The Star Weaver

The Four Celestials

The first memory that Asteria had, was of the Sun falling from its place in the sky. It was a sudden and terrifying thing, that plunged the world into darkness and sent the little seven-year-old girl running to her mother, screaming and crying with fright. Mrs.Vefari, ever the picture of bravery, had scooped her little daughter up, hugging her close. "Hush now, Asteria." The woman whispered in her soft almost angelic voice. "The Sun Master's rage will not fall upon you, little one. After all, it is the Star Weaver whom he seeks."

Tears, winding down her cheeks like small rivers, dripped off of Asteria's chin as she tried to make out her mother's face through the darkness. She had never before heard of the Sun Master or the Star Weaver, and the unfamiliar names momentarily distracted her from her fear. "W-why is the Sun Master looking for the Star Weaver? Was he the one who took away the Sun?"

"Yes, little one." Her mother cooed, her fingers running through Asteria's long brown hair. "But he'll bring it back, he always does." There was a moment of silence as Mrs. Vefari slowly began to walk, winding her way through the darkness like the medium of an expert weaver. There was a small shift in her mother's stance, followed by the creak of a heavy wooden door swinging open. The harsh crunch of dirt and rocks turned to the sound of soft leather shoes tapping across a wooden floor, the only sign that they were no longer outdoors.

It was only when the woman had come to a sudden stop, setting Asteria gently into what felt like a chair, that Mrs. Vefari spoke again. "Let me tell you a story." Her voice floated softly through the dark, and for a split second, it was almost as if the blackness around them had begun to slowly fade. Asteria tried to look a bit closer, to see if her eyes had been deceived but before she had the chance, there was the small sputter of an igniting flame, and the darkness retreated to the edge of the room. Her mother's face bore a soft expression as she continued speaking, her features lit mysteriously by the flicker of the candle. "A story of the Star Weaver and her never-ending feud with the Sun Master. . . "

Asteria had always liked stories, and she nodded eagerly as her mother drew her into her arms, rocking her slowly back and forth as they stared at the flame. "Once upon a time, when our world had just begun to turn, there were four Celestials. From where they came no one knows, but they crafted the world that we know today.

The first to come to our little planet was described as a man of stone. I have been told that he was smart beyond his years, but kind to his very core, in a way that only a precious few ever manage. When his feet met the surface of our Earth, he was met with only emptiness as no life had yet been established. This was a fact that he could not bear, as silence was something that he had never grown accustomed to, and so he sank his tall and winding staff into the barren soil, and from it, sprung the life and sound that now makes up each and every living thing on the surface of our lovely planet. That stone man is now known as the Earth Watcher, who still looks after us from afar, happy to see his gift so well received. He watches us from his palace in the sky, which he later made larger so that the other Celestials could join him in living there while also looking after their creations.

The second Celestial was a woman of Shadows and Secrets. It is believed that she came to our world by chance, and chose to give us something between a gift, and a curse. Unlike the Earth Watcher, she had nothing physical to give to our soil, as she was not one for carrying possessions. But she had a talent for words. It was said that she could make events happen simply by speaking them. So, as her contribution to our planet, she spoke darkness into existence, her jealous words covering the gift that the Earth Watcher had bestowed on our people. This woman is called the Shadow Keeper, and like the man of stone who preceded her, she too watches our planet from a distance, grudgingly accepting a room in the Earth Watcher's palace. Her sharp unforgiving eyes cast secrets into our hearts, and make us lie to those we love.