Maya curled up on the front steps, knees pressed to her chest. A blackbird trilled its final song from the oak branch above. The porch light flickered once, then went dark.
Maya pressed her palm against the warm wooden step. A single star pricked the sky, bright and steady. She traced it with her finger, then pointed to a second star further left.
A third star appeared, forming a thin line across the dark. One star winked out, then popped back on. Maya giggled and waved at the sky.
Maya climbed onto the porch railing and stretched her arm toward the sky. The star line shivered, then pulled taut, glowing like a silver thread. It hummed faintly, like a tuning fork pressed to glass.
Maya sat back down and wrapped her arms around her knees. The star thread glowed softly overhead, connecting the blackbird's branch to her porch step. She rested her cheek against the warm wood.
The blackbird settled into the leafy oak branches. Crickets chirped in the quiet yard around the house. Stars hummed softly overhead in the dark, lighting the way.
She thought about how the stars seemed closer now. They seemed to keep watch just for her. Maya smiled, her breathing slow and even in the quiet dark.
The silver star thread glowed overhead all night, a gentle silver ribbon in the dark. Maya slept curled on the porch steps, dreaming under the humming stars.