• xxxxx Long ago, in a time and world since forgotten, there were no stars in the sky. The days were brutal. The hot sun burned to no end. The nights were shrouded in a darkness so thick; not even the moon could shine through. The elements were ruthless. The waves of the sea grew enormous and crashed on a whim. The wind blew horrible windstorms, whenever it wished. The earth was forever shaking, and would only yield the most basic crops for survival. There were no flowers. Worst of all, the volcanoes would erupt at will, being provoked by even the slightest hatred or anger in people or in the other elements. Hatred and anger were plentiful in those days. The only beautiful thing in the world, was the sparkling of the sea in the sun’s light. This was too beautiful. Anyone who looked directly at it would immediately go blind.
    xxxxxOn a large island plagued by the elements lived two children. Their names were Flori and Ethan. Born in the same year, they were childhood friends. Flori and Ethan lived in a tiny village close to the sea, but shielded by mountains. They never knew of their destiny, but they had many hints that showed in their feelings toward the elements.
    xxxxxOn occasion, one of them would say, “Doesn’t it seem like there’s something missing in the sky tonight?”
    xxxxx“No… the sky looks as it always does.”
    xxxxxOr “Don’t you wish you could look at the sea?”
    xxxxx“Don’t be silly, you’ll go blind!”
    xxxxxOn another occasion, “I wish the volcanoes were kinder to us… all they seem to do is destroy.”
    xxxxx“Oh, but that is impossible.”
    xxxxxDestroy they did. On a day when Flori and Ethan were nearly grown, every volcano on the island began spouting a terrible, choking ash. The worst came from all the way on the other side of the island. It was a warning, that there was to be a colossal eruption there. All the village leaders on the island held a meeting. It was decided that there would be a sacrifice to appease the anger of the volcanoes. One girl would be chosen from the entire island. Since she was the purest and sweetest in the land, Flori was chosen.
    xxxxxThe village leaders took her in the middle of the night. Flori was helpless. She knew she could not escape, so she began to cry. The earth, having pity on her for only a moment, granted the world a gift. For every teardrop that fell on the ground, a beautiful flower grew. The horrible winds blew the seeds all across the world. In this way, a trail of tears became a path of flowers. But Flori would never see them, however, because she never looked back. She could not face the village she would never see again.
    xxxxxAs soon as he knew what happened, Ethan was furious. It seemed to the poor villagers that his very presence shook the earth worse than any earthquake. He wanted to go after her as soon as he found out; but he was no fool. Ethan was the bravest and the smartest; but he was not the strongest. If he tried to go now, he would be stopped. Instead, he stole away in the dark of night.
    xxxxxBut the elements were not kind towards him. The ash blocked his sight. The wind and the sea worked together to form terrible storms. The earth shook like never before. With all this interference, it was a week before Ethan caught up with Flori. By then, it seemed to be too late.
    xxxxxThe village leaders had already fled, afraid of the great volcano about to erupt. Ethan found Flori at the top of the great volcano.
    xxxxx“Ethan! What are you doing here?” exclaimed Flori.
    xxxxx“I came to rescue you! Follow me, I think we can still make it!” said Ethan.
    xxxxx“Wait, Ethan…”
    xxxxxFlori knew that they would not be able to escape the eruption, and she didn’t need any regrets.
    xxxxx“Will you marry me, Ethan?” she asked.
    xxxxx“Of course!” replied Ethan.
    xxxxxAnd they shared their first and final kiss. At that moment, they were immediately covered in hot, molten lava. Flori and Ethan were killed, but made eternal. In a way, they were married. Though they did not share their lives, they shared their deaths.
    xxxxxThe elements were inspired by their tragic love, and their anger softened. The wind continued to spread the flowers, and only brought windstorms in one season of the year. The earth no longer shook incessantly, and allowed the flowers and other beautiful plants to grow. The volcanoes put most of their lava into the earth. The sea allowed its waves to be gently pulled by the moon, which was now visible because of the newly born light. The greatest thing that happened in response to the death of Flori and Ethan, was this. The sea cast nearly all of its sparkles into the sky. Today we call these sparkles ‘stars’. They bring light just as our heroes did, shrouded in darkness.