Clank, the solid wooden cane came down on the marble, making a sound with every step the ancient man made as he was walking down the hallway. He was late to the party. As the room, he was heading to already had a multitude of people crowding outside of it. All well dressed and worried. The woman in white was crying. Her head sunk into her arms bathed in tears and mascara. A few people surrounded the crying women as the old man walked in. Clank. Clank. Clank.

“All of

you out.” The old man said as he was in the center off the room. “You heard me out! This old geezer’s got

something to say and it ain’t to you.” He paused, “get.” The old man waved his

hand and forced all the people out of the room except for the crying woman. He sat

down next to her and started to clean his glasses. The woman is very intrigued

by the old man. The river of tears slowed to a steady drip. “Here” the old man

gave her his handkerchief that he used to clean his glasses.

“Thank

You.” She took it and wiped under her eyes.

The old

man sighed loudly, “Have you ever hear the tale of the Princess and the

starless night?” The woman shook her head no. “Well, there once was this

Princess. She loved to look up at the night sky. So every night she would go

out on the balcony look up,

‘Hello,

Mr. Moon.’ She would wave and of course, the moon would always wave back, and

the two would talk. The other planets were there and of the stars, she said

hello to them too. Night after night she would look at the sky. Her favorite

was the Moon. Big and bright in the night sky. He was the center to her. Her

night started when she saw the Moon. So the Princess and the Moon would spend

their nights together. Every night the Princess would talk to the Moon. She

loved the Moon. She did not pay attention to the stars or the other planets. Just

the Moon.

“One

day a star got in the way of her view of the Moon. The Princess was furious.

How dare the star come between her and the Moon? She scolded the star, yelling

at him and saying that all she needed was the Moon. She said the stars were

just too distracting. The Stars cried that night. She continued to talk to the

Moon. Then the next night when she came to talk to the Moon, something was

different. She could not place it, but something was not right. The Princess

did not care. She had the Moon. The Moon would phase in and out. Some nights he

was full and it was great other nights he was half or a quarter maybe three

quarters, but you get the idea.

Then,

after a few days, she realized it. It hit her like a ton of bricks. The night

looked different… there were no stars! None. They vanished. Where did the stars

go? The sky looked dark and black without the light of the stars. Yet the Moon

was there luminescent as always. But the night did not feel right without the

stars. The night sky looked and seemed empty. She asked to the Moon one night,

‘Where

are the stars?’

‘Who

cares? You have me.’ The Moon, who was bright, beautiful and the center of her

world, was right. He was all she needed. But one the Moon did not always shine he

would phase in and out and then he to vanish from the sky. The Princess was

crushed under the burden of a thousand tons. Because emotional scars always cut

the deepest. When the Moon came back to the sky he did not want to talk to the

Princess, he was a New Moon. She would shout but his ear would not listen. She

retreated. Back to the castle, never to come out again. The Princess became a

shut-in of her own free will. Sulking and staying inside away from the evil

sky. Until one night she saw a star. Just one. The next night there were two.

Then three. The stars were coming back. As more and more stars came back she

opened the door to the balcony. The hinges showed signs of rust, it has been

that long since she saw a star.

‘You!’

she pointed in anger as hot tears came down her cheek. ‘You, Mr. Star why did

you abandon me?’ The star looked back at her with her crossed arms and anger.

‘Me?

Abandon you? That’s not how we see it. Night after night we stars have been

here. Yet you ignored us for the Moon. You used to talk to us. Then you

abandoned us. We got “in your way.” Then you told us to leave. So we left. But

we never stopped caring for you. Far away we kept our distance but we still

cared. Then you stopped to come to the balcony. We began to worry but still

held back. After a while we needed to make sure you were fine. So more and more

of us came to look after you. We were here when the Moon was full. We were here

when he was half. We were here for a quarter, a crescent and when he left. Then

you accuse us of abandonment? We never stopped shining. We were always burning

bright. You said that stars got in the way of your view of the Moon. There he

is look at him. Because you clearly forget about us stars. We are just your

background to the center of your affection.’ The stars started to leave the

sky. The Princess thought about what he said. She never thought of the stars in

that way. Could they be the center of the sky? But the Moon is right there.

Yet, the Moon cannot light up the sky by his lonesome. Can the stars? The night

sky was never the same without the stars…

‘Wait!’

the Princess said when only one star was left. ‘I’m sorry, The Moon will not

talk to me. Now I am afraid to look at the sky. I’m afraid that he will see me.’

‘There

are many things to look at in the sky that’s not the Moon.’ The star said.

‘I

realize that now, you were there for me. Thank you.’ the Princess said as she

gazed into the stars with bright youthful eyes.” The old man closed his eyes

and started to doze off.

“What?

What does that have to do with anything?” The young woman asked.

“Huh?

We are so focused in life on the large object. Focused on one person that we

forget there are others in our life that never left. The night sky is a

beautiful thing to look at, my dear. If the Moon is gone, then look at the

stars. All you need is to go out on the balcony.” He put his shaking wrinkled

hand on top of her youthful one. “Do you want to look at stars?”