I had never felt more alive than I did in this moment. Strong gusts of wind lighty pushed at my body, my hair wildly flailing behind me. The stars were shining bright in the night sky and the moon glowed with a beautiful luminosity that had me staring in amazement. One star seemed to gleam brighter than all of the others, radiating not only a lustrious light, but a glow that almost appeared other-worldly; magical. It was the same star that I always found myself looking at every full moon, the same star that I would imagine held incredible secrets, adventure, a new world. I had hoped that one day, I would visit that world and maybe tonight was it. Maybe tonight was the night I could finally see what laid beyond the canopy of stars.

This night was wonderful, gorgeous. Yet it was tragic nonetheless.

The tears had stopped hours ago and the pain subsided into a dull throb in the back of my head. I easily ignored it, transfixing my gaze and all thought into the picturesque scene in front of me. The distant sound of waves crashing against rock filled my ears and so I took slow steps to the edge of the cliff that had become my safe haven years ago. Peering over the edge, I could see the black, shimmering waves colliding with the jagged and pointed rocks that poked up from the surface of the water. It was so entrancing, so hypnotic and the thought of stepping over, of letting myself fall forcefully pushed its way into my mind.

Death did not scare me. I was no longer sad; I was numb. The thought of death seemed welcoming as I stood there, one foot precariously dangling from the edge. I smiled. My time was over, I was at the end. My future did not seem worth the endless pain that I had been put through since birth. I wanted to be free.

Amidst the roaring of the wind, a slight swooshing sound from my right had me broken out of my trance. I looked over to see nothing out of the ordinary, but the same noise sounded from my left, this time louder. Whipping my head every which way, I searched for any sign of another presence to no avail. The feeling of being watched was incredibly strong, yet I wasn't frightened.

After a few more minutes of scouring the area, I finally turned my attention back to the cliff's edge. The water below was beckoning me to jump, luring me in. There was no hesitating; I was ready. I was ready to end it all. Both of my shoes were halfway off of the cliff and one last smile graced my lips.

Before I could even begin to tilt forward, something had grabbed hold of my arm. It felt like hand, but it was cold and whispy, like the touch of a ghost. Slightly startled, I spun around to meet two large, glowing eyes. They shined dimly in a mass of black that was outlined in the shape of a head. I looked down and realized that it was a silhouette of a person, almost like a shadow, only it wasn't attached to a body.

A gasp had escaped my mouth as I stared wide eyed at the ominious presence in front of me. I wondered briefly if I was just seeing things, but the shadow seemed to step back, pulling me with it.

"Do not jump." Its voice was raspy, light, and whispery, floating with the wind and disappearing with a faint echo. The sound sent shivers down my spine, but its words had me blinking in confusion. Why wouldn't it want me to jump?

As if sensing my question, the shadow replied: "I can take you somewhere far away from here. A place where you can be free, a place of magic."

Honestly, I had no idea how to respond. The fact that I was being spoken to by a shadow was ludicrous enough, but now it was saying that it could take me to a magical land? I had to be dreaming. There was no possible way that this was actually happening.

Or maybe I had finally gone off the deep end.

"You have not gone mad if that is what you think. This is no dream. I am real just as you are real; just as the place I speak of is real."

Despite my slight disbelief of the situation I took another step forward as curiosity had gotten the better of me. I mean, I was talking to a shadow. Who wouldn't be curious? "This place... will I be happy?"

"You could be, if you believe."

"Okay...How do I get there?"

"The star," it said simply.

"What star? What are you talking about?" This whole conversation was beginning to make me question my mental state.

"The star that shines brighter than all the others. The one you look to every night, once a month. That is where it is." I turned around and gazed at the shining star it spoke of. I always had the feeling that there was something special about that star, something magical. Maybe it was true. What if this land really existed?

What if this is all a dream and I wake up even more depressed than I already am?

"This just doesn't seem possibe. I must be dreaming." My fingers pinched the skin of my arm roughly, causing a sharp sting. Two purple nail marks appeared and I cursed.

"Take my hand and I will show you that this is real." The shadow extended its arm out to me, but I took a step back.

"It...it just can't be. This can't be real," I whispered, my eyes staring at the misty black hand that reached for mine.

"It is." The shadow took another step forward. Instictively, I moved back, and I was suddenly teetering off of the edge of the cliff. I shook my head at the shadow.

"No, no," I whimpered. I was delerious. My mind was so clouded with pain and sadness that I was now conjuring up images and tricking my eyes into seeing them. No, I came here for one purpose and one purpose only. This all needed to end; tonight.

Without a second thought, I let my body fall backwards.

The first thing I felt was the whoosh of air around me as I gradually gained mometum. Then, I felt my stomach dropping, like I was on a rollercoaster, only it was a more violent feeling that made the air escape from my lungs. My eyes were shut tightly, and I readily awaited the end.

But before I could think any last thoughts, everything stilled. The deafening roar of the wind quieted and my body ceased to fall. I felt as if I was floating, a light, airy sensation wrapping around me. Confusion trickled in. I was expecting to feel something, any inkling of pain that indicated I was dead. Was I? I had to be. It must be over.

Then I felt a pressure around my arms that felt similar to the hand of the shadow that had touched me previously. Slowly, I cracked one eye open and then the other. A shocked gasp escaped my mouth as soon I saw the position I was in. I was floating. The tips of the rocks that I was supposed to have fallen on were about five feet below me, the waves crashing up against them, spraying me with a light mist. The shadow had stopped me from falling and we were floating; in midair.

"How...how is this possible?" I breathed.

"It is real, as I told you." My mind was a whirlwind of thoughts. This was it, there was no way I was dreaming at this point. The proof was right here in front of me. Hell, I was the proof. Not many people can say that they, alone, were able to defy gravity. Or speak to a shadow for that matter.

"Yeah, I guess it is," I said furrowing my eyebrows. "The place you mentioned; it's real."

"Yes." I let out a breath and turned my head to look at the shadow's glowing eyes.

"Take me."