Fairy tales for young and old ~ English version

The Stars Shepherd

Once upon a time, in the deepest, bluest part of the ocean, there lived a mermaid named Cyrene. Her scales shimmered like the surface of the sea under the moonlight, and her voice was as melodious as the waves whispering to the shore. Her home was a palace of coral and pearl, hidden within a grove of seaweed that swayed to the rhythm of the tides. But Cyrene's most extraordinary gift was her ability to communicate with the stars, she was known across the seven seas as the Star Shepherd.

She was the guardian of all the celestial beings that twinkled in the firmament. Each night, as the sun dipped below the horizon and the curtain of twilight fell, Cyrene would ascend from her underwater realm to the surface, where the air met water, and the stars met her gaze. Her voice would rise in beautiful arcs, a symphony of longing and love, and the stars would twinkle back, sharing their tales of the cosmos with her.

The stars, those ancient travelers of the night, would sometimes lose their way, their light dimming in the vastness of space. When they fell, it was Cyrene who found them, her heart a beacon of warmth in the cold sea. She gathered them, these lost stars, with a tenderness that only a true shepherd could possess.

Cyrene knew the song of every star, each melody unique and sacred. With her voice, she wove a tapestry of sound and light, guiding the stars back to their celestial pastures. Her songs were not just heard, but felt, a symphony of vibrations that resonated through water and air, through flesh and spirit.

But not all were pleased with Cyrene's work. From the shadowy depths, a figure watched with eyes that burned with envy and malice. His name was Nocturne. Nocturne was once a star himself, one that shone with a light so brilliant it rivaled the sun. But his light was consumed, and he fell from the heavens, his brilliance extinguished, leaving him a mere shadow lurking in the ocean's darkest trenches.

Nocturne watched Cyrene with a growing resentment. He could not bear the sight of her guiding the stars, each one a reminder of what he had lost. In his heart, a plan began to form, a scheme that would put an end to Cyrene's guiding light once and for all.

As the days passed, strange occurrences began to trouble the night sky. Stars started to veer off course, their paths twisted by an unseen force. A darkness crept over the ocean, a gloom that seemed to swallow the light. Whispers among the sea creatures spoke of a shadow that moved against the current, a presence that was not of their world.

Cyrene felt the change in the tides, the shift in the stars' songs. She knew that something, or someone, was working against her. Determined to protect her celestial flock, she set out to uncover the source of the disturbance.

Her journey took her to the farthest reaches of the ocean, to places where the sun's light had never touched. There, she found the stars that had been led astray, their lights dim and flickering with fear. With gentle words and soothing melodies, she began to guide them back, her resolve unshaken by the darkness that loomed around her.

But Nocturne was not idle. He watched Cyrene's every move, waiting for the moment to strike. His opportunity came on a night when the moon was new, and the darkness was complete. With a power born of spite and sorrow, he unleashed a tempest upon the sea, a storm that roared with the fury of a fallen star.

Cyrene braced herself against the tempest's wrath, her tail coiling around a jagged rock as waves crashed over her. The sea boiled with Nocturne's fury, and the sky above was a tapestry of chaos, the stars obscured by swirling clouds. Yet, amidst the cacophony, Cyrene's voice rose, a clear, defiant call that cut through the storm.

She sang of calm seas and gentle breezes, of the steadfast light that guides sailors home. Her song was a beacon, and one by one, the stars responded. Their light pierced the darkness, small at first, then growing stronger, a chorus of celestial lights that pushed back against the night.

Nocturne's anger grew as he witnessed his storm falter. He dove into the depths, his shadowy form a blur of motion as he sought to extinguish the stars' lights himself. But the stars were no longer alone; they had Cyrene, and they had each other. They rallied, forming constellations of resistance, their combined glow a shield against the darkness.

The battle raged through the night, the outcome uncertain. As dawn approached, the first rays of the sun touched the horizon, painting the sky with hues of pink and gold. The storm began to wane, and Nocturne's power with it. As the light grew, so did the stars' courage, bolstered by the promise of a new day.

In the aftermath, as calm returned to the sea, Cyrene sought out Nocturne. She found him not as a fearsome shadow, but as a dim flicker, a remnant of the star he once was. Tears flowed from his eyes, not saltwater, but droplets of pure, celestial essence, mourning the light he had lost.

Cyrene approached him gently, her heart heavy with compassion. "Nocturne," she whispered, "why do you weep?"

Through his tears, Nocturne looked up at her, his gaze filled with the sorrow of eons. "Cyrene," he began, his voice a mere echo of the starry firmament, "I weep for the light that was once mine, for the place in the sky I can no longer find. I was not always this creature of shadow and spite. I was bright, a beacon of hope... until I was betrayed."

Cyrene listened intently as Nocturne recounted his tale. He spoke of a time when he shone proudly among his kin, a star of great renown and beauty. But envy lurked in the heart of another, a star whose light was tinged with the green of jealousy. It was this star, Nocturne revealed, who had cast him down, who had whispered lies and sown discord, leading to his fall from grace.

The revelation stirred something within Cyrene, a resolve as deep and powerful as the ocean itself. "Nocturne," she said, "your light is not lost; it has merely changed. Together, we will confront this envious star, and we will restore the balance of the night sky."

With newfound purpose, Cyrene and Nocturne set forth. They traveled through the ocean's depths and across its glittering surface, their journey a quest for justice and redemption. They reached the place where the sea touches the sky, where the horizon blurs and dreams take flight.

There, they called out to the stars, to the assembly of celestial lights that watched over the world. Cyrene's voice, pure and true, carried their plea, and the stars listened. They spoke of Nocturne's plight, of the injustice that had been done, and of the need to right the wrongs of the past.

The envious star, unable to hide any longer, was revealed in the full light of truth. It trembled, its light flickering with fear, as the other stars turned their gaze upon it. With Cyrene's guidance, they held a trial, a judgment not of vengeance, but of understanding and the chance for atonement.

In the end, it was decided that the envious star would descend to the ocean, to learn humility and compassion. And Nocturne, with the support of Cyrene and the stars, reclaimed his place in the sky. His light, once dim, now shone with a gentle warmth, a testament to his journey from darkness back to light.

Cyrene, the Star Shepherd, continued her eternal vigil, her songs a lullaby for the stars and a hymn of hope for the world below. And Nocturne, the redeemed, watched over the night with a tender glow, a guardian of the twilight, a reminder that even the darkest night can give way to the dawn.