Once, someone told me that the stars above our heads are the souls of those who lived before us. I looked up at the sky, from this field all by myself. In this place, the night is eternal, and I am its guardian.
“They are beautiful. When will my time finally come? It’s been a thousand years,” I let out the weight in my heart with no one to hear them. I was once the same as those stars above; yes, I was a soul myself. I received a gift, but these days, I like to call it a curse—a curse that bound me to this place to put the souls into the sky.
“Speak of the devil, here comes one.” A little spark starts to grow from the ground, and I quickly pick it up with my hands.
“Hello there, Little one. Let’s see which place you belong to.” I lift my hand to the sky, turning it pitch black. Slowly, a pair of stars starts to glow. I nod my head and slowly lift the little spark closer to them.
“There you go, Little bud. May someday you’ll get the chance to come back to the world.” After the little spark turns into a star, everything becomes normal, and once again I find myself alone in this field. Nothing much I can do here, since everything always goes in a circle. Suddenly, a voice echoes, and I know exactly who it is.
“It’s been a thousand years, hm?”
“Greetings to the lord,” I greet the voice with sarcasm. Yes, this is the voice of the one who gave me this curse a thousand years ago.
“Don’t be like that, Young boy. This place chose you back then, and there’s nothing much I can do except reduce the time for you.”
“Yes. Thanks to you, now I can’t rest like them or even come back to the world!” I try to hold back my emotions, I can feel my voice almost cracking.
“…I’m sorry. I didn’t know you felt like that this whole time… But hey, you can finally be free right now.”
” If this is another one of your tricks I promise I w-“
“It’s not. I speak the truth. I’m here to lift your bounds from this field and say thank you for doing a great job for everything, dear guardian. Now, just close your eyes and let your soul rest here under the sky you always guide. Good night, young guardian.”
It’s all pitch black to me, but I feel the weight lift from my heart and my body becomes lighter.
“So this is the peace they always feel.”
“May you never remember this painful truth and live your life happily… This time, I’ll be your guardian, my dear… Your light will always shine the brightest I see every night.”
.
.
.
“Hah?!” I awake startled from my slumber. I took in my surroundings and find nothing strange or peculiar. I rise from my bed and feel like I’m missing something or someone so important.
“I can’t remember my dream, but I feel like I need to remember something about it. ” I try to recall my memory but still can’t remember anything. I don’t know since when but tears start streaming from my eyes.
“E-Eh? Why am I… crying?” I ask myself and try to reach for some tissues to wipe my tears, but my hand nudges a book beside the tissue box.
“How clumsy.” I try to pick up the book, but I’m too stunned to even move my hand. On its open page, I can clearly read the writing from wet ink.
Live your life to the fullest, former guardian. Don’t let the past haunt you anymore, someday we will meet again in the future. Until the other time.
“Thank you for the opportunity. Someday, I will revisit you. I may not remember how you look and what’s your name right now, but I hope you will remind me, maybe in my dream or one day when we meet again.” I close the book with a smile. I can’t change my past or predict the future, but I will face the world in front of me with pride and joy. Until someday I reunite with my last place to rest, beside her, once again.
Author: Maria Nathea/224214019
Editor: Nanda Pratama Putera Tomasila, Vonna Meisya Saputra (QC)
Illustrator: Angelita Dayang Diva