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It was dry, but the clouds still hung heavy above the village all day while Tiffany toiled on the docks. While most people were grateful for a break from the sun's rays, she wasn’t nearly as thrilled when the sunset and the clouds made it clear they weren’t leaving.
Trying to clean the grease off a day of grease and oil Tiffany was only half listening to her baby sister while she lamented and wailed about the thick clouds. “Oh come off it, Angel. We’ve been through this countless times. We won’t be able to see the stars tonight, but it’ll probably clear up by morning.”
“The stars aren’t coming back, Taffy!” She cried and fell back onto the bed. “What if the clouds never leave? The stars will be gone forever!”
Drying her face Tiffany looked over the towel at her sister before sitting across from Angel on her own bed. Sighing she leaned against the wall and tilted her head back against it. How many times had they had this conversation? How many more times would they until Angel stopped crying that the clouds covered the night sky?
Tiffany loved the stars too. It was relaxing, watching them twinkle and fade and remember all the stories she’d learned. So many stories. Being gone for five years, she’d learned even more. They’d been going over them at night to help them both sleep. But, “You know they’ll be back, Angel. It just might be a few days until they do.”
“But what if they get lost?”
“They can’t get lost.”
“How do you know? What if they lose their way with all the clouds?”
“Do you forget the stories I tell you?” Tilting her head up she smiled when Angel shook her head. “Of course not.” Pulling herself to her feet, Tiffany sat on Angel’s bed.
“Sometimes things can get a little fuzzy.” Tugging on her arm, she bundled her little sister in her lap and held her snuggly.
“We can forget words or names, little things. But they come back to us in the end.” Looking down at Angel she ran her hand over dark blonde hair and smiled. “Sometimes they even seem brighter than before.”
“The stars are our stores. Sometimes they get a little hard to see but, they’re not completely forgotten. We remember what they look like, don’t we?”
Looking up at her big sister Angel nodded and sniffled softly, but she’d finally stopped crying now. Things weren’t so bad with Tiffany finally home.
“And when we can’t remember we don’t give up on stories, do we?”
“No! We need stories, right?” She asked as she clutched tightly to her sister’s nightdress.
With a wide grin, she nodded and bundled Angel close as she climbed onto their window sill. “That’s right,” it was a strain with the extra weight, but she pulled them both up onto the old tin roof, “not only are they fun, but they teach us things too. And give us something special to share.”
Sitting on the cold metal she cuddled Angel warmly in her lap. Holding her arms around Angel, her hands close together. Small lights began to shine brightly between her palms and she smiled when Angel gave a small laugh of delight.
Spreading her hands apart the lights spread out in front and all around them. Starlight all their own shone brightly for just them.
“So, we can always tell our own stories while we wait to remember the old ones.” Taking a small hand in her own she helped her sister find constellations, ones they had made for themselves long ago.
“Like,” she paused and rested her chin on her sister’s hair, “what about a fairy? One so brave, despite his size?” When Angel gasped and clapped her hands together she smiled softly. An old story she had retold long ago. A story an old friend had told her, recounting his grand deeds for her.
“A fairy that’s not afraid of cats, even if they swat at him and try to break his wings?”
“No! Don’t hurt the fairy!”
Laughing, she squeezed her tighter in her arms. “He always wins, remember?
“Like when he fended off the dreaded house cat that was chasing the rabbits! Fluttering in its face and making it trip into a thorn bush.”
They both giggled as the stars around them turned into a green darting light and an orange tabby that scampered silently across the tin roof as she retold that memory.
“And when he stood up against monsters much bigger than himself, even bigger than me! Great monsters with hair like vines and skin harder than tree bark that wanted to take away their home? He bravely fought them off using thorns like daggers and thistles for arrowheads!”
Their green light danced around and fought at shadows as she spoke to help recreate the story as Angel watch with rapt interest.
“And after all that, he’s still kind enough to play with children who’ve gotten lost in the woods and helps them find their way home.” She continued to spin her memories of his grand tales and Angel slowly fell asleep in her arms.
When she was finally asleep, Tiffany cradled her comfortably to fend off the chill of the night. Closing her eyes she laid her head on her baby sister’s and smiled softly. Five years was too long to be gone. She had forgotten how much she loved these moments with her sister.
“Sometimes it’s hard to see what’s important. But it’s always there, waiting until we remember again.”