Short Story: Stargazer

Darkness seeks Light

it was a lulling lust that lighted up her love

and caressed her feather soft face with its devilish whisper 

gently yet forceful, it submerged her trusting spark of a heart into its deep oceans

that darkness craved her light and her enchanting beauty

it took away from her the depths of her soul

leaving in its wake an empty shell, a mere ghost

***

There’s a little ghost I see sometimes. She’s sweet and beautiful, and she loves to dance when she eats good food. 

For the first few nights, I’d only catch a glimpse of her. Her smile, her laugh, a tiny dance. I would watch her with pure joy, happy to see these playful moments. 

But all too soon, she would notice me and disappear. She had learned to be scared of people like me. Men had hurt her, burnt her and tricked her into traps, all because they wished to capture the little ghost. 

So, for the first few nights, I would go out, just to look at the stars and I would catch glimpses of her watching the stars with me. 

Sometimes, she’d forget to be afraid and she’d stick her tongue out at me, or giggle with mischief. 

I started to see her more and more, every night looking at the stars. This poor ghost who had been hunted and hurt in all the most evil ways; she still loved to look at the stars, to see the beauty that they shine. I could see that she wished to be among them, to shine as beautifully as they did. 

I remember when she stopped running from me, when she chose to dance with me under the star light instead of scampering away in fear.

I was elated, because I knew the trust it took and how much she had to fight her own demons just to dance under the stars with someone like me. 

I wanted to protect the ghost. I didn’t want her to see the tiniest hint of evil within me, I didn’t want her to see my selfishness, my pride, or my many faults. 

I just wanted to hold her forever under the starlight. 

Inevitably, I hurt her. And I scared her back into the darkness where she hides. It was a small thing at first. I didn’t think much of it until it was too late. I took the little ghost for granted, and when the tiny evils inside me poked through, I lost her.

I cried that night, and for many nights more. Because I had promised to protect the tiny ghost, I’d promised that if I was going to do one thing right in this world, it would be dancing under the stars with her. 

I was crying when she peeked through the darkness to watch me, fighting her own battle within herself. I saw it, I saw how much it tore at her because she wanted to watch the stars with me just as much as I wanted to watch the stars with her. 

Her hand touched mine, and I looked up at the little ghost.