That night, she slipped the stone from her pocket and examined it in the moonlight seeping through her bedroom window. It glowed faintly, casting strange, greenish shadows across her hands. The silver veins that had caught her attention in the cave seemed to change in the moonlight, and she felt a strange calm settle over her as she brushed over the surface with her fingers. She thought only of the fallen star.
It was legend that it had fallen towards the east, no more than 50 miles into the valley. She had known about the legend ever since she was a child. Many had come and gone in the search for the shiny star that was said to hold the key to eternal life and prosperity Marabella placed the stone on her chest remembering the old gypsy’s words.
The woman had been sitting on a colorful blanket on the ground, her hair divided into long, beautiful braids, some adorned in excess with shiny pearls. Her hands had been rough, torn by time and sea and sand as she had taken Marabellas hand, before reading from her palms; her long-awaited destiny.
She too had spoken of the stone.
The cave behind the Hills was ancient, and Marabella knew how her father felt about her roaming around the hillsides behind the stables on the farthest end of the estate, but she had entered the cool, cave air regardless.
The stone had laid exposed in the floor inside the save, almost as if calling her to it with a silent humming. She had picked it up without thinking and turned it against the light. A shiny green surface and a silver glance made it stand out against the rest of the red rock structure.
Leaving the cave, she had slipped it into her pocket, feeling it settle heavily against her thigh, only to be greeted by the swarm of bees as she returned to the farmhouse.
The bees had instantly left their flowers, swirling around her in dizzying patterns. At first, she had panicked—she knew better than to disrupt their routine. But as the bees floated around here, not a single one stung here. Instead, they moved in perfect, concentric circles, forming a delicate halo around her.
Marabella had held her breath, feeling the soft brush of their wings against her cheeks and arms. It was as if they were greeting her, acknowledging something different in her that only they could sense. The strange stone's weight felt comforting in her pocket, as if it were feeding her strength and confidence.
She hadnt told her father about the incident.
Laying in her bed that night, she retrieved the shiny stone from her pocket and examined it in the moonlight seeping through her bedroom window. It glowed faintly, casting strange, greenish shadows across her hands. The silver veins that had caught her attention in the cave seemed alive in the moonlight, and as she stared at it, she felt a strange calm settle over her.
She hid the stone beneath her pillow and drifted into sleep.