The star in the night sky

There was a little boy who grew up in the urban city. Unlike the typical child that grew up in the urban areas, this little boy loved to stare at the clear night sky, admiring the beauty of the stars and the moon. Every night, just before he went to bed, he would look out of his window searching for the heavenly bodies that illuminated the entire sky after the sun has set.

The little boy would sometimes go out into an empty field near his home to get a better and unobstructed view of the night sky. He slowly learned to identify some of the stars, the very first being Orion because of its very unique and yet simple constellation.

Years passed, and the little boy eventually grew into a fine young man. His love for the beauty of the stars, dotting the night sky with their glow, never waned. He would still look at the all stars in his view with wonder, sometimes squinting to identify the colour with which each star is glowing.

One night, the young man found a star that he had never noticed before. He felt rather puzzled, for this particular star was rather outstanding. Although it was clustered together among the others, this star shone more brightly than the others. As he looked at the star each night, its colour seemed to be different, and the colour he saw reflected his mood and feelings earlier that day. Though the young man could not explain why he had not seen the star previously, he was delighted to make such a find.

Intrigued by its unique glow, the young man began to look out for the star every night, trying to identify its colour and comparing it to his mood on that day. He started to think that this star had appeared especially for him, and that its brillance and beauty were only meant for him. The time spent by the young man on staring at the night sky gradually increased. There were times when he went to bed, grudgingly, only because a huge cloud floated along and denied his view. Each night, he would stand in front of his window without fail, regardless of how tired he was and how much his body yearned to sleep. During the nights when the sky was cloudy, the young man would feel very upset at not able to see "his special star".

Nearing the end of the year, when the monsoon came, the clouds took up permanent residence in the sky . Night after night, they hung over the young man's home , covering every square centimetre and blocking out every visible trace of the stars and moon. Night after night, the young man became more and more unhappy at not being able to see "his special star". He missed it so badly, that sometimes he would stay up through the night until dawn broke, hoping that the clouds will dissipate away. However, the clouds never disappeared, and the young man would then retire to his bed feeling extremely sad and disappointed.

This cycle of futile waiting and going to bed in disappointment carried on for weeks. However, the young man refused to give up. There were occassions when the sky was only partially covered by clouds. During those nights, the young man would scrutinise every uncovered area of the sky at every opportunity. Every time he did so, he would end up feeling worse than before, because he was unable to find "his special star".

Suddenly on one night, the sky became cloudless again. The young man was overjoyed when he noticed this change, and his heart started to beat very hard in anticipation of being able to see the star that he yearned for so long. He ran out into the field again, sweeping the sky from east to west, north to south, eager to find the familiar beauty that once shone on him. However, the star was nowhere to be found. Although the young man could still vividly recall the location of the star relative to the other constellations, it simply could not be found anymore. It was as though the star had stopped shining.

For the subsequent nights, the sky remained cloudless at night, but the star was never found. The eager anticipation that had replaced his disappointment vanished, and the young man was crestfallen once more.

One night, as the young man resumed his usual practice of looking out for the special star, he suddenly wondered why he was feeling sad. He remembered that as a little boy, he used to be happy just to be able to look at the stars in the sky on a cloudless night. It was the exact opposite of how he felt now as he stared into the sky. The young man began to miss the days when he was happy. He wanted very badly to go back to the time when he could smile.

After pondering for some time, realisation dawned upon the young man. He recalled that when he was younger, the very fact that the clouds were not around the obstruct the view of the night sky was something worth being happy about, for cloudless night skies are quite rare on a tropical island. The sight of all the stars, each shining in their own places, was a picture to behold. By constantly looking out for that special one star, he had neglected the beauty of the others. The magnificence of the whole night sky was forgotten.

Having realised this, the young man looked up at the sky again. That special star was still nowhere to be seen. However, the young man was not overwhelmed with disappointment this time. Instead, a smile gradually formed on his face.