the Neverthere star

She was ready to fly.

She stood as tall as she could with arms outstretched, her toes curled over the edge of the stone wall. One last wiggle of her wings and with a deep breath in she jumped.
She soared and soared then, thump...

She exhaled, rolled onto her back and opened her eyes to the darkness above. The moons’s brightness illuminated her skin and the stars twinkled across the sky.

A slow looming shadow threatened to eclipse the moon, blinking and blinking she wondered what could be switching the moon off.

‘Siri?’

‘Yes Bert’ she exclaimed

‘What are you doing?’

‘Flying to my star’

‘Which star?’
She scrabbled to her feet and looked above, her arm pointed in one direction but her head faced the other, Bert switched from fingertip to eyes to skyward.

‘The saucepan?’
She shook her head

‘The unicorn’s horn?’
She shook her head

‘It’s there Bertie’ Jabbing her finger ‘but you cant see it when you look, it hides. From the very, very corner of my eye, if i pretend not to look, i can see it peeking out and twinkling, it’s my neverthere star Bert, and i’m flying up to ask her why she hides’

Bert nodded slowly, not quite sure which way to look or what exactly to look for.
‘If she’s hiding, why would you think she wants to be found?’

Siri shrugged, ‘umm’
‘Or, maybe she’s not hiding at all, it's just that her brightness isn't for you?’

Siri sighed ‘well’

A pause.

‘Well then i’ll ask her why.’
Siri wiggled her wings and pulled them straight. Bertie smoothed them out and read.

‘There’s a tree, if we follow this path on your wings. A tree will be a better launching place than this silly little wall, you’ll be closer to the stars before even starting to fly! Come with me.’

He held his friend’s hand, she resisted and then reluctantly followed down the grassy path.
The moon and stars began to play hide and seek with a blanket of clouds.
Her eyes searched for the diminishing light as the clouds won the game.

‘I can’t see!’
She put one foot infront of the other, heel toe heel toeheeltoe as she crept forward feeling Berties loosening grip.
The grass beneath her turned to rubble, she wobbled and stumbled and crashed to the ground.

‘Bertie!’
He patted the ground, hands for eyes and found her fingertips.
Let's be bats now Siri, we can use our hands and our ears, we’re nearly there!’

They crawled in the dark, listening and feeling.

‘Are we nearly there really Bertie?’
‘Really nearly there Mothri, I promise.’
She felt the stoney ground grazing her knees and palms. She felt her breath collapse and make way for tears.
She had to stop and sigh and cry.

Tiny patters crawled over her trembling hands. Scribble scrabble over her skin, marching up her arms.

‘At night we’ll come. At night you’ll feel us’ Their feet sang
‘In your hair and between your toes. We play in the night. The darkness is ours’
She almost gave in, then with an almighty

‘RAHH!’ She jumped up
‘No! I’m a moth, I can eat you!’ A new energy filled her as she hopped from foot to foot, swooshing the night invaders from arms, shaking her hair, tears escaping.

‘Bertie Bert, why did you bring me here? I should have stayed at my wall’
She reached and stretched and squirmed her arms around her back, grabbing at her mangled wings. She sobbed.

‘I’ll never fly now!’
She began to twirl and twirl to dull the heartache.

‘Si....’
She turned ,

‘Ssir...’
She turned again,

‘Ri..’
With each rotation she heard her flickering name, Bertie was hidden but near.

Wind began a race with the clouds and they chased each other over the horizon and away, revealing the bright night sky. A ray of the moon struck her wall.

‘Siri, over here!’
With a final twirl she steadied

‘Mothri me, not Siri’ She shouted ‘I must go to my wall’

Turning her back on the echoes of her friend’s voice she skipped and flew to the light.

Clambering up the bricks, she stood once more, toes on the edge, breathing calmly, crumpled wings and arms stretched out she smiled and leaped.

‘I don’t see you, but I know where you are my neverthere star’

She sang as she flew through the night.