Lily knelt in the damp grass and pressed her palms to something warm. A fallen star! It pulsed softly against her hands.
She scooped it up and held it close. But the star drooped like a wilted flower, its glow growing dimmer with every step.
A red fox stepped from behind an oak. Tap, tap went his paw on the ground. He looked toward the castle spire in the distance.
Lily followed the fox through the forest. They reached a brook babbling over smooth stones.
The star wobbled in her arms. A brown rabbit hopped onto a stone and hummed. The water grew calm.
The fox leaped across with the star gently held in his teeth. Lily held her breath.
At the castle gates, the star's light was almost gone. Lily unbuttoned her coat and wrapped it around the star.
The star flared bright gold! It lifted fast, pulling at her fingertips. Come with me, it seemed to say.
The star rose swiftly toward the castle towers. Lily reached her hand as high as she could.
By morning, Lily scattered silver dust in her garden bed. Something tiny was waiting to grow.
A tiny star-shaped flower pushed through the soil. Its petals sparkled in the dawn light.
The little star flower sparkled in the garden, as bright as the one that once fell from the sky.