Mira had always believed that stars were wishes that had learned how to shine.
Every night, she climbed onto the roof of her little house and counted them. But on the night before her eighteenth birthday, one star suddenly fell from the sky.
It landed in the forest behind her home.
Curious, Mira followed its silver trail through the trees. At the center of the forest, she found a glowing boy lying beneath an ancient oak. His eyes were bright as starlight, and a tiny golden mark shone on his palm.
“Who are you?” Mira whispered.
“I’m Orion,” he replied. “And I’m not supposed to be here.”
Before Mira could ask another question, the forest began to shake. Dark shadows crawled between the trees.
Orion stood and reached for her hand.
“The shadows are looking for me. If they catch me, your world will lose its last star.”
Mira was frightened, but she refused to let go.
Together, they ran toward the highest hill. As the shadows surrounded them, Mira remembered something her grandmother had once told her:
*Even the smallest light can defeat the deepest darkness.*
Mira placed her hand over Orion’s glowing palm.
A brilliant light burst across the sky.
The shadows vanished.
When Mira opened her eyes, Orion was gone. Above her, a new constellation had appeared—a boy holding hands with a girl.
From that night onward, whenever Mira felt lonely, she looked up.
And somewhere among the stars, Orion was always shining back.
