Scattered Stars

Chapter 26

"I'm sleep walking on an ocean of happiness I cannot baptise myself in..." -Explaining my depression to my mother, by Sabrina Beniam.

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Dian

I was going through my closet when I found it, it was tucked behind the countless suits and tuxedos in the back of my walk in closet.

At first glance it looked like a normal shoe box but if you checked the sides you would see my name messily written with a black marker alongside my sister's.

I was supposed to be looking for a suit to wear tomorrow night for aunt Mia's dinner, even though I wasn't up to it. I was contemplating putting on a pair of skinny jeans and a hemp instead of an actual suit but I knew my mother would lose her shit.

I picked up the box from the shelf and walked out into my bedroom. I crossed my legs on the bed before I opened the red box.

I opened it tentatively, almost as if I was afraid the contents of the box would suddenly disappear if I opened it too quickly.

The first thing I saw were baby pictures, pictures of myself and Victoria in the bathtub. My young blue eyes, were wide with wonder as I stretched my chubby arms out towards to the bubbles that were popping on my button nose. Victoria had completely submerged her hair in the soapy water, leaving a trail of suds all over her dark blonde hair.

The were several other pictures especially those of Victoria and I, my mother insisted on having our family album digitalised and of course my father agreed, but he kept some of the pictures, these pictures.

There were even pictures of my father and I, in one picture he had draped me upon his shoulder spinning wildly, he had a mesmerising smile stretched on his face, it was stretched so far wide you could see his pearly white teeth. As soon as I felt a smile stretch on my face too, I felt guilt stab at my heart. I didn't deserve it, to smile at his joyous face, it's my fault that he can't smile anymore. I flipped the photo over before I could rip it apart to ease the guilt that was stabbing at my heart.

When I had plucked out the last picture in the box I found an old, old book that my father's father read to him and that he had read to my sister and I.

It was decorated with a dark oceanic colour blue on the back, with a trail of gold stars that started from the front to the back.

When I flipped it over, I could see the giant lighthouse that stood amidst the chaotic white waves that seemed to have been crashing on the grey rocks repeatedly.

You could see the handsome man, leaning on the palm of his hand as he supported the weight of his head on the railing of the lighthouse staring at the brightly lit night sky.

This was the story of a lonely man who spent many, many years working in a lighthouse. He was so consumed by his loneliness that he befriended and ended up falling in love with the one golden star that seemed to shine brighter than the rest, even in the most dangerous stormy and cloudy of weathers the star continued to shine.

Every night just as the sun waved him goodbye, the golden star would glide its way out of the clouds and greet the handsome man with a glimmering smile.

The old man would return the smile as he spent hours retelling his daily events to the burning star. He named her Neave.

The name was of Irish decent meaning radiant and bright. In mythology, Neave was a beautiful princess that rode a white horse with beautifully shiny and bright blonde hair. She fell in love with a man and spent countless hours with him. Just like the star.
It was said that once in every one hundred years a sparkling meteor shower would descend from the heavens and bless the sky with its beauty and one could make a wish upon the glorious shower.