My feet dangle off the edge of the fluorescent gravel pathway, swaying softly from side to side in the water-like clouds. I smile softly, admiring the mortals down below me. Most do simple tasks, such as picking cardinal red apples off shaggy trees or walking through rough-stone pathways, worn boots eager to return home after a long day out hunting. “Caelum?” A smooth voice calls, scrambling my airy thoughts, “Caelum, are you off watching the mortals again?”

I inch over slightly, a smile growing on my rosy cheeks, “How’d you know?”

The person takes a seat next to me, her silky light yellow dress gently brushes my creamy beige skin as my friend, Oriana, places herself besides me. She smiles brightly, “You’re the only person who watches them as I do. They’re fascinating, are they not?”

“I’ve dreamed of visiting the humans, walking through the viridescent grass alongside them. I wish to go down to the ocean, to feel the fresh, crisp water crashing against my skin. I wish to help them with their needs. I wish to find love, eventually,” Oriana blushes slightly, her eyes wandering over the velvet green hills.

A moment passes before she speaks,“It does sounds breathtaking, doesn’t it?” Her words tiptoe out from her shy expression, sending a shiver up my spine.

I relish the world as we sit there, two airy spirits soaking up everything we can -- from the quiet chirping of birds below us, to the gentle breeze which pulls and tugs at Oriana’s silky golden hair. Not wanting the moment to end, I lean forward, twisting my body so I’m effortlessly floating on the soft clouds beneath me. I hear a giggle and watch as Oriana follows in my actions. She looks absolutely astonishing with her honey yellow dress flowing around her with the sun illuminating her figure. Time slows as she floats towards me, golden brown eyes accessorized with her pearly white smile. Gravity pulls her body towards mine until finally she lands next to me, the clouds gently cradling her body. We lay there, eyes closed, breathing in the salty breeze for a while. After some time has passed, I feel her silky hand find its way into mine and I open my eyes. “Oriana, I-”

“Oh no! Caelum, I’ve got to go! It’s almost night time. I can’t be here now, I have to go,” she frantically shoots up, gathering her dress in her hands and floats back to the gravel path, “I’ll visit you tomorrow, okay? Wait for me.”

All I can think to do is nod, “I’d wait forever if I had to.”

By the time my softened words come out, she’s already gone. Nightfall has come. I sigh, and look back down towards the common folk. Husbands stop hunting, wives stop farming, and children stop playing in the fields. Everyone goes off into their houses, leaving no beings in the faint moonlight. I only hear the soft noise of waves striking the shore, my vision blackened by the inky sky. Taking in a deep breath, I close my eyes, wishing Oriana could be here. The higher gods prohibit her being out at night due to her role as the sun goddess. I try to imagine her here next to me, immediately thinking of her bright smile lighting up the evening sky. “Oriana, I wish you were here, it’s too dark without you: too lonesome,” I whisper into the night.

After I say this, my fingertips begin to tingle, sending electrifying currents throughout my body. Opening my eyes abruptly, I see bright lights traveling from the veins in my hands, through my arms, and to my heart. My whole body is sweltering. I stand carefully, “What- what’s happening to me?”

In a moment's time, Oriana appears next to me, eyes wide with curiosity, “Caelum?”

I reach out my glowing hand and she grasps it tightly, causing sparks to fly. A ball of blinding light expands from our entwined hands, I shield my eyes with one hand and pull Oriana closer to me with the other. Little by little, the sky darkens once again, slowly pooling around tiny orbs of twinkling light. Dumbfounded, I stare the busy sky around us, shimmery golden balls of light illuminate the world. “Did I-? What just-?” I stutter out.

“Caelum… you’re glowing,” I feel a soft hand on my cheek and look down at my body.

She’s right. There’s a faint glow around me. We look out at the flickering sky, “They’re a part of me, aren’t they? That’s why I’m able to be here,” she says in a daze.

“I believe so… I, uh, I was thinking of you when all this happened and here you are.”

Her smile lights up her fair face, “This must be what you control, Caelum,” she walks towards them, gently pulling me with her.

I don’t know which has more beauty, her or these twinkling orbs of swirling golds and milky whites. Extending my arm towards it, gentle mist weaves around my fingertips. And as soon as I laid my hands upon it, I knew instantly what to call it. “This is a star, Oriana,” I pull her into an embrace, “Without you, my world felt dark and lonely, but with you here,” I gesture around me, “This is how you make me feel.”

I nestle my head into the nook of her neck, her polished hair tickling me as I whisper, “They are a part of me as much as they are a part of you. We shall live on together as long as they shine.”