autor: Cosmina Jurovschi

Hope’s journey

Once upon a time there was a star. Her name was Hope.  She was living in a different place than us. She doesn’t have a house but she has her own world up there in the Universe.

She always wanted to come in our world to see how it feels to have all these nice things that we have: a car, a house, money and a heart. Some people are poor and some people are rich but that star thought that all people must have just a little bit of love inside them.

The little star planned her journey carefully before going on to the Earth. She thought about everything. She wanted to go in winter because in the summer would be too hot for her. All her friends were sad because of her unexpected idea of going away in a world too far from them. But there was no way to turn back.

The time passed and winter came down there so the star prepared everything for her journey. She said goodbye to all her friends and told them that she’ll come back if she doesn’t like there.

She’s going now, she’s almost there…10 more seconds…that’s it, and she fell into our world. She can see everything, she can hear but she can’t move. She lost her shinny life…she became a rock in the shape of a star. She was solid outside but she had life inside.

Oh, no! What did she do? She wanted to shine again. She can’t have all those things she wished for, none of them. She cannot live like a real person. What went wrong then? She was supposed to be like everyone else.

She was laying on the ground waiting for someone to notice her. All people were busy, they were just running for nothing. While she waited there she saw all the pain that people are going through. They don’t believe in magic, they don’t believe in themselves anymore. Maybe this winter didn’t freeze only the lakes maybe it froze their hearts too. They lost everything they had at the beginning of their lives. They all had a star. But Hope knew that her mission is to find the person she belonged to but how?  

The days passed and no one noticed Hope. She was hopeless now. How was she supposed to find that person? Maybe it could help her to go back home…up there. 

One day a girl passed by her and took Hope in her hands. Hope did never see such a smiley face in all her days laying on the ground waiting for somebody to pick her up. Surprising the girl began talking to her. She was talking to Hope. She told Hope her name. People used to call her Wildsmile because all people said about her that she is crazy but Hope couldn’t see anything crazy in her. She was the happiest person that she saw but she could not speak to her. L Why do people think she’s crazy? She is so kind and so loving even if she doesn’t have a house, she lives on the streets. She doesn’t have all those things people have but she has a good heart. She doesn’t have a family but she has love. She doesn’t have money but she feeds all the dogs and cats around the place. People say she is poor but she is richer that any of those people with cars and houses and money. Hope understood now what means to be truly poor and what means to be rich. It wasn’t about money it was just about your heart. Wildsmile told Hope that her parents died in a car accident and now she is alone in this big world. She wished to be a star. They are never alone, they are always together. Tears came out of Wildsmile eyes. Hope wanted to cry too but she couldn’t…she was just a rock with a heart inside that no one knew about it, maybe just Wildsmile.

Wildsmile told Hope that she used to be much happier than now. Once she had her parents with her but now she only has the dogs and the cats and Hope of course. Hope was thinking… she wished Wildsmile to be the person she belonged to.

Hope began to like on Earth because that girl made everything to be worth living. She has a beautiful smile when she talks to Hope and her eyes are shinning like she used to shine up there in the Universe.  She may be a star. Could she be a star…? Maybe.

It was a sunny day when Wildsmile went to visit her parents in a cemetery. She took Hope with her too. Hope saw their pictures. They seemed so happy. Hope was asking herself, why do good people have to die and bad people do everything they want and they never face with problems? It will come to an end?  There were some things on Earth that she couldn’t understand. Why good people are the ones who get always in trouble just because of that? Hope thought this is a sad world but there were some people like Wildsmile who made a difference. She loves to help people like her because she knows very well how it feels to be poor. Day by day Hope missed her precious house. She didn’t belong on Earth. Her place was somewhere far away and no one knew about it.

One day Wildsmile told Hope what happened when her parents died.

“They died in the morning but in the evening something strange happened. I was looking at the sky and I saw two shinny stars falling down then I heard my parents’ voices. They were saying: “My dear child you’ll never be alone, we’ll always be with you!” Then I closed my eyes and I fell asleep. Maybe it was just a dream. “

Hope was confused now. What if someone died when she fell down on Earth? She wanted back there in the Universe; things were too complicated in this world. Or maybe she should find those two stars and ask them if they know how to go back home.

One night when Wildsmile was sleeping Hope was wondering how she could find those two stars. Hope never sleeps, she doesn’t need to rest because she is not a human being. Then she heard a voice whispering: “A star that does not wish to come on Earth will not live. But you wanted so much to come here therefore you have to live not like a human but like a star. Your heart will help you follow your dream.”

Hope thought about it…What was her dream before coming on Earth? She wanted to be like everyone else, like all these people. Was it really that her wish? No, her wish was to see how it feels to be a human but not to be like one.

One year passed since Hope fell down on Earth. In that year she spent all the time with Wildsmile. Hope wanted to be like her.

One day Wildsmile told Hope: “When I was a star I wanted the same thing you wanted. I always wanted to come here to see how it feels. They are not my real parents. They didn’t die as I told you; they died trying to send me home. They found me how I found you. They couldn’t send me back home but they loved me how no one did before. This is the only sad thing from our world. I was waiting for you. I know you can’t talk but I know you can hear me and that you see me.

We have to find the door that leads to our world. We don’t have too much time. There’s only 7 days left. After 7 days the door will be shown and only you can see it because you’re not a human yet. If we fail I’ll die and you’ll be a rock with no life forever. That’s the reason you came here.”

Where could that door be? Wildsmile said it will be in the most beautiful place from the world.  Where would that place be?  They have to find out.

Hope thought about what she used to see from Universe. Is it The Eiffel Tower? Or maybe are those nice museums? What is it? Wildsmile remembered that her parents told her before they died that the door is somewhere that has life but is not a person.

It has life but it is not a person…It’s really hard to understand.

It was winter but spring came. The trees came to live having those wonderful green leaves.  Snowdrops appeared under the thin layer of snow. Flowers spread their sweet perfume everywhere.  It seemed to be a different world.

Hope thought about it. That’s the most wonderful place that the door could open in. The nature has life but is not a person. It dies when autumn comes then it comes back to life when spring comes. This is wonderful! The door could be anywhere.

The days passed so quickly that Hope and Wildsmile didn’t even notice. The seventh day came and the door should be opening soon at midnight.

That place was in their hearts. At midnight they thought about a world full of trees, flowers, rivers, mountains and wonderful fields.

At midnight a door opened. A big door like they’ve never seen before. It was surrounded by roses of all colours. It seemed to be the door that leads to their world. When they wanted to go through it a voice whispered: “Only one star can come in. The one that became a human does not belong in this world anymore.”

Hope began to cry, she didn’t want to go there without Wildsmile, she was her friend.

Wildsmile said to Hope:

 “Hope, you must go, that’s what you want!”

 “The time is running out, go now!”

Hope finally decided to go, but she promised herself she’ll find a way to take Wildsmile home. When Wildsmile was about to put Hope inside, she became a human too and the door closed.

“What happened, why am I a human Wildsmile?”

She could talk now; she was a girl like Wildsmile. She was wondering what went wrong.

When they were trying to figure out what really happened, another door opened. It was such a simple door without roses. It had just a star above it that said:

 “This door is for those ones that don’t leave their friends behind.” 

That was the real door that would lead them home. They both knew it. They’re going home! They went trough that door living two stars of rock behind them and their story written on the ground. They just thought about it and their story was there. That story was for people, maybe they’ll understand one day that the most important thing is not the outside but the beauty of the heart.

After a few days people noticed that Wildsmile was gone. They never helped Wildsmile when she was there, they didn’t even talk to her but they were used to see her around them. They found the story written on the ground and those two stars of rock. They understood what they do. That story was so clear for them and it was shouting in their ears:

“DON’T EVER LOOK AT THE OUTSIDE BUT INSIDE” A breeze from nowhere touched their hearts. A peace like they never felt before surrounded their souls. From that day some people changed but some people didn’t. From that day Earth became a better place to live in.

Smile like you never did before, be happy, give more and expect less from others. Love more than you expect to be loved by others. Be the real you everytime. Let people know who you really are and you’ll always be a winner. Be good and be kind with everyone. You never know what life has prepared for you.