Pip squeezed his light into a bright circle, then pushed harder until it shrank to a tiny, soft yellow blink. The other stars laughed. Pip turned away.
Pip puffed his chest and bounced on his pointy tip, but his blink stayed stubbornly small. 'I am too small,' he whispered, and slipped behind the cloud.
The cloud felt cool and damp against his light. High below, a little child on Earth looked up and pointed.
'Look at that tiny star — it winks like a friend just for me,' a little child's voice floated down. Pip peeked out from behind the cloud.
The words felt like a warm breeze. His blink flickered into a wink. He pushed his glow upward, brighter and brighter.
Pip glowed a little brighter, his yellow light dancing across the dark sky. The other stars' circles dimmed, and their giggles turned to surprised sighs.
Pip wasn't the biggest star, but he was the winking star, and he glowed just for the child below.
Far below, the child smiled and waved. The tiny star winked back — bright, happy, and just right.