched the little star. Then she looked up at the sky. She wanted to know whether it was ready. She wanted to ask. She wanted to do something.

But Piko put a wing to his mouth.

“Are we waiting?” Mina whispered.

Her little friend nodded.

So they waited.

Meanwhile, a little cricket chirped in the grass. Somewhere beyond the wall, a bush rustled. The moon moved only a little, but Mina noticed. Suddenly, even the big leaf no longer seemed so big. It was simply calm.

After a while, a warmer light began to glow beneath it.

The little star opened its eyes. Its points gleamed gold, and tiny sparks began to float above the petal.

“It’s easier to breathe now,” it said.

Mina smiled, but she still did not hurry.

“Would you like to rest a little longer?” she asked.

The little star rose on its own. At first, only as high as a finger’s width. Then a little higher.

“Now I can.”

Piko clapped his wings so softly that it sounded like whispering leaves.

The tiny star rose above the big leaf. It circled over Mina, over Piko, and over the soft nest made from the petal.

“Thank you for the quiet,” it said. “And for the time.”

Then it flew higher. It was neither quick nor sudden. It rose calmly until it joined the other stars. For a moment, it shone more brightly than before.

A thin golden line stretched from its light across the garden. It ran past the mint, through a low stone arch, and ended at a small dark corner behind the old bench. There, another gentle light flickered for a moment.

Mina watched it with her chin raised.

“Maybe someone there needs peace too,” she said.

Piko settled on her shoulder. “Maybe. But not today. It is already night.”

That seemed right to Mina.

The little door in the wall closed softly. At the same moment, the silver star key stirred gently in the pocket of her cardigan and settled snugly inside.

Mina made her way home through the quiet garden. Above her, the rested star shone, and beneath her feet, the grass rustled softly.