The Time of the Large Star

The Time of the Large Star A little girl once moved with her papa to a small town in a country that was far, far away. Her papa told her that because of his job, they would live there from now on.

“This country is a little strange,” he told her. “Nobody sleeps here.”

“So what do they do at night, then?”

“It gets dark, but night doesn’t exist, so you can go outside for walks anytime you like.”

The girl was happy to hear this. Being able to go for walks even when it was dark sounded wonderfully grown-up to her.

“But won’t I feel sleepy?”

“Here, magic sand comes flying in from the other side of the cliff.

Thanks to its magic power, nobody needs to sleep.”

People led a strange lifestyle in that town. When the sun rose in the sky, turning it blue, everyone would pull a face. “The Large Star has come out,” they would say, and then they’d all go home. When the sun went down, and the Time of the Little Stars began, the town grew lively. The townspeople said they didn’t like the Large Star. It came too close, its rays were too strong, and it was too hot and bright. In the Time of the Little Stars, the candy store and the toy store were full of children. Just as her papa had said, no matter how much time passed, the little girl never felt sleepy. She started going for walks during the Time of the Large Star, when there weren’t many other people around. The candy store and the toy store were empty, but she liked this time when they were enveloped in light.

One day in the park, she met a little boy. He was sitting on a bench reading a book. “Isn’t the Large Star too bright for you?” she asked.

“Not at all. I like this time the best. The town is pure white and shining.”

The girl looked around and realized that indeed, the park’s slide, the buildings, the road . . . everything was reflecting the Large Star’s light and was all white and sparkling.

“I don’t find it dazzling either,” she said primly. “In the town where I used to live, we always lived in this light.”

“Oh, you’re from another country? Wow! Did you happen to sleep there, by any chance?”

“Yes, we did.”

“That’s so cool. What does it feel like to sleep?”

“I’ll teach you if you like. It’s easy. If you close your eyes, you’ll fall asleep right away. And you can have all kinds of dreams.”

The little girl and little boy sat next to each other on the bench and closed their eyes. But however long she waited, the girl didn’t fall into the world of sleep the way she used to, and the boy didn’t sleep either.

“It’s just that you’re bad at it,” the girl said. “I know—let’s leave the town and go far away. Then you’ll be able to sleep.”

The boy looked troubled. “Don’t you know? Once you’ve lived in this town, you’ll never be able to sleep again.”

The girl was shocked.

“Once you’re under the spell, you’ll never be free of it. Grown-ups say it’s convenient, but I would really like to experience what it’s like to sleep.”

The little girl burst into tears, and the boy desperately tried to soothe her. “Once we’ve grown up,” she said, “let’s try fainting.”

“What’s fainting?”

“It’s just like sleeping. We both have to give ourselves a big surprise. Then we will faint together.”

“I see,” the boy said. “Let’s try fainting together sometime, then.”

The boy gave her one of the white flowers that grew in the park. It would be wonderful if she could faint with the boy, she thought, but she couldn’t stop her tears. The Large Star illuminated the two of them in its pure white light.