This is one of my entries for the 1st Forever Fabulous Frasier Fan Fiction
Extravaganza
Vick says: To share a star is the story of innocent hearts who still believe in fate and the perfection of love. It's a story that explores the most treasured dream for all of us, a soul mate, the ultimate love of your life, the person who loves you no matter what, expecting nothing and the person who you love the most, willing to give her everything.
Special Thanks to Moxie for her encouragment and time.
Compartir una Estrella
To Share a Star
Dedicated to L, who shares a star with me.
Dedicado a L, quien comparte una estrella conmigo
Voices penetrated the deep black curtains that fell over him abruptly, leaving no memories. Nothing but the faint sensation of flying and then a solid hit, and after that, nothing. A void filled with peacefulness, darkness and silence, until the voices came.
Where am I?, he asked himself, and no answer came. All he could hear were the voices, so he listened closely. He noticed that they were getting louder.
"I tell you, he is dead!" one of the voices said.
He felt the soft touch of a hand in his chest
"No he's not, he is breathing," said the other voice. Was he really breathing, he wondered? To see if he really was, he tried a deep breath, and it worked. This made the second voice go up a pitch.
"See?" the voice sounded satisfied.
"You're right!"
"Go get some water!"
Now he heard new sounds, those of footsteps. Then something being pushed or dragged over a wood floor A second later, the sound of water coming out of a faucet and finally, footsteps again. He felt something wet and cold cover his forehead, which made him groan audibly.
"He is coming around!" the voice said, and it sounded distinctly femenine, a girl's voice.
"Good!" Now a young boy. "He is lying on my truck!"
That must have been the sharp little object he felt beneath him.
"There, there..." he felt a hand on his cheek. "Hullo..."
The voices had a very particular tone. They were speaking his language but the tone was sharp and formal, very different from the ones he was used to hearing.
Where was he?
He opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was a large pair of brown eyes looking back at him, very close to his face.
"What are you doing?" the boy asked.
"I am checking his eyes, that is what I am doing," the owner of those eyes announced, drawing close enough for him to see the smile on her face. Her hair was long and tied in a pony tail that fell over one of her shoulders. "Hey, there," she said, "Can you talk?"
"Where am I?" he asked uneasily.
"You're lying on my truck," the boy said, showing his face from behind the girl's back.
"There, let me help you," she said.
He sat up with her aid and felt immediate relief in his back. The boy crawled behind him and retrieved his little toy, a Tonka truck, then returned to his position behind the girl.
She was trying to hand him something, something he recognized immediately.
Something he recognized as hi.s
A book
His book
"You were holding this when we found you," she said as he took the book. That very moment a memory flashed in his head: he was falling and he didn't wanted it to get scratched or damaged so, he embraced the book to protect it. He succeeded, the book was intact but he was not. He was bruised, and his little body hurt in more than one place. He had fallen on....in...where was he?
He looked around the room and found he was in a room with a lot of boxes, stacked here and there. There were food labels on them, and there were some sacks around too. There were chairs and tables at the bottom, stacked as if they were in storage. There were no visible windows and the only light in the room came from two bare bulbs suspended from a wooden ceiling. He could hear people walking above them, lots of them. It sounded like they were under a passing parade.
"You alright?" the girl shook him by the shoulders and he returned his attention to those brown eyes.
"I am fine." he confirmed. "Thanks for taking care of my book."
"Oh, forget about it." She leaped to her feet and pawed at her blue dress to remove as much dust as she could. "Can you stand up?"
He did, slowly. The room was spinning in a funny way.
"You have a funny accent," the girl said. "Are you from London?"
"Seattle" he stated, brushing the dust off his clothes with one hand and keeping his precious book away from it with the other.
"Is that in Ireland?" the boy with the Tonka asked.
"America," he said.
"You sure are far away from home," the girl smiled, weakly.
"A little." he smiled back and her smile grew bigger.
"My name is Daphne," the girl said "Daphne Moon."
"Niles Crane."
"This is my brother, Simón." Daphne said, pointing at the boy with the Tonka.
"You were lucky!" Simon said, approaching. "My truck is not broken, which is why you will have no problems with me!" When he said this he loomed over Niles, dangerously close. Niles just stood in his place, looking like a wounded dove would look to a cat who discovered it on the rooftop, weak and unable to fly.
Daphne pushed her brother away. Simon stepped back and then spun around to resume inspecting his toy.
"He is just kidding," she said nervously. Niles was not so sure about that.
"Were are we?" Niles asked, trying to drag the conversation away from that cat er...away from Simon.
"We are in the basement of me auntie's tea room," Daphne said.
"How did I get here?" he asked, out loud, but the question was really to himself. He concentrated and tried to remember how he had gotten here. For a moment all he could remember was a black void. Then it slowly all came back to him.
***
Of course, it all was Frasiers's fault. If he weren't so pigheaded he wouldn't have gone to the museum to see that exhibition, against their mother's orders, and...and...Niles Crane wouldn't be there. In the street, in a foreign city full of strangers waiting for the green light to cross to the other side. Then there it was...the green 'walk' light. What he was doing there, crossing that street?. Why, in the name of God, wasn't he at the hotel where his mother had left him, reading the book she had given him as a gift? He looked at the book in his hands and sighed. The answer was simple, at least for a 9 years old boy like him. He was afraid of silence and hated to be alone. So, with the aid of a tourist map he had gone out to look for his brother. If all was well at the end, both of them would be at their hotel room when their mother got back from her convention.
Of course there was a reason for this little adventure. It was "The March of the Celts". That was the name of the exhibition that prompted Frasier to ignore their mother's orders. When they thought about it, it had been their mother who had talked about the Celts all the way to Manchester, making them to be eager to know more about that ancient civilization. When they found out that there was an exhibition....well, of course they wanted to see it. It was a shame, though, that they only found out about it the last day of their visit to Manchester.
Niles memory continued.
"Excuse me, Miss," Niles pulled the sleeve of a formally dressed young lady. She looked down at him.
"Yes?"
"I am looking for the shortest way to the History Museum," he asked politely. "Could you help?"
She smiled weakly.
"Sure, kiddo, " she said in a sweet voice. "All you have to do is to cross the street and take the alley next to that tea room." She pointed across the street to a little cafeteria, with tables outside and a few customers inside. 'Moonlight Tea Room' was the name of the establishment.
"An alley?" Niles gulped.
"Yes, it is a little dark, but it is the shortest way." She walked away from him. "Bye!"
"Bye," he said, but didn't move. Across the street the Moonlight Tea Room welcomed new customers. "An alley?"
He asked and he got the answer. He could always take the long way but...he wanted to get there quickly...even at the expense of his impeccibly clean shoes.
Niles crossed the street, following the crowd. He stopped at the alley entrance. There were boxes, garbage cans and other debris in there, and, to make it worse, the alley was really dark. But the end was visible on the other side, he could see cars passing. All he had to do was to walk through there briskly and that was that. So he started in. Niles ran into the alley with the solid purpose of attempting the speed of light. But when he made a turn to dodge a box he never saw the square hole under the sign which read "CARGO LIFT".
***
"So..." the voice of Daphne made him return to the present. Her voice was warm, just like her smile. She was looking at him with close attention. She wanted some sort of explanation. "Are you going to tell me why you got down here by throwing yourself into the cargo lift shaft?"
"I didn't mean to come in ...." beat. "here" he said with disdain, making a face. This was, indeed, a place he wouldn't choose to enter. It was dirty and damp, and there had to be spiders hidden all over the place. Young Niles Crane hated all of that. He liked clean and neat places, dry and with heat. His allergies would kick in when he was in places like this. His father used to make fun of him for the way he behaved around spiders, but his mother, thank God, protected him from those nasty and poisonous little predators. Anyway, what did his father expect from a 9 years old boy who preferred to play the piano instead of baseball? Who knew? His father was very different. Niles loved him, he really did, but he was exactly the opposite of his refined, versed, and psychiatrist mother. The cop and the psychatrist: a typical case of mismatched couple.
But they seemed to be quite comfortable in each others company. They had a wonderful marriage and they both loved him and his older brother.
"What's wrong with this place?" Daphne seemed upset by the comment. But girls are like that, he thought, a complete mystery, just like that girl in fourth grade who had lured him under the stairwell to show him her underpants. It was obvious that Daphne was blind or something; wasn't she able to see all this dirt? All the moisture and the danger that bugs presented? "We like to play down here."
"No wonder," he said under his breath , rolling his eyes.
"So..." Daphne pointed at the book. "Will you tell me what your book is about?"
"This is the Cambridge Astronomy Atlas," he said, proudly, showing it to her. But his face fell when Daphne looked at the book nonchalantly, as if it were not that important. Why, this book was one of his most precious treasures. Maybe she didn't know what an astronomy atlas was. "It is about stars!" he added. Then he got a reaction. Her eyes twinkled and a smile illuminated her face.
"Stars?" she asked. He nodded. "I own a star!" Daphne continued. Niles rolled his eyes. Nobody owned stars, they were out there for the entire world to see at night.
"You own a star," he repeated sarcastically. But he decided that her affirmation was thrilling enough. How could she think she could do something like owning a star? "No one can own a star. Who gave it to you?"
She adopted a defensive pose. He clearly didn't believe her.
"My Granny did!!" she stated. "It is the one I see from my bed at night!"
"Did she?" Niles opened the book to an northern hemisphere skymap and showed it to her. "Well, where is that star? Let's find Daphne's Star."
She looked at the page he was showing her and found a circle full of dots with funny names and lines linking them with others in small groups. The groups seemed to have names, Orion, Aquarius, The Big Dipper. Daphne shook her head and caused him to pull back the book.
"It is not in there" she admitted.
Niles shrugged his shoulders and closed the book with a flourish. This girl was lying, she didn't own a star.
"Let's see," he said, with quiet triumph, reopening the book. "We are in the North Hemisphere . . ." he thumbed through the pages quickly and found the page he was looking for, the one he had just shown her. This is the map for this hemisphere, every star on the sky is in here."
"Well, my star is not in there," she said, very positive about it.
"Oh, is it not?" Niles frowned. "So, tell me where it is."
Daphne pondered the matter for about a minute and then she pointed to the roof.
"That way."
Niles laughed. Daphne lowered her pointing hand, dejected.
"What is so funny?" her voice trembled and Niles knew she was about to cry so he stopped laughing. There was nothing worse than a girl crying.
"I'm sorry," he said. "But it is just that" chuckle "all stars are that way!" and he pointed up.
Daphne looked up, and then a smile broke over her face.
"I guess you're right."She intertwined her hands and blushed slightly. "I have 9 brothers," she confessed and Niles wondered if she wanted to drag their little chat to some other topic. "and they make me cry every time I talk about my star." Oh, maybe not.
Niles sighed. How many times had the kids in his class laughed about his interest in the arts instead of a soccer ball? Maybe this girl was a lot like him. Niles couldn't but help feel comfortable for the first time since he woke up on the basement floor.
"You can tell me," he shrugged his shoulder. "and if you do..." he lowered his voice, "I will tell you about my favorite star."
She nodded. The offer was accepted.
"Deal!" she said,and at last Niles smiled. "But you first."
"Oh, no." Niles put his hand up. "Ladies first!"
She sighed.
"Ok," She turned around and walked away from him. Niles stood in his place. He was not sure what she was doing until she added, "come on, follow me."
"Where are we going?" Niles asked, running after her as she climbed up the stairs at the end of the basement, beyond the tables, chairs and boxes he had seen before.
"Do you want to see my star or not?" she giggled and disappeared from his sight. Niles hurried up and entered a kitchen where two women were busy with something on an stove. One of them saw him and when Daphne walked by the woman grabbed her by the arm.
"And who is he?" she asked
"This is Niley," Daphne said, in her most casual tone.
The woman released Daphne and, cleaning her hands on her apron, walked over to were he was standing, taking in the scene.
"How did you get in here, young man?" the woman asked sternly.
"I fell through the cargo elevator . . . I mean lift . . . shaft." Niles said.
"Nina," the woman called to the other person at the stove, who just discovered their intruder. Nina left what she was doing to join the others. "Do you know this boy?"
"No," she said, and shrugged her shoulders. "Who are you, me lad?" Nina seemed warmer than the woman who held Daphne's arm.
"Niles Crane, Ma'am, " the boy said.
"How did you get in here?" the first woman insisted.
"I fell through..." he began but Daphne interjected.
"I invited him, Mum."
Both woman turned away from him to look at Daphne. Which one was her mother, Niles wondered? The first one was aggressive enough to be Simon's mother, dry and rough. But that certainly didn't describe Daphne. He had formed his opinion during their little conversation and the way she assisted when he was unconcious. The other one was more Daphne-like, with her warm smile, gentle eyes, and soft voice. He deduced that Nina was Daphne's mother.
But he was wrong...for the second time in a row.
"I told you not to invite people in here," the first woman said. "We are here to help your aunt Nina!" Clearly a scolding.
Daphne winked at Niles.
"It was my fault," Niles interjected this time. Daphne's aunt shook her head. "I insisted on coming here to see the basement." He trembled slightly. Under no regular circumstance would he do such a thing.
Daphne's mother sighed heavily and dismissed the pair.
"Off you go, boys,"she finished. Niles walked next to Daphne.
Daphne giggled under her breath and led him out of the kitchen. Niles stayed close to her and when he was about to cross the threshold Daphne's mother called to him.
"Hey, kid, please, next time use a better lie." Aunt Nina laughed while she was checking the cakes in the oven.
"I..." he began but was dragged out by Daphne.
"I really did fall through the lift shaft..." they heard as the children walked through the tea room towards the entrance.
The customers an the tables looked at them briefly as they passed by. There were women with fashion magazines, men with newspapers, couples, all of them drinking coffee or tea. Some of them had plates with cake on them. Niles and Daphne walked out and into the street.
Daphne started to the right, dodging the people on the sidewalk. Niles followed her and they walked quietly. A clock on a wall read half past 7. Niles made mental calculations. His mother wouldn't be back until 11 pm so he had a lot of time. He paused and looked in the opposite direction. The hotel was visible, six or seven blocks away.
"Are you coming or not?" Daphne asked.
"I wouldn't miss it!" he announced and she took his hand.
"Here, this way you can't get lost," Daphne said.
"Where are we going?" he wanted to know, impressed by how she wanted to protect him even though he was a stranger.
"Home." she said, simply. "I told you, the star is the one I see from my window."
Niles looked back while walking to spot the hotel again. He wondered where she lived.
"It is far from here?"
"Naaah." She shook her head without looking at him. "Just a few tram stations away."
"A few?" Oh, dear. A few could be two, three, four or even ten, but he wanted to go. The stars..he looked up to confirm what he was thinking. The night sky was clear and there was no moon and no clouds, so, with his map, he would be able to find any star in the sky. But something occurred to him. The best place to see the stars was outside the city, where there are few lights. He looked up again and yes, just the brightest stars were visible. But, he thought, dodging a fat lady with a shopping bag, Daphne's star should be one of those. Gee, he thought, amused at himself. Even though he knew it wasn't really her star he called it that anyway...Daphne's Star.
She stopped short, causing him to collide with her back. Niles book almost fell from his hand but he managed to hold on. Daphne waited for the tram to stop in front of them. They were lucky to find two seats. Niles and Daphne traveled in silence for a few stations. Niles counted them while Daphne just looked out to the street.
"What will your mother think about you going alone on a tram at this hour?" Niles wanted to know, mostly because he knew what his mother's opinion would be.
"Oh, I do this quite often," Daphne stated. "Sometimes, my mum stays with Aunt Nina for the night so I have to go home by meself. It's no big deal." She tried it to sound casual but a hint of fear crept into her voice. Maybe she was not telling the truth and all was not right.
"My mother would never allow me to do this, " Niles admitted. Daphne just sighed. "What?"
"You look like you're scared."
Niles chuckled, nervously. Of course he was, a bit. Here he was, in Manchester, England, hundreds of miles away from Seattle, at seven thirty p.m. in route to an unknown part of the city with a strange girl just to look a star. All when he was supposed to be at the hotel , waiting for mother to return from a convention and waiting for his older brother to come back from the musem. On some level, all of it was Frasier's fault. He had set all this in motion when he decided to go to the museum by himself, leaving Niles in the hotel room, alone, with all that silence. Not to mention later that day when he almost died in an cargo elevator.
Of course he was scared...but it was different somehow. There was something euphoric in all this, a new emotion for him to explore, one he was unfamiliar with but which was pleasing. Daphne had something to do with it. Her nature puzzled him, attracted him on some unknown level. It was hard for him to describe. It was like if she was an old friend but a total stranger at the same time.
"Niles?" The girl shook him by the shoulder.
"Yes?"
"Are you scared?"
"A little," he admitted and looked down at the book in his lap, a bit ashamed
She placed a hand over his.
"Don't worry, Dappy won't let anything happen to you," Niles nodded, and again found himself lost in those brown eyes. But those eyes looked away in a second when she shouted, "This is our stop!"
* * *
When Niles saw Daphne's home he was struck by an image from the past. It was from a year ago when his father insisted on taking them to the zoo. When they got to the monkey cage they saw a bunch of monkeys playing loudly from one side of the cage to the other, hanging from ropes, rolling on the floor and fighting here and there for a ball. That image was much like Daphne's house. There was a bunch of kids playing in complete disorder on the front. Niles felt immediately intimidated. These kids looked a lot like his classmates, and all of them seemed rough enough to harm him.
"Are those your brothers?" he asked, nervously.
"Yeah, that's the lot," she said. Niles hid timidly behind her back.
One of the boys, the one who was closest, waved at Daphne and ran to meet her.
"Hey, Billy" Daphne waved back.
"Who's this, then?" Billy asked and Niles thought it was the beginning of 'NilesBall' in which, of course, he was the ball. But maybe it was not the season for that game because the boy just slapped him on the, back making him reel.
"This is Niles, my new friend from Seattle."
"That's across the ocean!" he remarked. Daphne and Niles nodded. "So, want to play football?"
Niles shook his head emphatically.
"No, thank you," he replied, quick as a bullet.
"Why not?" the boy insited, poking him. Niles retreated a few steps.
"Leave him alone, Billy." Daphne pulled Niles by the sleeve of his jacket.
Billy looked at her, defiantly .
"Why should I?"
"You want me to tell Mum about what you did to her underpants?"
Niles frowned, puzzled. Billy looked like the proverbial deer caught in the headlights.
"I swear, the dog was freezing!" Billy babbled.
"Mum thinks she lost them in the laundry," Daphne said. Billy leaped away from Niles, who was trying to imagine the whereabouts of those underpants.
"Better go to play some football,"and with that, he was gone.
Niles sighed, relieved.
"My brothers..." she said and it sounded like an apology.
"Your brothers...."he answered and it sounded like an 'apology accepted' mixed with relief and the sensation of 'diplomatic inmunity'. Daphne must be a brave girl to survive with all those brothers...the surprise was that she wasn't at all like them. She managed to keep all her warm nature protected against all the roughness. Incredible.
Daphne motioned him into her house. He expected to see a father to complete her family but there was none. He never asked about it, it was not appropiate. All he wanted was to see her star and then return to his hotel in time to skip a motherly lecture and a infamous brotherly lecture...but the prime priority was to meet Daphne's star.
She led him upstairs and into a little room at the end of the corridor. This room was decorated for a girl but it lacked taste. She had some stuffed animals here and there and on the bed, some unicorn statues, three of them, on a shelf next to some dolls and some other 'girl' belongings. Niles stood at the door while she turned the light on.
"Come in," she commanded as she sat on the edge of her bed, her face towards the only window in the room. Niles walked in, slowly, and sat next to her.
Once he was there he saw the buildings outside, in front Daphne's house. There were two large ones that left just a little void between them in which a star was visible...a bright star...so she was right, of course, that was the only star in sight from her bed.
"That's my star," she said, triumphantly. "See?..I told you...that's my star, she's been there as long as I can remember." She shrugged her shoulders. "Well, at least when the night is clear."
Niles nodded.
"It is beautiful," he admitted, wondering what star could it be...Betelgeuse?...Rigel perhaps?...Alcor?... Mizar?...Cygnus?..it was impossible to tell what star it was from there...
"Now," she patted the book Niles was holding. "Tell me what star it is."
"I can't." She looked hurt, thinking he had broken a promise. "Not from here."
"But I thought all the stars were in that book of yours."
He nodded. "They are, all the stars are in here but.." he made gestured out the window, "with those building there, I can't tell what star it is."
"But you promised. "
"I know, I'm sorry, Daphne," he said. "But you said you would tell me all about your star first, so," he folded his arms, "I am waiting."
Daphne pondered the matter for about a minute, then her brown eyes landed on his. Again, that strange connection was established. In his current mental state he wasn't able to talk or think rationally. This was a strange, completely new feeling ...so, Niles just nodded slowly and the girl looked at the star again, releasing him from that enchantment.
"We all have a star," she began. "Twinkling up in the sky." She held her hands above her head, splaying her fingers. Niles was charmed. "My Granny told me all about it." She leaned close to whisper this in full secrecy, "for every soul on this planet there is a star to be chosen...you have one," she sighed, "I have one." And with that she pointed at the star "that star means my place on this planet and.."
"And where is that place?"
"I don't know yet." She shrugged her shoulder and Niles repressed laugh. She was talking so solemnly that it would be a catastrophe is he laughed. She was right about one thing. They were far too young to know where they belonged. Niles had some idea about his future. He wanted to be a psychiatrist, just like his mother. That was the path he wanted to travel...to his place. Yet, he was too young , just like Daphne.
"I have a question," he said, trying to dig into Daphne's mind. She really believed in all this but she added a mystical element, one he didn't believe in. "What happens if somebody else chooses the same star?"
"Then you have a Soul Mate." Daphne stated.
"A soul mate?"
"Yes!" she became excited. "My Granny said that a soul mate is like another part of us, an extension of our own soul...you know...like in the romantic movies.."
Niles got lost in that idea...a soul mate?..an extension of your soul?..was that posible?
"And what does that mean?" he asked, now extremely curious.
"Picture this." She paused in thought. "Imagine we choose the same star." Niles was following this idea. "Then it means that you and I are soul mates. The future will bring us together some day, no matter what, you and I will meet again...unavoidably."
"Problem." he interjected
"What?"
"I live in Seattle," he stated, extending his arms. "That is very far away from here. How could we meet?"
She had to think for a brief moment.
"My Granny said it was unavoidable, so..I guess you could come here to meet me or I could fly to Seattle." Niles chuckled "What?"
"How could I fly here to meet you if I didn't know you were here in the first place?" He folded his arms.
Daphne bit a nail.
"I don't know," she admitted. "But it can happen."
"How?"
Daphne's face iluminated by a sudden thought.
"You are here now..." she stated, triumphantly. "You flew all the way from Seattle to meet me."
"I met you by accident!" he replied.
"There are no accidents." Daphne smiled. "My Granny Moon told me everything is caused by fate....we met because it was written in the stars that we would meet today in that basement."
Niles pondered the matter for a long minute. What she was saying was true in some way. They met because he had decided to go after Frasier..he should be in the hotel but he wasn't, he was here with her.
"You are right," he announced. "But still...how do you know that I am your soul mate? We meet many different people every day."
"You always know what to say. You're very smart..."Daphne smiled and winked at him. Niles blushed. "Now you're red!" The blush deepened. "Look at you!!" she giggled.
"Daphne, stop!" he begged, She giggled again and slapped his shoulder, he returned the gesture and giggled too. This little game continued for a few seconds until she was blushing too. "Now who's red?"
"You are!" they both said and broke into laughter.
A minute later they were gasping for air.
"Now tell me, Daphne..." Niles begged. "How do you know when you meet your soul mate?...you ask what his favorite star is or something?"
She shook her head.
"That is the magic in all of this" she leaned in again. "You don't have to ask...you just know..."
"Really?" he tried to imagine the scene...Niles finding a soul mate...where?....how?...he had no idea... "Gosh!, I'd love to know what that feels like!"
"Who knows?" she stated "But my Granny Moon said ..."
"Your Granny is a very wise woman," he interjected and said that with real respect.
"She said that someday... out of the blue, you'll find your soul mate..."
A moment of silence fell over them. Niles used it to store all of what she had said in his head. He wanted to talk about it with his mother later at the hotel, to ask her if Dad was her soul mate. He suspected it but wanted to know what she had to say. Daphne just contemplated her new friend, he had made a promise and kept it, he listened to her story with attention. He was a nice boy, so different from the ones she was used to dealing with.
"Now," She broke the silence. "It is your turn."
"My turn?" He seemed confused and she patted the book. "Oh, yes, my turn!" Niles opened the book and placed it on the bed between them. "Here..." he pointed at a dot on the sky map.
"Pollux," she read.
"Yes," he nodded. "Pollux and Castor, the twin sons of Queen Leda from Sparta," he mused. "My mother told me about them, they are part of Gemini Constellation, see?..." with his finger, Niles showed her how the stars on that group formed the image of two kids hand taken "two brothers, one of them, Pollux, immortal, they were inseparable, and, when Castor died in battle, Pollux prayed to Zeus that he might share his immortality with his brother. Zeus took mercy upon the twins and set them together eternally among the stars as the constellation of the Gemini."
She nodded, now it was so obvious, two brothers hand taken in the sky, every night. "It is like they are soul mates." Niles looked at the picture driven by that new point of view , Gemini, using the mythology, symbolized two brothers, but incredibly, what Daphne said made a lot of sense, the soul mates she was talking about could be described like that, amazing...
"I never thought of it that way," he confessed. "It is a beautiful way to see it..."
Daphne sighed, and a deep sigh it was, because it was caused by this odd boy from Seattle.His words made her feel strangely good. She never thought such a boy could exist. He lacked all rudeness, he liked to share her thoughts and seemed to respect them.
"And ..." she wanted to know more. "Where is that star now?" She looked out the window.
"Oh," Niles looked out at Daphne's Star. "I don't know...the only one we can see is your star." Daphne sighed, dejected. "But who knows, we may be sharing the same one."
"Do you think so?" There was hope in her voice.
"There is only one way to find out, isn't there?"
"What way?"
"If we are sharing the same star..." Niles explained, "then we will meet in the future, here in England or there in Seattle, one way or another, we will meet again...and if that happen it means that..."
"We are soul mates!" she said, excitedly.
"Exactly!" Niles smiled. "and all because we share the same star."
"IF we share the same star."
"Now you're the smart one." Niles smiled.
She giggled, amused,
"When will you go back to Seattle, Niles?"
"Tomorrow," he confessed.
"Oh..." Silence. "Will you come back some day?"
"I don't know," Niles said. "My mother brought us here, she is a psychiatrist, you know.."
"Oh...really?" Daphne made a funny face. "and what's that?"
"She heals people's minds." he explained.
"Ohhh ... " Daphne said, but from her expression he knew she didn't get the complete idea. "My mother is a housekeeper."
Niles suppressed a smirk.
"I have to go back to the hotel, Daphne," Niles rose from the bed. "It is late and mother will be looking for me..."
"Ok, ok."
"Will you remember my star?" he asked, suddenly worried.
"Of course I will" she assured him "Will you remember mine?"
"Of course," he said, smiling. "I promise not to forget!"
They walked out of the house and took the tram at the station. The Tea Room was about to close when they got there. Daphne's aunt Nina was outside with a broom in her hands. She waved at them when they appeared down the street..
"Hey, you two" she said. "Where did you go off to?"
"We were taking a walk."
"It must have been a long walk." Nina smiled "It is late and you know your mother gets angry."
As if that were a cue line, Daphne's Mum appeared at the door. She looked at them dryly for about a second and then walked the three steps that separated them.
"Daphne Esmeralda Moon....where have you been?"
"We were taking a walk!"
Niles sensed what was about to happen, she had gone home without permission, just like he went out of the hotel to look for his brother...oh boy...
"I told you not to go out by yourself," her mother said, arms folded .
"But I was with him," she pointed out Niles.
He balanced in the same place, smiling nervously.
"And who are you, anyway?" Daphne's mother asked, addressing Niles. He was about to answer when a voice came from behind.
"What are you doing here?"
Niles spun around to discover his brother , who was holding some bags with souvenirs and a cap. He didn't seem angry, just surprised. The last thing he expected to find was his brother in the company of strangers.
"Frasier!" he exclaimed.
"Do you know him?" Daphne's mother asked
"Well, yes, he is my brother!"
Daphne inched closer to Niles.
"He took my daughter to God knows where!"
Frasier gave him the 'older brother' stare.
"Niles?" he asked, and this time, he spiced the stare with 'the older brother voice'.
"Frasier?" he replied, casually, wanting to protect his new friend.
"Daphne?" Her mother wanted an answer.
"We went to the house," she admitted.
That made her mother quiet for a second. The only sound was the people walking along the sidewalk. Nina continued with her work, but she kept an eye on them. Likely to know when to rescue Daphne when the blood bath started.
After what it seemed an eternity, Daphne's mum spoke.
"You went to the house? " Daphne nodded. "At this hour?" Another nod. "Alone in the tram?" She took Daphne's arm violently, who cried, but Niles didn't see any anger in the woman, only worry.
"It is my fault," Niles said in low voice.
"Your fault?" Frasier and the lady said in unison.
"I wanted to see her star!" he said, and knew what was about to happen. Daphne's mum dragged her daughter behind her, who was crying all the way.
"Mum, stop!" she said.
Frasier sighed.
"I apologize for my brother's behavior, Ma'am" he said, polite and formal. "Please accept my apology."
Daphne's Mum gave them a cold stare.
"Get lost," was all she said and then dragged Daphne inside the Tea room.
"Niles!!" Daphne cried.
Niles was unable to move; he just stood there.
"Sorry, kid" Aunt Nina said, walking over to the boys. "But it seems Daphne won't be able to come out again."
"Could you give this to her?" Niles offered his book. Nina took it and looked at it with interest. "It is to help her to remember my star."
Nina nodded.
"I will give it to her, lad, I promise."
"Hey!" Frasier nudged Niles. "We have to get back to the hotel!"
Niles looked at his older brother.
"This is my fault," he stated. Frasier sighed.
"Let's go," Frasier commanded, and Niles followed, sheepishly, to the hotel, looking back at regular intervals until the Tea room was no longer in sight.
Frasier pushed the elevator button and, when the doors closed in front of them he asked,
"What happened back there, Niles?"
"I went to meet a star."
* * *
Pollux ...
Niles opened his eyes in the middle of the night and discovered that his star was visible through the window. His mother and brother were fast asleep so they never noticed when he got up and walked to the window. Pollux twinkled and he sighed...
Was she looking at the same star?
The luggage next to the window reminded him that their flight to Seattle was at 7 a.m. Their mother had to be at home that same day so there was no possibility to drag her to the Tea Room to see what happened to Daphne..and her mother had seemed very angry after all.
Niles sighed and promised, returning to bed that, if Daphne shared his own star, then the day they met again, from that day on he would do everything to make her happy. He would never, ever, make her cry or ignore what she wanted to talk about, he would do everything to fulfill her dreams...even at his own expense...
Credits Tag
1993, Shortly after Daphne moved to Frasier's house
Fade in to Daphne's room, we see her asleep, the camera pans across the room showing that she is now installed. We see her unicorn collection, some photos of her family, and finally, we see a bookshelf, the camera zooms in to show the titles and stops on an old book named 'The Cambridge Astronomy Atlas'.
If you want to feedback this author, please , email Vick, your feedback will be replied.
Vick says: To share a star is the story of innocent hearts who still believe in fate and the perfection of love. It's a story that explores the most treasured dream for all of us, a soul mate, the ultimate love of your life, the person who loves you no matter what, expecting nothing and the person who you love the most, willing to give her everything.
Special Thanks to Moxie for her encouragment and time.
Compartir una Estrella
To Share a Star
Dedicated to L, who shares a star with me.
Dedicado a L, quien comparte una estrella conmigo
Voices penetrated the deep black curtains that fell over him abruptly, leaving no memories. Nothing but the faint sensation of flying and then a solid hit, and after that, nothing. A void filled with peacefulness, darkness and silence, until the voices came.
Where am I?, he asked himself, and no answer came. All he could hear were the voices, so he listened closely. He noticed that they were getting louder.
"I tell you, he is dead!" one of the voices said.
He felt the soft touch of a hand in his chest
"No he's not, he is breathing," said the other voice. Was he really breathing, he wondered? To see if he really was, he tried a deep breath, and it worked. This made the second voice go up a pitch.
"See?" the voice sounded satisfied.
"You're right!"
"Go get some water!"
Now he heard new sounds, those of footsteps. Then something being pushed or dragged over a wood floor A second later, the sound of water coming out of a faucet and finally, footsteps again. He felt something wet and cold cover his forehead, which made him groan audibly.
"He is coming around!" the voice said, and it sounded distinctly femenine, a girl's voice.
"Good!" Now a young boy. "He is lying on my truck!"
That must have been the sharp little object he felt beneath him.
"There, there..." he felt a hand on his cheek. "Hullo..."
The voices had a very particular tone. They were speaking his language but the tone was sharp and formal, very different from the ones he was used to hearing.
Where was he?
He opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was a large pair of brown eyes looking back at him, very close to his face.
"What are you doing?" the boy asked.
"I am checking his eyes, that is what I am doing," the owner of those eyes announced, drawing close enough for him to see the smile on her face. Her hair was long and tied in a pony tail that fell over one of her shoulders. "Hey, there," she said, "Can you talk?"
"Where am I?" he asked uneasily.
"You're lying on my truck," the boy said, showing his face from behind the girl's back.
"There, let me help you," she said.
He sat up with her aid and felt immediate relief in his back. The boy crawled behind him and retrieved his little toy, a Tonka truck, then returned to his position behind the girl.
She was trying to hand him something, something he recognized immediately.
Something he recognized as hi.s
A book
His book
"You were holding this when we found you," she said as he took the book. That very moment a memory flashed in his head: he was falling and he didn't wanted it to get scratched or damaged so, he embraced the book to protect it. He succeeded, the book was intact but he was not. He was bruised, and his little body hurt in more than one place. He had fallen on....in...where was he?
He looked around the room and found he was in a room with a lot of boxes, stacked here and there. There were food labels on them, and there were some sacks around too. There were chairs and tables at the bottom, stacked as if they were in storage. There were no visible windows and the only light in the room came from two bare bulbs suspended from a wooden ceiling. He could hear people walking above them, lots of them. It sounded like they were under a passing parade.
"You alright?" the girl shook him by the shoulders and he returned his attention to those brown eyes.
"I am fine." he confirmed. "Thanks for taking care of my book."
"Oh, forget about it." She leaped to her feet and pawed at her blue dress to remove as much dust as she could. "Can you stand up?"
He did, slowly. The room was spinning in a funny way.
"You have a funny accent," the girl said. "Are you from London?"
"Seattle" he stated, brushing the dust off his clothes with one hand and keeping his precious book away from it with the other.
"Is that in Ireland?" the boy with the Tonka asked.
"America," he said.
"You sure are far away from home," the girl smiled, weakly.
"A little." he smiled back and her smile grew bigger.
"My name is Daphne," the girl said "Daphne Moon."
"Niles Crane."
"This is my brother, Simón." Daphne said, pointing at the boy with the Tonka.
"You were lucky!" Simon said, approaching. "My truck is not broken, which is why you will have no problems with me!" When he said this he loomed over Niles, dangerously close. Niles just stood in his place, looking like a wounded dove would look to a cat who discovered it on the rooftop, weak and unable to fly.
Daphne pushed her brother away. Simon stepped back and then spun around to resume inspecting his toy.
"He is just kidding," she said nervously. Niles was not so sure about that.
"Were are we?" Niles asked, trying to drag the conversation away from that cat er...away from Simon.
"We are in the basement of me auntie's tea room," Daphne said.
"How did I get here?" he asked, out loud, but the question was really to himself. He concentrated and tried to remember how he had gotten here. For a moment all he could remember was a black void. Then it slowly all came back to him.
***
Of course, it all was Frasiers's fault. If he weren't so pigheaded he wouldn't have gone to the museum to see that exhibition, against their mother's orders, and...and...Niles Crane wouldn't be there. In the street, in a foreign city full of strangers waiting for the green light to cross to the other side. Then there it was...the green 'walk' light. What he was doing there, crossing that street?. Why, in the name of God, wasn't he at the hotel where his mother had left him, reading the book she had given him as a gift? He looked at the book in his hands and sighed. The answer was simple, at least for a 9 years old boy like him. He was afraid of silence and hated to be alone. So, with the aid of a tourist map he had gone out to look for his brother. If all was well at the end, both of them would be at their hotel room when their mother got back from her convention.
Of course there was a reason for this little adventure. It was "The March of the Celts". That was the name of the exhibition that prompted Frasier to ignore their mother's orders. When they thought about it, it had been their mother who had talked about the Celts all the way to Manchester, making them to be eager to know more about that ancient civilization. When they found out that there was an exhibition....well, of course they wanted to see it. It was a shame, though, that they only found out about it the last day of their visit to Manchester.
Niles memory continued.
"Excuse me, Miss," Niles pulled the sleeve of a formally dressed young lady. She looked down at him.
"Yes?"
"I am looking for the shortest way to the History Museum," he asked politely. "Could you help?"
She smiled weakly.
"Sure, kiddo, " she said in a sweet voice. "All you have to do is to cross the street and take the alley next to that tea room." She pointed across the street to a little cafeteria, with tables outside and a few customers inside. 'Moonlight Tea Room' was the name of the establishment.
"An alley?" Niles gulped.
"Yes, it is a little dark, but it is the shortest way." She walked away from him. "Bye!"
"Bye," he said, but didn't move. Across the street the Moonlight Tea Room welcomed new customers. "An alley?"
He asked and he got the answer. He could always take the long way but...he wanted to get there quickly...even at the expense of his impeccibly clean shoes.
Niles crossed the street, following the crowd. He stopped at the alley entrance. There were boxes, garbage cans and other debris in there, and, to make it worse, the alley was really dark. But the end was visible on the other side, he could see cars passing. All he had to do was to walk through there briskly and that was that. So he started in. Niles ran into the alley with the solid purpose of attempting the speed of light. But when he made a turn to dodge a box he never saw the square hole under the sign which read "CARGO LIFT".
***
"So..." the voice of Daphne made him return to the present. Her voice was warm, just like her smile. She was looking at him with close attention. She wanted some sort of explanation. "Are you going to tell me why you got down here by throwing yourself into the cargo lift shaft?"
"I didn't mean to come in ...." beat. "here" he said with disdain, making a face. This was, indeed, a place he wouldn't choose to enter. It was dirty and damp, and there had to be spiders hidden all over the place. Young Niles Crane hated all of that. He liked clean and neat places, dry and with heat. His allergies would kick in when he was in places like this. His father used to make fun of him for the way he behaved around spiders, but his mother, thank God, protected him from those nasty and poisonous little predators. Anyway, what did his father expect from a 9 years old boy who preferred to play the piano instead of baseball? Who knew? His father was very different. Niles loved him, he really did, but he was exactly the opposite of his refined, versed, and psychiatrist mother. The cop and the psychatrist: a typical case of mismatched couple.
But they seemed to be quite comfortable in each others company. They had a wonderful marriage and they both loved him and his older brother.
"What's wrong with this place?" Daphne seemed upset by the comment. But girls are like that, he thought, a complete mystery, just like that girl in fourth grade who had lured him under the stairwell to show him her underpants. It was obvious that Daphne was blind or something; wasn't she able to see all this dirt? All the moisture and the danger that bugs presented? "We like to play down here."
"No wonder," he said under his breath , rolling his eyes.
"So..." Daphne pointed at the book. "Will you tell me what your book is about?"
"This is the Cambridge Astronomy Atlas," he said, proudly, showing it to her. But his face fell when Daphne looked at the book nonchalantly, as if it were not that important. Why, this book was one of his most precious treasures. Maybe she didn't know what an astronomy atlas was. "It is about stars!" he added. Then he got a reaction. Her eyes twinkled and a smile illuminated her face.
"Stars?" she asked. He nodded. "I own a star!" Daphne continued. Niles rolled his eyes. Nobody owned stars, they were out there for the entire world to see at night.
"You own a star," he repeated sarcastically. But he decided that her affirmation was thrilling enough. How could she think she could do something like owning a star? "No one can own a star. Who gave it to you?"
She adopted a defensive pose. He clearly didn't believe her.
"My Granny did!!" she stated. "It is the one I see from my bed at night!"
"Did she?" Niles opened the book to an northern hemisphere skymap and showed it to her. "Well, where is that star? Let's find Daphne's Star."
She looked at the page he was showing her and found a circle full of dots with funny names and lines linking them with others in small groups. The groups seemed to have names, Orion, Aquarius, The Big Dipper. Daphne shook her head and caused him to pull back the book.
"It is not in there" she admitted.
Niles shrugged his shoulders and closed the book with a flourish. This girl was lying, she didn't own a star.
"Let's see," he said, with quiet triumph, reopening the book. "We are in the North Hemisphere . . ." he thumbed through the pages quickly and found the page he was looking for, the one he had just shown her. This is the map for this hemisphere, every star on the sky is in here."
"Well, my star is not in there," she said, very positive about it.
"Oh, is it not?" Niles frowned. "So, tell me where it is."
Daphne pondered the matter for about a minute and then she pointed to the roof.
"That way."
Niles laughed. Daphne lowered her pointing hand, dejected.
"What is so funny?" her voice trembled and Niles knew she was about to cry so he stopped laughing. There was nothing worse than a girl crying.
"I'm sorry," he said. "But it is just that" chuckle "all stars are that way!" and he pointed up.
Daphne looked up, and then a smile broke over her face.
"I guess you're right."She intertwined her hands and blushed slightly. "I have 9 brothers," she confessed and Niles wondered if she wanted to drag their little chat to some other topic. "and they make me cry every time I talk about my star." Oh, maybe not.
Niles sighed. How many times had the kids in his class laughed about his interest in the arts instead of a soccer ball? Maybe this girl was a lot like him. Niles couldn't but help feel comfortable for the first time since he woke up on the basement floor.
"You can tell me," he shrugged his shoulder. "and if you do..." he lowered his voice, "I will tell you about my favorite star."
She nodded. The offer was accepted.
"Deal!" she said,and at last Niles smiled. "But you first."
"Oh, no." Niles put his hand up. "Ladies first!"
She sighed.
"Ok," She turned around and walked away from him. Niles stood in his place. He was not sure what she was doing until she added, "come on, follow me."
"Where are we going?" Niles asked, running after her as she climbed up the stairs at the end of the basement, beyond the tables, chairs and boxes he had seen before.
"Do you want to see my star or not?" she giggled and disappeared from his sight. Niles hurried up and entered a kitchen where two women were busy with something on an stove. One of them saw him and when Daphne walked by the woman grabbed her by the arm.
"And who is he?" she asked
"This is Niley," Daphne said, in her most casual tone.
The woman released Daphne and, cleaning her hands on her apron, walked over to were he was standing, taking in the scene.
"How did you get in here, young man?" the woman asked sternly.
"I fell through the cargo elevator . . . I mean lift . . . shaft." Niles said.
"Nina," the woman called to the other person at the stove, who just discovered their intruder. Nina left what she was doing to join the others. "Do you know this boy?"
"No," she said, and shrugged her shoulders. "Who are you, me lad?" Nina seemed warmer than the woman who held Daphne's arm.
"Niles Crane, Ma'am, " the boy said.
"How did you get in here?" the first woman insisted.
"I fell through..." he began but Daphne interjected.
"I invited him, Mum."
Both woman turned away from him to look at Daphne. Which one was her mother, Niles wondered? The first one was aggressive enough to be Simon's mother, dry and rough. But that certainly didn't describe Daphne. He had formed his opinion during their little conversation and the way she assisted when he was unconcious. The other one was more Daphne-like, with her warm smile, gentle eyes, and soft voice. He deduced that Nina was Daphne's mother.
But he was wrong...for the second time in a row.
"I told you not to invite people in here," the first woman said. "We are here to help your aunt Nina!" Clearly a scolding.
Daphne winked at Niles.
"It was my fault," Niles interjected this time. Daphne's aunt shook her head. "I insisted on coming here to see the basement." He trembled slightly. Under no regular circumstance would he do such a thing.
Daphne's mother sighed heavily and dismissed the pair.
"Off you go, boys,"she finished. Niles walked next to Daphne.
Daphne giggled under her breath and led him out of the kitchen. Niles stayed close to her and when he was about to cross the threshold Daphne's mother called to him.
"Hey, kid, please, next time use a better lie." Aunt Nina laughed while she was checking the cakes in the oven.
"I..." he began but was dragged out by Daphne.
"I really did fall through the lift shaft..." they heard as the children walked through the tea room towards the entrance.
The customers an the tables looked at them briefly as they passed by. There were women with fashion magazines, men with newspapers, couples, all of them drinking coffee or tea. Some of them had plates with cake on them. Niles and Daphne walked out and into the street.
Daphne started to the right, dodging the people on the sidewalk. Niles followed her and they walked quietly. A clock on a wall read half past 7. Niles made mental calculations. His mother wouldn't be back until 11 pm so he had a lot of time. He paused and looked in the opposite direction. The hotel was visible, six or seven blocks away.
"Are you coming or not?" Daphne asked.
"I wouldn't miss it!" he announced and she took his hand.
"Here, this way you can't get lost," Daphne said.
"Where are we going?" he wanted to know, impressed by how she wanted to protect him even though he was a stranger.
"Home." she said, simply. "I told you, the star is the one I see from my window."
Niles looked back while walking to spot the hotel again. He wondered where she lived.
"It is far from here?"
"Naaah." She shook her head without looking at him. "Just a few tram stations away."
"A few?" Oh, dear. A few could be two, three, four or even ten, but he wanted to go. The stars..he looked up to confirm what he was thinking. The night sky was clear and there was no moon and no clouds, so, with his map, he would be able to find any star in the sky. But something occurred to him. The best place to see the stars was outside the city, where there are few lights. He looked up again and yes, just the brightest stars were visible. But, he thought, dodging a fat lady with a shopping bag, Daphne's star should be one of those. Gee, he thought, amused at himself. Even though he knew it wasn't really her star he called it that anyway...Daphne's Star.
She stopped short, causing him to collide with her back. Niles book almost fell from his hand but he managed to hold on. Daphne waited for the tram to stop in front of them. They were lucky to find two seats. Niles and Daphne traveled in silence for a few stations. Niles counted them while Daphne just looked out to the street.
"What will your mother think about you going alone on a tram at this hour?" Niles wanted to know, mostly because he knew what his mother's opinion would be.
"Oh, I do this quite often," Daphne stated. "Sometimes, my mum stays with Aunt Nina for the night so I have to go home by meself. It's no big deal." She tried it to sound casual but a hint of fear crept into her voice. Maybe she was not telling the truth and all was not right.
"My mother would never allow me to do this, " Niles admitted. Daphne just sighed. "What?"
"You look like you're scared."
Niles chuckled, nervously. Of course he was, a bit. Here he was, in Manchester, England, hundreds of miles away from Seattle, at seven thirty p.m. in route to an unknown part of the city with a strange girl just to look a star. All when he was supposed to be at the hotel , waiting for mother to return from a convention and waiting for his older brother to come back from the musem. On some level, all of it was Frasier's fault. He had set all this in motion when he decided to go to the museum by himself, leaving Niles in the hotel room, alone, with all that silence. Not to mention later that day when he almost died in an cargo elevator.
Of course he was scared...but it was different somehow. There was something euphoric in all this, a new emotion for him to explore, one he was unfamiliar with but which was pleasing. Daphne had something to do with it. Her nature puzzled him, attracted him on some unknown level. It was hard for him to describe. It was like if she was an old friend but a total stranger at the same time.
"Niles?" The girl shook him by the shoulder.
"Yes?"
"Are you scared?"
"A little," he admitted and looked down at the book in his lap, a bit ashamed
She placed a hand over his.
"Don't worry, Dappy won't let anything happen to you," Niles nodded, and again found himself lost in those brown eyes. But those eyes looked away in a second when she shouted, "This is our stop!"
* * *
When Niles saw Daphne's home he was struck by an image from the past. It was from a year ago when his father insisted on taking them to the zoo. When they got to the monkey cage they saw a bunch of monkeys playing loudly from one side of the cage to the other, hanging from ropes, rolling on the floor and fighting here and there for a ball. That image was much like Daphne's house. There was a bunch of kids playing in complete disorder on the front. Niles felt immediately intimidated. These kids looked a lot like his classmates, and all of them seemed rough enough to harm him.
"Are those your brothers?" he asked, nervously.
"Yeah, that's the lot," she said. Niles hid timidly behind her back.
One of the boys, the one who was closest, waved at Daphne and ran to meet her.
"Hey, Billy" Daphne waved back.
"Who's this, then?" Billy asked and Niles thought it was the beginning of 'NilesBall' in which, of course, he was the ball. But maybe it was not the season for that game because the boy just slapped him on the, back making him reel.
"This is Niles, my new friend from Seattle."
"That's across the ocean!" he remarked. Daphne and Niles nodded. "So, want to play football?"
Niles shook his head emphatically.
"No, thank you," he replied, quick as a bullet.
"Why not?" the boy insited, poking him. Niles retreated a few steps.
"Leave him alone, Billy." Daphne pulled Niles by the sleeve of his jacket.
Billy looked at her, defiantly .
"Why should I?"
"You want me to tell Mum about what you did to her underpants?"
Niles frowned, puzzled. Billy looked like the proverbial deer caught in the headlights.
"I swear, the dog was freezing!" Billy babbled.
"Mum thinks she lost them in the laundry," Daphne said. Billy leaped away from Niles, who was trying to imagine the whereabouts of those underpants.
"Better go to play some football,"and with that, he was gone.
Niles sighed, relieved.
"My brothers..." she said and it sounded like an apology.
"Your brothers...."he answered and it sounded like an 'apology accepted' mixed with relief and the sensation of 'diplomatic inmunity'. Daphne must be a brave girl to survive with all those brothers...the surprise was that she wasn't at all like them. She managed to keep all her warm nature protected against all the roughness. Incredible.
Daphne motioned him into her house. He expected to see a father to complete her family but there was none. He never asked about it, it was not appropiate. All he wanted was to see her star and then return to his hotel in time to skip a motherly lecture and a infamous brotherly lecture...but the prime priority was to meet Daphne's star.
She led him upstairs and into a little room at the end of the corridor. This room was decorated for a girl but it lacked taste. She had some stuffed animals here and there and on the bed, some unicorn statues, three of them, on a shelf next to some dolls and some other 'girl' belongings. Niles stood at the door while she turned the light on.
"Come in," she commanded as she sat on the edge of her bed, her face towards the only window in the room. Niles walked in, slowly, and sat next to her.
Once he was there he saw the buildings outside, in front Daphne's house. There were two large ones that left just a little void between them in which a star was visible...a bright star...so she was right, of course, that was the only star in sight from her bed.
"That's my star," she said, triumphantly. "See?..I told you...that's my star, she's been there as long as I can remember." She shrugged her shoulders. "Well, at least when the night is clear."
Niles nodded.
"It is beautiful," he admitted, wondering what star could it be...Betelgeuse?...Rigel perhaps?...Alcor?... Mizar?...Cygnus?..it was impossible to tell what star it was from there...
"Now," she patted the book Niles was holding. "Tell me what star it is."
"I can't." She looked hurt, thinking he had broken a promise. "Not from here."
"But I thought all the stars were in that book of yours."
He nodded. "They are, all the stars are in here but.." he made gestured out the window, "with those building there, I can't tell what star it is."
"But you promised. "
"I know, I'm sorry, Daphne," he said. "But you said you would tell me all about your star first, so," he folded his arms, "I am waiting."
Daphne pondered the matter for about a minute, then her brown eyes landed on his. Again, that strange connection was established. In his current mental state he wasn't able to talk or think rationally. This was a strange, completely new feeling ...so, Niles just nodded slowly and the girl looked at the star again, releasing him from that enchantment.
"We all have a star," she began. "Twinkling up in the sky." She held her hands above her head, splaying her fingers. Niles was charmed. "My Granny told me all about it." She leaned close to whisper this in full secrecy, "for every soul on this planet there is a star to be chosen...you have one," she sighed, "I have one." And with that she pointed at the star "that star means my place on this planet and.."
"And where is that place?"
"I don't know yet." She shrugged her shoulder and Niles repressed laugh. She was talking so solemnly that it would be a catastrophe is he laughed. She was right about one thing. They were far too young to know where they belonged. Niles had some idea about his future. He wanted to be a psychiatrist, just like his mother. That was the path he wanted to travel...to his place. Yet, he was too young , just like Daphne.
"I have a question," he said, trying to dig into Daphne's mind. She really believed in all this but she added a mystical element, one he didn't believe in. "What happens if somebody else chooses the same star?"
"Then you have a Soul Mate." Daphne stated.
"A soul mate?"
"Yes!" she became excited. "My Granny said that a soul mate is like another part of us, an extension of our own soul...you know...like in the romantic movies.."
Niles got lost in that idea...a soul mate?..an extension of your soul?..was that posible?
"And what does that mean?" he asked, now extremely curious.
"Picture this." She paused in thought. "Imagine we choose the same star." Niles was following this idea. "Then it means that you and I are soul mates. The future will bring us together some day, no matter what, you and I will meet again...unavoidably."
"Problem." he interjected
"What?"
"I live in Seattle," he stated, extending his arms. "That is very far away from here. How could we meet?"
She had to think for a brief moment.
"My Granny said it was unavoidable, so..I guess you could come here to meet me or I could fly to Seattle." Niles chuckled "What?"
"How could I fly here to meet you if I didn't know you were here in the first place?" He folded his arms.
Daphne bit a nail.
"I don't know," she admitted. "But it can happen."
"How?"
Daphne's face iluminated by a sudden thought.
"You are here now..." she stated, triumphantly. "You flew all the way from Seattle to meet me."
"I met you by accident!" he replied.
"There are no accidents." Daphne smiled. "My Granny Moon told me everything is caused by fate....we met because it was written in the stars that we would meet today in that basement."
Niles pondered the matter for a long minute. What she was saying was true in some way. They met because he had decided to go after Frasier..he should be in the hotel but he wasn't, he was here with her.
"You are right," he announced. "But still...how do you know that I am your soul mate? We meet many different people every day."
"You always know what to say. You're very smart..."Daphne smiled and winked at him. Niles blushed. "Now you're red!" The blush deepened. "Look at you!!" she giggled.
"Daphne, stop!" he begged, She giggled again and slapped his shoulder, he returned the gesture and giggled too. This little game continued for a few seconds until she was blushing too. "Now who's red?"
"You are!" they both said and broke into laughter.
A minute later they were gasping for air.
"Now tell me, Daphne..." Niles begged. "How do you know when you meet your soul mate?...you ask what his favorite star is or something?"
She shook her head.
"That is the magic in all of this" she leaned in again. "You don't have to ask...you just know..."
"Really?" he tried to imagine the scene...Niles finding a soul mate...where?....how?...he had no idea... "Gosh!, I'd love to know what that feels like!"
"Who knows?" she stated "But my Granny Moon said ..."
"Your Granny is a very wise woman," he interjected and said that with real respect.
"She said that someday... out of the blue, you'll find your soul mate..."
A moment of silence fell over them. Niles used it to store all of what she had said in his head. He wanted to talk about it with his mother later at the hotel, to ask her if Dad was her soul mate. He suspected it but wanted to know what she had to say. Daphne just contemplated her new friend, he had made a promise and kept it, he listened to her story with attention. He was a nice boy, so different from the ones she was used to dealing with.
"Now," She broke the silence. "It is your turn."
"My turn?" He seemed confused and she patted the book. "Oh, yes, my turn!" Niles opened the book and placed it on the bed between them. "Here..." he pointed at a dot on the sky map.
"Pollux," she read.
"Yes," he nodded. "Pollux and Castor, the twin sons of Queen Leda from Sparta," he mused. "My mother told me about them, they are part of Gemini Constellation, see?..." with his finger, Niles showed her how the stars on that group formed the image of two kids hand taken "two brothers, one of them, Pollux, immortal, they were inseparable, and, when Castor died in battle, Pollux prayed to Zeus that he might share his immortality with his brother. Zeus took mercy upon the twins and set them together eternally among the stars as the constellation of the Gemini."
She nodded, now it was so obvious, two brothers hand taken in the sky, every night. "It is like they are soul mates." Niles looked at the picture driven by that new point of view , Gemini, using the mythology, symbolized two brothers, but incredibly, what Daphne said made a lot of sense, the soul mates she was talking about could be described like that, amazing...
"I never thought of it that way," he confessed. "It is a beautiful way to see it..."
Daphne sighed, and a deep sigh it was, because it was caused by this odd boy from Seattle.His words made her feel strangely good. She never thought such a boy could exist. He lacked all rudeness, he liked to share her thoughts and seemed to respect them.
"And ..." she wanted to know more. "Where is that star now?" She looked out the window.
"Oh," Niles looked out at Daphne's Star. "I don't know...the only one we can see is your star." Daphne sighed, dejected. "But who knows, we may be sharing the same one."
"Do you think so?" There was hope in her voice.
"There is only one way to find out, isn't there?"
"What way?"
"If we are sharing the same star..." Niles explained, "then we will meet in the future, here in England or there in Seattle, one way or another, we will meet again...and if that happen it means that..."
"We are soul mates!" she said, excitedly.
"Exactly!" Niles smiled. "and all because we share the same star."
"IF we share the same star."
"Now you're the smart one." Niles smiled.
She giggled, amused,
"When will you go back to Seattle, Niles?"
"Tomorrow," he confessed.
"Oh..." Silence. "Will you come back some day?"
"I don't know," Niles said. "My mother brought us here, she is a psychiatrist, you know.."
"Oh...really?" Daphne made a funny face. "and what's that?"
"She heals people's minds." he explained.
"Ohhh ... " Daphne said, but from her expression he knew she didn't get the complete idea. "My mother is a housekeeper."
Niles suppressed a smirk.
"I have to go back to the hotel, Daphne," Niles rose from the bed. "It is late and mother will be looking for me..."
"Ok, ok."
"Will you remember my star?" he asked, suddenly worried.
"Of course I will" she assured him "Will you remember mine?"
"Of course," he said, smiling. "I promise not to forget!"
They walked out of the house and took the tram at the station. The Tea Room was about to close when they got there. Daphne's aunt Nina was outside with a broom in her hands. She waved at them when they appeared down the street..
"Hey, you two" she said. "Where did you go off to?"
"We were taking a walk."
"It must have been a long walk." Nina smiled "It is late and you know your mother gets angry."
As if that were a cue line, Daphne's Mum appeared at the door. She looked at them dryly for about a second and then walked the three steps that separated them.
"Daphne Esmeralda Moon....where have you been?"
"We were taking a walk!"
Niles sensed what was about to happen, she had gone home without permission, just like he went out of the hotel to look for his brother...oh boy...
"I told you not to go out by yourself," her mother said, arms folded .
"But I was with him," she pointed out Niles.
He balanced in the same place, smiling nervously.
"And who are you, anyway?" Daphne's mother asked, addressing Niles. He was about to answer when a voice came from behind.
"What are you doing here?"
Niles spun around to discover his brother , who was holding some bags with souvenirs and a cap. He didn't seem angry, just surprised. The last thing he expected to find was his brother in the company of strangers.
"Frasier!" he exclaimed.
"Do you know him?" Daphne's mother asked
"Well, yes, he is my brother!"
Daphne inched closer to Niles.
"He took my daughter to God knows where!"
Frasier gave him the 'older brother' stare.
"Niles?" he asked, and this time, he spiced the stare with 'the older brother voice'.
"Frasier?" he replied, casually, wanting to protect his new friend.
"Daphne?" Her mother wanted an answer.
"We went to the house," she admitted.
That made her mother quiet for a second. The only sound was the people walking along the sidewalk. Nina continued with her work, but she kept an eye on them. Likely to know when to rescue Daphne when the blood bath started.
After what it seemed an eternity, Daphne's mum spoke.
"You went to the house? " Daphne nodded. "At this hour?" Another nod. "Alone in the tram?" She took Daphne's arm violently, who cried, but Niles didn't see any anger in the woman, only worry.
"It is my fault," Niles said in low voice.
"Your fault?" Frasier and the lady said in unison.
"I wanted to see her star!" he said, and knew what was about to happen. Daphne's mum dragged her daughter behind her, who was crying all the way.
"Mum, stop!" she said.
Frasier sighed.
"I apologize for my brother's behavior, Ma'am" he said, polite and formal. "Please accept my apology."
Daphne's Mum gave them a cold stare.
"Get lost," was all she said and then dragged Daphne inside the Tea room.
"Niles!!" Daphne cried.
Niles was unable to move; he just stood there.
"Sorry, kid" Aunt Nina said, walking over to the boys. "But it seems Daphne won't be able to come out again."
"Could you give this to her?" Niles offered his book. Nina took it and looked at it with interest. "It is to help her to remember my star."
Nina nodded.
"I will give it to her, lad, I promise."
"Hey!" Frasier nudged Niles. "We have to get back to the hotel!"
Niles looked at his older brother.
"This is my fault," he stated. Frasier sighed.
"Let's go," Frasier commanded, and Niles followed, sheepishly, to the hotel, looking back at regular intervals until the Tea room was no longer in sight.
Frasier pushed the elevator button and, when the doors closed in front of them he asked,
"What happened back there, Niles?"
"I went to meet a star."
* * *
Pollux ...
Niles opened his eyes in the middle of the night and discovered that his star was visible through the window. His mother and brother were fast asleep so they never noticed when he got up and walked to the window. Pollux twinkled and he sighed...
Was she looking at the same star?
The luggage next to the window reminded him that their flight to Seattle was at 7 a.m. Their mother had to be at home that same day so there was no possibility to drag her to the Tea Room to see what happened to Daphne..and her mother had seemed very angry after all.
Niles sighed and promised, returning to bed that, if Daphne shared his own star, then the day they met again, from that day on he would do everything to make her happy. He would never, ever, make her cry or ignore what she wanted to talk about, he would do everything to fulfill her dreams...even at his own expense...
Credits Tag
1993, Shortly after Daphne moved to Frasier's house
Fade in to Daphne's room, we see her asleep, the camera pans across the room showing that she is now installed. We see her unicorn collection, some photos of her family, and finally, we see a bookshelf, the camera zooms in to show the titles and stops on an old book named 'The Cambridge Astronomy Atlas'.
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