Somewhere, someone needed her. Somewhere, they thought she was a hero.
She leveled her eyesight back on the house and spied a face in the window. A worried face under brown curls. It hadn’t seen her yet.
May ran for the porch, Somber Kitty tucked in her arms, taking the steps two at a time. She stopped short of the door and her stomach did a flop. A tiny white envelope was waiting for her there on the brushy welcome mat. Seeing the familiar stamp, she picked it up and slit it open, pulling out the letter in a flash.
Dearest May,
Congratulations. I knew you could do it You see, I am not all that bad.
She kept reading.
Don’t forget about the Stardust. Don’t forget about the q’artz rocks in the woods. You are small. But you are also so much more.
May smiled, her lips bunching up as she tried not to cry.
And don’t forget, we still need you.
Don’t forget us.
Sincerely,
The Lady of North Farm
The letter began to shrivel, then turned to dust in May’s fingers. It fell through the cracks between them and then through the cracks in the porch beneath her feet.
May looked at her front door, taking one final deep breath. She turned the knob.
“Mom!” she called as she gave a big push and burst inside. She left the door open behind her.
Out on the lawn, only a spider and a ladybug heard the muffled sound of pounding feet running down the stairs and the happy cries of two people who loved each other very much saying hello after a long good-bye.
The trees missed it completely. Right then their attention was turned in another direction, upward, toward a star that was growing dim.
May Bird Among the Stars Page 20