Mina and the Star Key, part 11: The Path Home by Light

Mina and the Star Key, part 11: The Path Home by Light

That evening, a strip of moonlight lay on the carpet in Mina’s room. By the shelf, a little door appeared. It had a round handle and a tiny hole just right for her key.

Mina reached into the pocket of her yellow cardigan. She took out the silver star key and turned it between her fingers.

“Let’s just take a little look,” she said.

Piko nodded on her shoulder. He folded his clear wings close to his round little body.

“I can look while sitting down too.”

The key gave a quiet click in the lock. The girl opened the door, stepped over the threshold, and came out onto a soft path through short grass. Under her red boots, it felt a little springy, as if there was a thick rug beneath it. Above the grass, purple flowers with closed petals were swaying.

After a few steps, Mina looked back. Through the open door she could see the shelf, the carpet, and the corner of her bed. Her room was very close.

At the end of the short path, she stopped. On one blade of grass hung a round drop of water. It reflected Piko’s golden light and looked like a tiny lantern.

“The flowers are going to sleep too,” she whispered.

After a while, she turned toward home.

Just then, the little door began to close slowly. The strip of light from the room grew thinner. At the same time, soft dusk spread over the grass, and the path ahead of Mina was harder to see.

The girl stood still with both boots together.

“It was here a moment ago,” she said, and tilted her head. “The path.”

She knew where the door was. Only the turn between her and it blended into the grass. She still held the key in her hand. For a moment she looked at it, but it was only a plain silver key.

Piko leaned forward a little.

“Look at the small light.”

At the turn, a tiny gold dot glowed. It did not blink or fly away. Its light spread low over the ground all the way to Mina’s boots.

Now both sides of the path could be seen. In the middle was a smooth, flat stretch of path, with no stones or roots.

Mina followed the lit strip with her eyes. It began right at her feet and ended at the bend.

“Oh. This way.”

She took one step. Then another. The grass on both sides brushed softly against her boots, but under her feet the path stayed soft. Piko stayed on her shoulder and did not even flap his wings this time.

When they reached the bend, the first little light was still swaying gently by a blade of grass. Further on, there was still dusk.

Mina waited for a moment.

Suddenly, a second dot lit up a little way ahead. It showed another strip of path, curving from the bend to a wide, flat patch.

“I can see the next piece now,” she said.

First she looked down at the ground near her feet. The light from the second little dot joined the first. No dark gap was left between them.

Then she walked on.

On the left side, tiny leaves were growing. One leaf bent over the path and carried a drop at its tip. Mina walked past it carefully so her boot would not touch it.

The drop stayed in place. In its middle, a little golden spark flashed.

It reminded her of the lights she had watched before, when each one had to find its own place. Then, it was enough to slow down and notice where each thing belonged. Even now, the small lights appeared where she needed to see them.

On the wide, flat patch, she stopped comfortably. Piko shifted one little foot on her shoulder.

“My seat is moving,” he said.

Mina laughed and straightened her shoulder a little.

At that moment, the third little light glowed on the last part of the path. Its brightness reached all the way to the threshold.

The girl remembered the moon lantern. In the last adventure, its light had helped the stars find the way home. Now she was standing on a lit path herself.

These were not big lamps. Only three tiny lights, one after the other. When she looked back, she could see the first bend and the place she had just passed. In front of her was the last part.

“I can already see our carpet,” she said.

At last, she went to the little door. While she walked, the door moved a little more. It almost closed, but the opening was still wide and easy.

At the threshold, Mina stopped. She looked at the floor beyond it. She could see the wooden boards and the edge of the carpet, clear and without shadows.

Now the little door stopped moving.

The girl checked that Piko’s wings were folded in. He sat firmly on her shoulder and looked into the room.

“Let’s go,” she whispered.

First she placed one boot onto the floor of the room. Then she brought the other one in and took one more step away from the threshold. Her teal dress made a soft rustle against her cardigan.

Both feet were home now. Piko was still with her.

Only then did the little door move behind them. Slowly, it settled back into place.

Click.

Mina turned around. It was quiet by the shelf. No light came from under the door now, and no grass rustled behind it.

She opened her hand. The silver key gave one gentle glow.

“Piko, did you see?”

Her friend nodded. His black eyes watched the tiny star in her hand.

After a moment, the glow went out. It did not show a picture or another path.

Mina ran her finger along the smooth edge of the key. It opened doors to new places. But today, the lights had brought her back. Where it truly belonged, she did not know yet.

Then she put the key into the pocket of her cardigan. Through the cloth, she could feel its small star end.

She sat down on the edge of the bed. Piko settled comfortably on her shoulder and yawned.

On the carpet, the strip of moonlight still lay there. The little door by the shelf stayed closed and quiet.