Adele's Stories

I sat in the shade of my tree lost in a book. I didn’t even notice when the cook called me in for dinner until she came over and clapped in front of my face. “You better get in here Daniel before you’re late for dinner again!” she called and disappeared back inside. I jumped up leaving my shoes and book behind. I didn’t have time to change before bursting into the dinning room. My father looked me up and down and shook his head. 

My face reddened a little and I took a seat at the table. We ate in silence. After dinner mother scolded me on my appearance and sent me outside to retrieve my shoes. As I picked them up I looked into the branches of my tree. It was the biggest tree in the orchard, but it was a few feet away from the other trees. It had been here since my father was a boy and I loved it most, because it was separated from the others. It’s kind of how I felt living in this big manor away from everyone else. 

As I looked into the bows I noticed a little girl standing on one of the branches looking into the sky. The first star had come out and was shining on the tree and making the girl’s blonde hair look almost silver. She was a few years younger than me, about ten or eleven. She wore a white dress that floated around her knees. She was looking at the sky with her eyes closed and a small smile on her face. 

I barely dared to breathe as I watched her. I knew I should say something, but I couldn’t find the words. Suddenly she opened her eyes and looked down at me. Her eyes were such a startling blue and they almost glowed. My breath caught in my throat. The girl smiled down at me. I couldn’t help but smile back. 

Suddenly my mother’s voice rang from the back porch. I looked away from the girl. I could just barely see my mother’s silhouette. When I looked back the girl was gone and a faint silver light glowed where she had stood. Baffled, I walked slowly back to the house. 

“What took you so long? Oh my, Daniel, your feet are covered in mud! Into the bath immediately then straight to bed.” 

“There was a girl in the tree.” I said. 

“What nonsense. Off to the bath.” my mother waved off my comment. 

“But there was! I saw her. She was there one second and gone the next.” I persisted. 

“Daniel, you are far too old to be telling these tall tales. Off to the bath immediately!” 

I gave up and ran upstairs. I barely slept that night still thinking about the girl. The next morning after breakfast I went to the tree. As I looked up there she was again. This time she was sitting on a branch letting her legs hang off. She smiled down at me. 

“There you are. I’ve been waiting for you.” she said. Her voice was soft and silky. 

“You’ve been waiting for me?” I was shocked. “Why?” 

She shrugged. “Because.” 

“What is your name?” I asked after a moment of puzzled silence. 

“Star.” she said. 

“What an unusual name!” I exclaimed. 

“Do you not like it?” she asked innocently. 

“Oh no!” I replied quickly. “I like it very much. It suits you.” 

She smiled again. Star jumped off the branch and landed gracefully on the ground in front of me. I was too shocked to speak. “Come with me.” She took me by the hand and led me into the orchard. Even in daylight her hair had a silver hue and her blue eyes glowed. Her bare feet didn’t make a sound on the soft ground. 

I didn’t speak as she led me to the back of the orchard. She led me over to a small tree with white blossoms. I tilted my head. “It hasn’t bloomed yet.” I said. “It should have bloomed by now.” 

Star looked up at the tree proudly. “Yes. But when it does, the apples will be sweeter than any others in the orchard.” She reached up and touched a blossom. A silver light spread throughout the flower. 

“Who are you?” I finally asked. 

“I told you. I’m Star.” 

“Yes I know your name, but what were you doing in my tree?” 

“Your tree? That is my tree.” she said. 

“Yours? How can it be yours? It’s in my orchard.” I turned to look at her but she was gone again. The silver light from the blossom had spread and now the entire tree was glowing a soft silver. I shook my head and went back to my tree. I looked into the bows hopping to see Star, but she was gone. 

I sat quietly for a while at dinner, but eventually I couldn’t take it anymore. “There was a girl in the tree today.” 

“Again with this nonsense Daniel? I thought we were past this.” my mother said. 

“But I saw her. And I talked to her. Her name’s Star.” 

“Star!” my mother said aghast. “What a ridiculous name.” 

“What’s all this?” my father asked. 

“I met a girl today. She was sitting in the tree.” 

My father shook his head. “Impossible. No mere girl could climb over our fence.” 

I opened my mouth to speak, but my father held up a hand to silence me. I leaned back and crossed my arms. The next day was apple picking day. Everyone except my parents were outside in the orchard with baskets. My parents refused to let me help so I wandered around aimlessly. Finally I made it to the back of the orchard. I found the tree Star showed me and was shocked to find it had bloomed in just one night. 

I picked the nearest apple and took a bite. It was the sweetest apple I had ever tasted. I picked another and headed back to eat them under my tree. After I finished my second a voice came from above me. 

“I told you they’d be sweet.” I looked up to see Star sitting on the branch above me. I leapt to my feet. 

“How did you get here without anyone seeing?” I asked. 

“Well it was easy.” she said with a laugh. It was very musical and melodic. I decided it was no use to keep asking. 

“Where did you go last night?” I finally asked. 

“Home.” was her reply. 

“Home? Where do you live?” 

“Where do you think I live?” she asked, tilting her head at me. 

“How should I know?” I retorted. She laughed again. 

“I believe you’ll figure it out eventually.” she gracefully leapt down from the branch. 

“Would you like to see something beautiful?” she asked. I almost responded that nothing was more beautiful than her. But I just nodded my head. She took my hand and led me into the orchard. But when she got to the back she just kept going. We made it to the fence and she walked along it for a minute. Then she stopped and pointed to a hole at the bottom. 

“Crawl through there.” she said. I stared at her. 

“You can’t be serious. I’d never fit.” I protested. 

“Yes you will.” she replied. 

“How do you know?” 

Star just smiled warmly. Finally I sighed and did as she said. And to my surprise, I fit. When I got out on the other side Star was already there. Before I could say anything she turned and headed into the forest. We walked to a clearing with a small pond in the middle and lilies floating on top. 

“Is this it? It is very beautiful. I guess.” 

Star laughed her musical laugh. “This isn’t it. At least not yet.” she said. She sat down and after a few minutes I joined her. I got the feeling we were waiting for something, so I stayed patient. Eventually the sun went down and the stars came out. That’s when I saw it. 

The starlight poured in generously through the canopy above and danced upon the water. The pond glittered and shone and the lilies were no longer white. The light played with them and one moment they were silver the next a pretty blue or purple or even pink. I turned to look at Star. Her hair was silver in the light and her eyes glittered and glowed. My heart soared. 

I saw her everyday after that. Sometimes we would walk through the orchard or we would go back to the pond, and she always showed me something beautiful. I gave up trying to figure her out. I realized I didn’t need to. She was wonderful just the way she was. 

Even if she wasn’t there, I was still outside among the trees and flowers never wanting to leave them. My parents didn’t feel the way I did about the great outdoors. They did everything they could to keep me inside, but I evaded each one. 

One day Star and I were sitting in my tree and watching the sunset. 

“Star. What did you mean when you said this was your tree?” I asked. I hadn’t asked her this for a long time, but I felt it was time. I think she did too because she actually gave me an answer. 

“As long as this tree is here, then I will be also.” that was the last she said before she left again. I never saw her leave and I never know where she goes or when she will be back. I just always hang on to the hope that I will see her again. 

But one day my parents finally had enough. I came outside just after the sun was up and saw my father talking to two men holding a saw next to Star’s tree. My heart leapt into my throat and I rushed towards them. 

“Father, what is going on?” I asked, trying to keep the emotion out of my voice. 

“Daniel, you will be thirteen next month. It’s time you started becoming a gentleman. This tree is holding you back. It must go.” he said. This time I didn’t hold back. 

“But you can’t! It has to stay or she’ll leave!” I screamed. 

“Is this about that girl again?” he shook his head. “Just another reason the tree has to go.” He gave the signal to the two men and they began to cut. I almost screamed. There was a flash of silver and blonde among the orchard trees and I chased after it. I followed Star through the orchard. Eventually I took her by the arm to stop her. 

“Please Star, you can’t go, I need you!” I pleaded with tears streaming down my face. She smiled at me. 

“No Daniel,” she said softly, “you don’t need me any more. But I’ll alway be watching you. And you can see me whenever you want. You just have to find my home.” she said. More tears slipped down my face. The silver hue slowly drained out of her and she got paler and paler by the second, but her smile never wavered. 

“But where is your home?” I asked sniffling. 

“I told you. You’ll figure it out.” she said. 

“Please don’t go.” I pleaded again. She put a hand against my cheek. She began to fade until it was just silver smoke in front of me. I stifled a sob and walked back home. 

As the years went by I would sometimes question whether or not she was real, then I’d look into the night sky and know she was real. And she was right. I did figure out where she lived, and I smiled up at her every night. When I turned twenty and took over the manor I planted a new tree next to her’s. And ten years later my own kids played beneath it. 

I showed them all the special things I learned from Star and let them play for as long as they wanted. And then one day my eldest son came inside claiming to have seen a girl in the tree.