“The Home Star Is Missing!”

“Look,” she cried as she pointed to the sky,” the Home Star is missing!”

Fox looked up to see the sky. Overhead, where there should have been a bright star, there was none, only a dark hole, blacker than the night sky.

Fox could feel its’ wrongness, and did not like this wrongness written into the night. A frightened look set into his eyes.

“I must go and find it, your star,” he said with greatest urgency, and off, he did run, his white, billowed tail held high.

Fox ran from field to forest. At the forest edge he stopped to address the forest. “Have you seen the young girls’ star? It is missing. It is gone and great darkness is in its’ place. I do not want the child to die.”

The ancient face of the forest spoke with lichen lips, ”Ask the man in the moon,” its’ voice like the rush of winded leaves.

Fox did not know how he would get to the moon, but he knew he must.  

Now, the moon was full and bright and hung low in the sky. ‘I have never seen it so close,” thought Fox, ‘If I try hard enough, jump high enough …’

Fox hunched down readying his muscles for a mighty release and then in an instant, leaped high into the air. He flew above the trees, soared past the hunting night owl, broke thru a cloud and on into space.

'I am almost there,’Fox thought. And close he was, but not close enough. Fox could not touch the silver moon. Then a flash caught his eye, “Grab hold my tail. I shall fly you there,” said the flaming voice a passing comet. Fox caught hold of the comets’ bright tail by his teeth and held on tightly. Soon, Fox felt his white tipped tail brush the moon. He let go of the comet, landed gently on the moons crater surface.

“Thank you,” called the Fox to the comet as it sped beyond the far horizon of the moon.

Fox looked around, saw nothing but crater, rock and mountain.

“It’s a shame, it’s a shame,” a voice vibrated through the rock.

“What’s this,” Fox exclaimed.

“Ah, my furred friend. How is the earth today?” Said the sleepy man in the moon.

“Oh, I’m dreadfully afraid,” Fox replied.

“Why, what is the bother?”

“There is a star missing. It belongs to a little girl and I must find it!”

“Oh my,” moaned the the man in the moon, “I have not seen it. Go ask the west wind for it roams the world and it should know.”

 The man in the moon, soon fell into a blundering slumber.

Fox considered this and knew with a mighty leap he could jump to the earth for the moon did not hold him as tightly as did the earth. Once again, Fox hunched down readying his muscles for a mighty release and then in an instant, leaped high into space, flew far, then fell to the earth landing in a rolling somersault on sand by the sea.

“Wind that whirls upon the western sea, oh come to me, come to me.” Fox spoke his word onto the waters of the sea.

“What is your need?”, the wind did breath.

“I’ve come to ask if in your travels far, have see a little girls lost star?” asked Fox.

“I have not seen such a thing upon the earth in all the ways I have winded,” breezed the wind, “Ask the flowers of the field, they grow to know new things.”

 The west wind raced away to find a new day.

Fox did run to find the field of flowers. The little girl now lay silently amongst the flowers of the field. Fox could not hear her breath. 

He turned to the flowers surrounding them and cried,”Have you see the lost star. This little girl lays among you flowers you are her desire of beauty found. You have surrounded her with you beauty. Oh do tell have you seen he star. Is it near or is it far?”

“This is where we grow. This is what we know. In your fear, you have not seen her star here, but it is not far. Just go ask your heart.”

To the fox chapel Fox did run.

In Fox Chapel, a fox voice said, “These are my words, welcome to my universe. The stars in the sky, are foxes in the Heaven, foxes of Great-Fox-Great-Hunter, there is one Fox who is always with them. Holes in the ground, are for to lay our fox heads, there is one Fox who has not to lay His. Birds in the sky, have nests for rest, there is one Fox who has not for rest. The lambs of the Shepherd, graze on the hills, there is one Fox who is watching them. The Hunter is a man. Run fast if you can, escape them, there is one Fox would not do it. We have no guilt, for we are just foxes, there is one Fox who took all guilt upon Him. If guilty, death they should receive, there is one Fox who died for them. Sick or hurt, there is one Fox alone, who heals our wounds, there is one Fox who carries their wounds with Him. Fox left Fox Chapel burrowed in the ground, looked up at a myriad of stars spread all around, the vault of night, and much to his delight, there is was one Fox who contemplated its’ mystery with him.”

Now fox knew what to do, how to find that lost star. Quietly, he lay down beside her and fell into her sleep.

Now the girl sits with a fox, where the tree looks at the forest. 

She says with joy, “See the bright star, I shall never leave here.”

They sit in silence.

“This is my world,” says the fox, “It is not yours.”

“Oh, what am I to do?” wondered the girl, sadly.

“Become your world, my child. It is all any of us can do.” 

And the little girl considered this, “You are my world,” she whispered.

And the fox sits with a girl, where the forest looks at the tree, gazing at the stars.