Hi everyone ;) So this is a new story I'm trying to write, I just got the idea a few days ago. This story is kind of based off a song I heard, it's called "Black Star" by Avril Lavigne. If you guys haven't heard it yet you should! It's a short song but I really love it, especially the remixed version! And it's kind of the "theme song" for this story. I have some really good ideas for this story so please review and tell me if you like it or not! ;)
Note: I do not own Avril Lavigne's song "Black Star". She and whoever else does.
"Mummy, I can't sleep," 4-year-old Bella Hartley admitted as she walked into the living room.
"Again, Bella?" her 24 year old mother, Sara, kindly asked her. Sara got off the couch, kneeled in front of Bella, and looked into her sparkling light blue eyes.
"Mm-hmm," Bella said, swaying back in forth holding on to her favorite pink teddy bear.
"Well, we should fix that, shouldn't we?" Sara said, showing off her perfectly white teeth with a smile.
"Yeah!" Bella exclaimed, giggling and revealing a smile. Sara smiled too, pushing her wavy, long blonde hair out of her face. She grabbed onto Bella's hand and they went upstairs to Bella's room.
Bella climbed onto her bed settled down underneath the blankets. Right outside her large window was a beautiful view of the waves crashing on the wet, sandy shore. A cloudless, dark, star filled sky and bright, full moon shone above the Irish coast.
Bella's mother sat in a rocking chair next to her bed. "Why can't you sleep, honey?" she asked her daughter, who was staring out the window.
"I don't know; guess I'm not really tired." Bella continued staring out the window, not really paying attention.
Sara sighed, and then thought of something. "You know, when I was little like you, I had trouble sleeping at night, too."
"Really?" Bella asked.
"Yup," Sara replied. "I, uh, used to dream of swimming in the ocean at night. You know, exploring the coral reefs and seeing all the beautiful fish. I loved to do it so much that I couldn't fall asleep at night." That was all she said, being very careful not to reveal anything about a secret she had been keeping from her daughter.
"Wow, sometimes I think about that too!" Bella laughed. Every night, when she went to bed, she'd walk up the long staircase to her room which was in a tall tower, the highest point of her house. Bella would silently stare out at the ocean and the stars, wondering what was really out there. It literally amazed her.
"That's great honey!" Sara said. "Do you know what finally got me to sleep at night?"
"No, what?" Bella curiously asked.
"My mother, your grandma, would come in and sing to me. I know it sounds kind of weird, but it really worked."
"Cool. Can you sing to me, Mummy? I know you're a really good singer." Bella said after a few moments. It was true, Sara had been singing for years. She had competed in many talents shows and contests, had gotten first place in tons of them, and could play just about every instrument there was! She was also a very creative songwriter.
"Oh, I don't know Bella…" Sara thought over.
"Please Mummy!" Bella started bouncing up and down on her bed, her long, curly blonde hair flying everywhere. "Please, please, please!"
"Okay, okay! You win!" Sara laughed and smiled.
"Yay!" Bella clapped and cheered.
"Alright, so listen to me young lady. Don't make fun of me, 'cause I'm not the best singer."
"Yes you are," Bella argued.
Sara cautiously began after Bella quieted down.
"Black Star, Black Star…" She softly sang.
"Forever you will be…
A shining star, shining star
Be whatever you can be.
"A rock star, rock star.
You will always be…
A black star, black star, black star…
Black star, black star, black star…"
"That was so pretty, Mummy," Bella murmured when she was done, sinking lower into the blankets on her bed.
"Thanks sweetie," Sara said, smiling at the comment.
"What's a black star? I thought all the stars were white," Bella asked. Every time when she looked at the stars, she always saw a bright, white sparkle, never anything black, except for the night sky.
Her mother sighed, trying to remember. She didn't want to put too many thoughts into Bella's head, even though it was all true.
"Every night there's a full moon," she started, "and the stars are shining bright with cloudless skies, a mermaid can watch the sky for hours, looking for shooting stars."
Sara hesitated for a moment, looking into Bella's big, blue, curious eyes that said she wanted to hear more. Should she really be telling her this? Well, she was bound to hear it eventually, wasn't she?
"You know what shooting stars are, don't you Bella?" Sara asked.
"Yeah, I heard if you see one and make a wish, your wish will come true!" Bella pronounced enthusiastically.
"Well that's mostly true. But when mermaids look for shooting stars, it can only be on very special nights, when it's a full moon, like I said before."
"Why only when it's a full moon?" Bella asked.
Sara hesitated again. If she said too much, things could really get out of control. You never know what might happen if you accidently blurt out one little thing.
"Uhh, well, I don't know…that's just how it is. I guess it only works if it's a full moon." Sara bit her lip. Bella looked unconvinced. She knew there was something her mother wasn't telling her.
Sara quickly moved on. "Mermaids can secretly watch the sky forever on full moon nights. They look everywhere for a very bright shooting star. Whenever a mermaid sees one and makes a wish, they know it will come true if the shooting star instantly turns black and disappears."
"Whoa cool! I wish I was a mermaid! It would be so awesome for all my wishes to come true!" Bella exclaimed and giggled.
"Well, Bella, if every single wish you ever made came true, you'd turn into a real spoiled little girl!" Sara teased her.
"No I wouldn't!" Bella yelled in protest. Her mother just laughed.
"I'm just kidding Bella, but you know that you can't get everything you want. Neither can the mermaids, so every wish they make on a shooting star will only come true if what they're wishing for is really important." Sara informed.
Bella just crossed her arms and sighed.
"So, are you tired now?" Bella's mother asked.
"Yeah, I guess." Sara got up out of the rocking chair and hugged Bella.
"Good night Bella," she said, giving her a kiss.
"'Night Mummy. That was a really pretty song you sang. I'll remember it forever!" Bella said returning the hug and kiss. "I love you!"
"Love you too," Sara said, leaving the room and walking down the stairs. Was Bella suspicious of something? She sighed loud as she walked into her bedroom. Sara was a single mother raising a 4 year old. No wonder why she was so tired!
She quickly changed into her pajamas and climbed into bed. Talking about the ocean and the stars earlier that night with Bella had really given her some good memories. Back when she was a teenager, Sara had spent hours swimming in the ocean, exploring just about every inch of it! She'd also spent almost every second of her teenage years out swimming with her friends and hanging with her boyfriend, Bella's future father.
"I wish I was still a mermaid," Sara blurted out loud. "Where did that come from?" she wondered. "Why would I still want to be a mermaid? Having to hide yourself from everyone around you, terrified of one drop of water falling on you and transforming in public, keeping your life a secret from your family…" Tears started filling Sara's eyes as she turned over on her side and wiped them.
"No, you made a decision to give up your powers and you did it. What's done is done." She sighed. "Too bad it was the wrong decision." And with that Sara drifted off into a long, restless sleep.
Well, what did you think? This was just a prologue, so the whole story is focused mostly on something else, but this part was still a very important part of it. Sorry if there's some stuff wrong with it. I'm not a very experienced writer so I'm trying my best. And if I haven't said so already:
PLEASE REVIEW! ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) THANK YOU! ;) ;) ;) ;) ;)