ENRI EMMOT:
"What do you think the stars are?"
I wasn't sure how to answer Nemu's question. Together, the two of us were sitting outside, a stone's throw from our house. Our parents were still awake, as evidenced by the candlelight shining through the window. I wonder what caused them to still be awake at this time. The sun went down not too long ago. Almost all of the villagers rise and fall with the sun. Nemu and I should be in bed by now, but she insisted on star gazing for a bit with me. I agreed, with the caveat that we go to bed when it gets too chilly.
"I don't know. Nfirea said that not even the smartest wizards know."
"How long has it been since Nfirea came?"
"It's been a few weeks. I sure would like him to come by again soon."
This caused Nemu to giggle a bit. She turned to me and spoke.
"I'm sure you would."
What? What did she mean by that?
"W- What are you talking about?"
"You know."
I could barely make her face out in the dark, but I was certain she was smiling at me. Before I could deny her absurd accusations, a bright flash caught the corner of my eye. A bright orange streak was splitting the night sky. A shooting star.
"Nemu look! A shooting star!"
She jumped to her feet and began to wave at it, jumping up and down, giggling the purest sound in the world.
"Quick Enri! Make a wish!
Making wishes upon a shooting star was an ancient tradition. A wandering priest had once told me that when you pray a wish when looking at a shooting star, one of the six great gods would surely hear your wish. It was just a matter of them choosing to grant it or not. According to that same priest, Alah Alaf was the most likely to grant it, while Surshana was the least likely. I quickly considered everything going on in my life and what I wanted. The last time I saw one I asked for a considerable amount of wealth, enough to feed my family for years. My thoughts jumped from my parents to Nemu, to the villagers, before settling on Nfirea. If I made a big, selfish request, then it would be easy to get rejected. But if I asked for something small? Surely even Surshana would grant it. I clasped my hands together, lowered my head, and made my prayer. I just want to see Nfirea again soon.
A moment passed, and I raised my head again. Nemu raised her head a moment after. She turned to me and quickly asked:
"What'd you wish for?"
"You can't tell anyone your wish or else it doesn't count, silly."
Nemu didn't like that.
"Awww, that sucks."
I was about to respond before noticing the shooting star again. Something about it struck me as strange. Normally they don't last that long. Was it getting faster? I gazed at it for a couple more seconds, having difficulty deciding if it was or wasn't.
"Enri…is it getting faster?" Nemu asked softly.
Nemu's question confirmed the answer in my mind. It also seemed slightly bigger than when we first saw it. It was slowly curving down too. We started in silence as it fell. The curve was getting sharper. My stomach dropped as it landed in the forest.
Boom
I felt a quick tremor through the ground a half-second after it fell out of sight. What was that? Did it land in the forest? Nemu turned to me.
"We have to go tell Dad!" She exclaimed before dashing to the house. I got up and started running after her. I ran up to the now-open door before turning to the forest one more time. Nothing. I entered the house. Nemu was talking excitedly to Dad, who sat at a desk reading some paper. He was wearing simple clothes. He had short dark brown-red hair. Out of all of the villagers in Carne Village, he was one of the few who was capable of reading. Not too long ago he had begun teaching me the basics, but I was nowhere near as capable of reading and writing as he or any of the other literate villagers. He looked up at me as I entered the room.
"That tremor was a shooting star landing in the forest?" He asked me. I guess he already heard the details from Nemu.
"Yes, it was," I answered. "I don't really know where exactly it landed, but I'd guess it landed three or four leagues away.
"I see." He sighed. "I ought to go tell the chief then. A fire might start from it. We should go check it out in the morning. Thanks for letting me know, Enri."
Not too long after, Nemu and I went to bed. As I felt myself drifting to sleep, I wondered what tomorrow would bring.