Piper's Perfect Dream (3 page)

You take a deep
breath, about to blow out the candles on your birthday cake. Clutching a coin in your fist, you get ready to toss it into the dancing waters of a fountain. You stare at your little brother as you each hold an end of a dried wishbone, about to pull. But what do you do first?

You make a wish, of course!

Ever wonder what happens right after you make that wish?
Not much
, you may be thinking.

Well, you'd be wrong.

Because something quite unexpected happens next. Each and every wish that is made becomes a glowing Wish Orb, invisible to the human eye. This undetectable orb zips through the air and into the heavens, on a one-way trip to the brightest star in the sky—a magnificent place called Starland. Starland is inhabited by Starlings, who look a lot like you and me, except they have a sparkly glow to their skin, and glittery hair in unique colors. And they have one more thing: magical powers. The Starlings use these powers to make good wishes come true, for when good wishes are granted, the result is positive energy. And the Starlings of Starland need this energy to keep their world running.

In case you are wondering, there are three kinds of Wish Orbs:

Starlings take their wish granting very seriously. There is a special school, called Starling Academy, that accepts only the best and brightest young Starling girls. They study hard for four years, and when they graduate, they are ready to start traveling to Wishworld to help grant wishes. For as long as anyone can remember, only graduates of wish-granting schools have ever been allowed to travel to Wishworld. But things have changed in a very big way.

Read on for the rest of the story….

STAR KINDNESS DAY GREETINGS

To: All My Darling Friends

From: Piper

Subject: Happy Star Kindness Day!

Happy Star Kindness Day,

A time to spread good cheer.

I'm sending this holo-text to say,

You glow, girls, all staryear.

With Love and Positivity,

Piper

P.S. Personal greetings to come!

To: Sage

From: Piper

Subject: Star Kindness Day Compliment

The first Star Darling to ride a star,

The first on a mission, traveling far.

You triumphed with your heart and glow,

Even gathering some energy flow.

To: Leona

From: Piper

Subject: Thinking of You on Star Kindness Day

The third to go to a faraway world,

You granted a wish, and energy swirled.

But on your way back to our land of light,

Your pendant turned as black as night.

“Why?” you asked, so sad and blue.

No one could answer, no one knew.

But do not fret, Leona dear,

You still rock, that much is clear.

To: Scarlet

From: Piper

Subject: Star Kindness Day Tidings

You had to leave the SD fold,

But you didn't give up, you were too bold.

You joined a mission with a regular Starling,

To prove you were a tried-and-true Darling.

But why did this happen at all?

Why did you take the fall?

Another question, another riddle,

But you stepped up to shine, no second fiddle.

You showed true grit

And even some wit.

My hat's off to you,

Glad you're back with the crew.

To: Cassie

From: Piper

Subject: An Affirmation on Star Kindness Day

Who knows what to do

When we're confused through and through?

You, sweet little Cassie, you always do.

And when you came back from a mission all spent?

The lights went out 100 percent.

But you stayed calm and cool and kept us together,

You figure things out, whenever, wherever.

In her Little Dipper Dorm room,
Piper finished her last holo-text. Then she swiped the screen on her Star-Zap to queue up all the messages. Star Kindness Day was the next day. A ceremony would be held in the morning, at precisely the moment the nighttime stars and the daytime sun could all be seen in the color-streaked sky.

It happened in the morning only once a staryear. And all over Starland, Starlings met in open areas to gaze at the sight. Light energy flowed. Everyone smiled. They exchanged positive messages then and for the rest of the starday—to loved ones, to strangers, and to everyone in between. Thoughtful compliments. Meaningful praise. Heartfelt affirmations. It was definitely Piper's favorite holiday.

At Starling Academy, all the students' messages would go out at once, while everyone gathered in the Star Quad before class. Piper checked her holo-texts one last time. She had her own holiday tradition: styling her compliments into poetry. What better way to get a loving message across, she felt, than using language that lifted the spirit, too?

That staryear, she'd worked especially hard on the poems. There had been many ups and downs for the Star Darlings. So much had happened already that year. All the SD missions—some successful, some not. So that day, of all days, Piper wanted her friends to feel good.

Finally pleased with her efforts, Piper tossed her Star-Zap onto a neat pile of pillows on the floor. She'd played around with poetry ideas for starweeks.
Should I use lightkus?
she'd wondered first.

That poetry originated from Lightku Isle, an isolated island with sandy, sparkling beaches, where the local Starlings spoke solely in those kinds of poems, spare and simple with only three lines of verse and seventeen syllables total.