Zana and the Starless Night

Every night, Zana sat on a blade of grass and gazed at the stars. “They shine so brightly!” she sighed. “And my light is just a tiny dot. What could a tiny dot ever do?” Her light flickered a little, as if it felt sad too.

1

That afternoon, Dali had gone to the far pond to paint the water lilies. “I’ll be back before dark,” he had said. But Dali was slow, and the evening came quickly. Then thick clouds rolled in from behind the hills. They covered the moon and the stars, one by one, until the Meadow was completely dark.

2

Mingo came running to Zana. “Dali isn’t back yet! It’s so dark he’ll never find the path!” Everyone looked up at the sky. No moon. Not a single star. “If only the stars would come out…” said Nini in a shaky voice. Then, one after another, they all turned to look at Zana.

3

Zana felt afraid. “Me? My light is far too small. What if I get lost too?” Bleta came close to her, gently. “How much light do you need to see one step ahead?” Zana thought about it. “A little.” “And how much light do you have?” Zana was quiet for a moment. “A little,” she whispered. And for the first time that night, she smiled.

4

Zana flew into the dark, with Mingo close behind her. Her light lit up only a small circle: a leaf, a stone, a blade of grass. “One step at a time,” she told herself. Suddenly, down on the ground, something glittered: a thin, silvery line. “Dali’s trail!” cried Mingo. In Zana’s light, it shone like a silver thread.

5

They followed the trail: past the big stone, along the stream, over the fallen branch. The trail went on and on. At last, under a mushroom by the pond, Zana spotted a little shell. “Dali!” she called. The shell wobbled, and out peeped Dali’s head, his painter’s beret a little crooked.

6

“Zana!” said Dali, and his voice wobbled a little. “I was scared. Everything was black, and I didn’t know which way was home.” Zana settled beside him. “Now you’ve got a light,” she said. “I’ll fly one step ahead, and you follow my light. Slow and steady, nice and neat, remember?” Dali laughed, and his fear began to melt away.

7

So they set off for home, step by step. Zana’s light showed them every stone and every little puddle. On the way, a caterpillar who had lost her way saw the light and joined them. Then a grasshopper did too. Soon a whole line of travellers was following Zana’s little light.

8

When they reached the Meadow, their friends welcomed them with joy. Nini hugged Dali, and Mingo told everyone about the silver trail. Bleta landed next to Zana. “So, Zana,” she asked with a smile, “is your light still too small?”

9

Zana looked at the clouds, and then at her friends. Her light was glowing brighter than ever. “No,” she said. “My light can’t light up the whole sky. But it can light up one step. And one step at a time, you can bring a friend home.” High above, a single star peeped through the clouds, as if it were winking at her.

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