Of Shooting Stars & Pixie Dust: Sounds Like Love

Prologue- The Tale Collector's Journey

Prologue- The Tale Collector's Journey

A lifetime of pain and loneliness had brought the cloaked figure to the beach with the dazzling, glowing blue sand. A natural world explanation was that it was bioluminescent phyto plankton that made the sand on the beach light up with that unforgettable aqua blue. But the figure knew better. He knew what was beyond and under the sea. The man had followed every trail he could and had investigated every whisper of a tale and it all led him to this beach. He wore a long black cloak that he knew made him stand out. But, if he was honest with himself he'd been standing out from the moment he'd been brought to life.

His heart began to race as he felt flashes of years past fill him with faint memories. Memories that were growing brighter and clearer with every step he took. The aqua blue glow was the same type of blue glow that had surrounded her. Of that he was sure. If he closed his eyes he could almost make out her smiling face. And so he did just that. He closed his eyes and felt the world around him come alive as if it was trying to help him remember. As if it was telling him he was in the right place. He heard the waves crash against the rocks in the distance. He felt the spray of the water land softly on his face as if they were hundreds of soft kisses promising answers and a happy ending. If he really listened he could almost hear some singing in the distance. Something was singing. Or someone. If he believed the tales.

His heart yearned to believe. When he was little he had. He had believed it all without a doubt. But part of growing up in this world was learning that when you needed magic most to fix the horrors of life, it was never there. How could you believe in magic when so much tragedy filled the world? His whole life he'd felt like something was missing and then when he'd wished upon a shooting star and the star had granted him his wish; he'd believed. His suspicions had been confirmed. Magic was real and had given him what he wanted most. But what no one had warned him about was that he would still spend the rest of his life still feeling like something was missing. A family. A home. The ability to love and be loved. And then as he grew older he'd been cursed with a task.

Collecting all these tales that proved magic was real. He hoped the tales led him to the answers of his own life. He hoped the answers led him to happiness. Even though to the world he presented himself as someone that didn't believe, in his heart he believed. Of course he did. Magic had given him his wish once. Magic could grant him a new wish if he just found it.

And so everything had led him to the beach. He dropped down on the sand and felt the soft warmness of it cushion his fall as he took off his black boots. He took off his socks and let his toes be engulfed in the sand. He let out a laugh and immediately felt embarrassed. He looked around to make sure no one was around. There was a beautiful house that overlooked the sea that was further down the beach. House wasn't even an accurate word for the place. He felt it was more of a palace. What a beautiful house and how lucky the people that lived there must be to wake up every morning to this view but also to be able to go to bed with the magic of the beach. He picked up some of the sand and the glowing continued and his heart began to race again. Out of the inner pocket of his cloak he took out a small book. He opened it and placed the sand in the book.

"Awaken Perfidiosus," he whispered to the book who suddenly let out a long yawn followed by a cough as the book spit out the sand.

"Don't put it in me! I almost choked!" the book exclaimed and he rolled his eyes.

"You're a book, how can you choke?"

"Oh shut up, are you at the beach?"

"Of course, hence the sand."

"Alright, alright no need to snap at me," Perfidiosus spoke.