STORY: Her Place in the Stars My sky is starry tonight, and she…

Question Answered step-by-step STORY: Her Place in the Stars My sky is starry tonight, and she… STORY: Her Place in the Stars  My sky is starry tonight, and she notices. The clouds obscure me from view, but a pale stream of my moonlight illuminates the rooftop she sits on. Her gaze is longingly tranquil as she takes in the night; she is alone as usual, save for the company of a book on her lap. The chattering of Delchester Boarding School’s students grows faint because the day has reached its end, and the world is stirring to sleep. She, however, does not move. I’ve learned that she is indifferent to the bite of cool October air and the loneliness that follows her. She nestles into her spot on the library’s roof, ghost-like, staring out into the stars. Idly, she twists the moon ring on her thumb, the only reminder of her life before the isolation. Her eyes are bright, yet muted by ever-present sorrow. I have wondered why she is so lonely and why her sadness is so defining. Even from 384,400 km away, the sadness of her loneliness carries a life of its own. Hours of stargazing have flown by, and her air is interrupted by soft voices below. Daze broken, she pauses momentarily before descending the steps to the library terrace, watching as two figures snuggle together on the grass below. As she twists the crescent moon ring, I notice how the two on the grass both wear their own. They are her friends from before. “Tomorrow’s the second full moon since the night of the accident. Can you believe it? Two months without Anaya… and Reyna,” one of them breathes into the air. He turns to face the girl beside him, who only gazes into me. The air is still. “A thousand full moons could pass, and I would still miss them,” is all the girl responds. The two resort to a comfortable silence, basking in my moonlight and the presence of each other. She stares at them together from her spot on the terrace, and it is a look filled with the ache of longing and regret. Nonetheless, I know she won’t approach them; she hasn’t spoken to anyone since that late August night. The wind breathes out a soft sigh, threading through her dark hair as she clasps the ring. The wind must pity her, too. “Do you remember what Reyna used to say about the moon? When she’d get all poetic and talk about how it watches us from the sky… I’ll always wonder what she meant by that,” the girl murmurs. “Remember how excited she was about that pink moon in, what, April? I couldn’t even see it,” he laughs while nestling closer to the girl, a lone tear sliding down his cheek. “The pink moon,” Reyna whispers down from the terrace, but her words are lost in the wind. “Our terrible driver. Senior year now, and she’s still the only one out of us that got her license,” the girl remarks. “I wish she could talk to us one more time,” she sighs. What comfort it must be for the boy and the girl to have each other. Soon, the pair makes way for their dorms, oblivious to the knowledge that their Reyna has been there all along. On the terrace, her expression settles into a small smile, stoical and lovely. Her friends are just within reach, but she returns to the roof, reaching for her book. Slowly, the clouds part from my view. I observe as she reads the book Seeing Ghosts: A Memoir.  Reyna. Reyna turns from her book to look up at me, eyes full of curiosity. So that is your name. I remember that night, Reyna. You haven’t been the same since. Why? She stays silent for a minute, fiddling with the moon ring. “How can I be the same? You watched what happened that night. You know it’s my fault that I’m stuck here,” she mutters softly. I can hear the weight of her pain in each word. Stuck? My darling, you welcome loneliness like an old friend. Can’t you see how they miss you? There is a whole world waiting for you. Do not let the mistakes of one night hold you back. At these words, her expression turns frigid. “Hold me back? It changed everything,” she sighs. “You saw, and I feel you haunt me for it every day. This is exactly what I deserve,” she turns away to pick up her book, ending the conversation. Aren’t you tired of being alone? She does not answer. As the stars fade away and dawn approaches, the students of Delchester begin to file out of their dorms for the day. Morning chatter has started; students make hushed conversations and spill with soft laughter as they move through the grounds. It is the essence of connection, and it is so beautifully human. The sunrise is so welcoming, the crisp autumn morning so fresh, yet she remains lost in the pages of her book. Nobody notices the girl on the library roof. As I fade off into the East, I catch a glimpse of her sad, knowing smile, before the view disappears. My light casts over the roof of Delchester’s library once again as night arrives. She sits towards the edge, legs dangling over the roof while pouring over her book. It is a familiar sight. Hello, Reyna. She flips the page before glancing up, taking in the expanse of my sky. “Hello, Moon.” She is so lovely, and there is so much I want to hear from her. She deserves to feel the embrace of conversation. You must really love reading. It is all I see you do. “I’ll never stop reading. Even in death, I’ll always be found with a book in my hands,” she smiles, trailing her fingers along the sun-softened pages. “It’s my comfort. My escape from… this.” But why put yourself in a place you long to escape from? You must try, at least, to let go. Met with silence, I fear that I’ve pushed her too far again when suddenly, she places the book down and speaks. “You were a full moon that night, and I couldn’t help but admire the way you were glowing,” she stares intently at the ring while speaking, lost in her thoughts.I remember. The light in your eyes was never the same after your friend joined the stars. She pulls the ring off of her finger, holding it up to her face.”One glimpse was all I wanted, but actions have consequences,” she chuckles bitterly, dropping the ring into her hand. “Now, you’re all I have left, always watching me from the sky. It’s a constant reminder of what I did, and it’s exactly what I deserve.” My dear, how can you possibly deserve this? Your friends, the boy and the girl, long for your presence. What you deserve is to find comfort in their company, to heal peacefully with them. At this, Reyna looks up at me with furrowed brows, dazed with confusion. “You know that’s not possible for me now. I miss them so much. It’s… hard to see them together, just left with each other. My shining stars. All I can do is watch from the shadows. The guilt of it all is so heavy, and it’s misery for me,” she sighs, letting her words hang in the air. You have to forgive yourself, Reyna. “Forgive myself? Anaya’s gone. It’s my fault, and it’s torn everything apart. That’s not something I deserve forgiveness for,” she murmurs, sliding the ring back on her thumb. “It hurts so much because, despite it all, I still miss it. I still want peace, even if it’s not what I deserve. I miss being happy. I miss laughing and talking and having people who love me and enjoying life. I miss having a place among my people… It hurts to be hidden in the shadows, stuck here as nothing but a ghost, a wandering spirit.”You’re not a ghost. Reyna. She looks up at me, curious, and perhaps it is a trick of the light as I watch a tear slip her eyes. That’s the thing about watching humans. Their lives unfold, and there’s no predicting or avoiding it. You can’t let mistakes hinder you from growing, Reyna. Seeing you sink into isolation, alone while surrounded by people, is a sad sight. You stay on the roof every night. You find comfort in fiction, rather than the world. You watch your friends from the shadows. This is not what you deserve, my love. Move on. Your soul needs ease. The breeze stirs ever so gently around her as she gazes into me, nodding in silent wonderment. “Is that really what you’ve thought this whole time? That I’m still here?” Reyna smiles, and silvery tears are slipping down her face. “I was so, so happy. I was happy to be alive,” she laughs, and it sounds like a sob. “I don’t want to keep doing this, stuck here on Earth when I should be somewhere else. I want to pass through this phase of existence and stop feeling the weight of guilt. I need to finally reach my place in the stars,” she continues laughing, and the sound is like music. It is magic. Reyna breathes for a minute, gazing into the universe above. My sky is beautiful tonight, as if all of the stars came out for this exact moment. Reyna is still smiling, and she slides the moon ring off of her finger. “I’m tired, Moon. I’m so tired.”I know you are. “I’m ready now. Thank you for watching over me. You are my oldest friend, after all.” With this, I watch as Reyna’s tears gleam and a silver glow illuminates from her body; the light swirls as her spirit is released to join the stars, nothing but a shower of glimmer and the moon ring left in her place.   QUESTIONS:  1. What is the inciting incident? Explain your answer2. What is the crisis? Explain your answer.3. What is the climax? Explain your answer.4. Who is the protagonist? Are they round or flat? Static or developing? Explain.5. Who is the antagonist? Are they round or flat? Static or developing? Explain.6. What is the overall atmosphere of the story? Give an example from the story to support your answer.7. What is a theme in the story? How is the theme developed?8. What is the setting of the story? Is it active or passive and why?9. What point of view is the story told from? 10. What are two literary devices used in the story? Define each device and give a specific example of how each is used in the story. Arts & Humanities Writing ENG 3U1 Share QuestionEmailCopy link Comments (0)