Recorded by Finnegan Lionhartt,
Of events which took place on the 14th eve of Balendra, year of Pinnikle: 1,216.

"Pride is a thing everyone desires. It tells a person they are right, no matter what. It looks good in your mirrors, but not in your crowds. Perhaps it does not belong in your mirrors, for when it is there, it goes with you everywhere."

— Lumin Strakkin

Two weeks later, the stars brought both Sophie and I back to our village, in the middle of the night, and Sophie was alive! The luminaries carried us to the very place where Sophie had breathed her last, but there was no mourning the past! My sister was alive, strangely. We were little ones returned home, and we did not comprehend the mystery of it.

We giggled loudly as Tryn and Lumin twirled us, flipped us, and dangled us over the river to run and skip along its glimmering waters. All these things happened near the very bridge where Sophie lost her life.

The stars were witty, you see. They were helping us children to overcome the grave place by making joyful memories there. And oh, how those stars cared for us! They giggled and laughed almost as much as we did! And with every, "do it again," from us, they were sure to deliver.

Before long, and close to dawn, a crowd gathered again. One by one, every nix woke up at the untimely hour to see a miracle had taken place: Sophie was alive! More than that, she was happy! Every eye watered at the impossible, wonderful sight. Nobody jeered, as before. No one said anything...

A little girl I knew, named Tiko, made her way through the crowd, and saw the stars acrobatically swinging and flipping us. She noticed me, and belted, "They're back! Fin and Sophie are back!"

There was no response to her joyful shout. Tiko ran out to the end of the bridge, and leaned over the railing in excitement, watching as Lumin spun me up into a high back-flip, and swooped below to gently catch me. Tiko had caught our attention, we both looked over at the little blonde girl. Ever since I began remembering, she had been my best friend in the whole village. It felt good to be welcomed by her.

Lumin's joyful voice boomed, asking me: "You know this one?"

Then he turned upside down, dangling me in Tiko's direction by the strength of his giant fingers.

I answered, "Tiko! It's my best friend, Tiko!".

She giggled at us and said, "Fin, that star's really silly!"

Lumin brought me to the rail, next to her, and I hopped down to her side. She gave me a long hug.

"Would you like a ride, Little Tiko?" Lumin asked her, and she let go of me to face him.

"Why yes, mister star, I would," She responded with careful manners, as she took a step toward the rail.

She was very shy. Tiko had never seen a star this close before, and certainly did not expect the giant to be so kind, as to offer her a ride. I was glad he did. I wanted her to experience it, too. Lumin gently put his fingers out, and Tiko took hold of them. She was immediately filled with Joy as the giant helped her over the railing. He tossed her into a flip, caught her, and they flew over the glimmering river in a loop over and beneath the bridge!

Tiko's giggles were suddenly drowned out by Sophie's happy shriek! Tryn held her closely and descended over the bridge behind me. She twirled Sophie down to the bridge, let her down, then the star put her feet to the overpass, gracefully. Both Tryn and Sophie playfully laughed as Sophie fell over in a dizzy haze. She got up and attempted a klutzy run past me, hoping for Tryn to chase her. However... upon noticing the crowd at the end of the wood, Sophie's jovial countenance quickly changed. The little giggles stopped, along with her tracks, and she quickly scampered to hide behind me.

The tone had changed, and the stars quickly became very protective of us. Tryn dashed to our side, and signaled for Lumin to take me. He brushed down to the railing, and plucked me up by my waist. My guardian star floated up over the water, and helped Tiko and I onto his shoulders.

Tryn placed gentle hands on Sophie's shoulders, knowing my sweet sister was filled with anxiety and disappointment for all who gathered. She began to shed nervous tears as all watched in silence, and climbed into Tryn's arms to burrow into the star's shoulder.

Tryn and Lumin did not take us away when Sophie became upset. Instead, they stared over the crowd, waiting to see if anyone would speak. No one did. I suppose the villagers were caught up in their feelings. Our stars waited patiently for some sort of celebration to break out, but there was silence. It seemed as if the crowd was flustered.

Tryn and Lumin exchanged concerned glances at each other. I felt their intent. I knew then, that Tryn and Lumin had an agenda. They were going to confront the crowd that let Sophie die. 

After a few long moments, a few of the villagers began to turn their backs. Lumin unhesitantly spoke to the crowd, and his powerful voice rumbled in our chests.

"Nix of Pinnikle," He said, "I call you to attention."

The onlookers glanced about at one another, as questions and comments of all sorts arose about them in a noisy clamor. I made out some of their words.

"He's got our attention, don't he?"

"The girl! She's back from the dead - what sorcery!"

"They've come to accuse us!"

A thin haired man rose his hand among the chatter, as if to silence the crowd. No one heeded him. He yelled in quite the nasally tone: "Quiet, Nix o' this peacefull place we call 'ome!" and all eyes turned to him.

It became silent. Slowly, the man with thin hair raised a finger to point at Lumin. With disgust on his face, he began to jeer: "Oi, what yew addressin' us like that for!? We're not ta be adressed by the likes of yew."

"Silence, spineless one!" Tryn shouted in fury over the man's pitchy words, and he raised an eyebrow in prideful disdain, though he did not direct his gaze at the star.

He stared off through the crowd of upset nix. I was surprised at the exchange

"You will not interrupt us!" Tryn held her authority.

At the sound of her challenge, the thin haired nix raised his eyes, which grew wide in shock and disdain, until he peered at Tryn. He winced, and squinted at her brightness, but did not look away. All onlookers did the same: with squinting eyes, they glared at the stars and breathed huffs of agitation. The villagers steeped in feelings of disrespect.

The stars - our stars, who had saved us - had a message for all, and they would not be mocked by the villagers who let Sophie die. Tryn and Lumin did not think highly of them in the slightest, because of their deeds (or lack thereof). Tryn beckoned to Lumin with a nod, insisting he ought to re-address the onlookers.

Lumin looked down on the crowd, and prepared his words with consideration. Meanwhile, the crowd grew in agitation. It was not with words that they expressed frustration. Their silence told of it. Sounds of ugly nothings went out into the air, which grew stale. I was only seven years old, but I felt it. Lumin took a long moment to think about how to address the crowd. I was uncomfortable, and knew Sophie felt the same way.

The people of my village had allowed Sophie to die only two weeks before; and I nearly withered from sorrow along with her. The ones my family had loved and invested in did not care that Sophie was somehow resurrected. Her sweet, innocent, new life meant nothing to them. I knew our stars were attempting to point out the miracle, but the villagers would not have it.

Perhaps it was the effects of aging: the villagers seemed closed off to confrontation of any wrongdoing, because they did not believe they had done any foul thing. Many say wisdom comes with age. I thought, maybe age could also bring denial, which comes when pride can no longer offer comfort. I did not know.

I have thought about these things for many years. Now I know a truth. It has helped me to make sense of what happened that night. Nix, those who are born in Pinnikle, have a very strange trait. It sets them apart from the people who come from mainland earth. Nix cannot withhold feelings.

If nix are joyful, they hum and laugh. They express jovial feelings. On the contrary: they quickly express offense, or any other such confrontational emotion. Such emotions come out in frightening ways.

The shock of seeing Sophie alive; the stupor of seeing two children riding in on the backs of stars. Those things, coupled with the event: Lumin, a great and threatening giant purple star, had addressed the crowd abruptly. That night, the villagers of Luca knew Lumin meant to admonish them. They heard it in his tone, and they could not help but to express their offense through jeering.

I record these things for the sake of every nix who may read of this account in the royal library, and for the odd human from mainland Earth who may be reading this account. Unlike the humans, nix cannot withhold their feelings. That is why the crowd hummed in agitation at the sound of Lumin's address. It is why the thin haired nix snapped out, and it is the reason they silently disdained the stars who came to seek forgiveness on behalf of Sophie and I.

Tryn and Lumin knew something Sophie and I did not. The stars came to reconcile Sophie and I to our village. It was where we belonged. Our villagers needed to express an apology to Sophie before they could possibly acknowledge the miracle of her new life. Only then, could they accept us. Only after giving forgiveness, could we be reunited with our village.

Forgiveness sets people free from anger and from the loathing of self, or others. It opens eyes. It brings understanding. Such perspective would not come easily that night. It would only come after such terrible darkness, the likes of which I had never seen: the kind of darkness which can only be banished by the light, like that of stardust.

As anger grew amidst the crowd of nix, darkness began to creep like a cloud. Blackness, like shadow itself, came from the breaths of a particular few agitated nix who stood in the crowd and peered at the stars. It was like the darkness from the terrible creature my parents had slain: the one who first made me feel terror. I was not familiar with such feelings. I did not understand. I was terrified, because I had not seen such things before. I did not understand why there was anger, and only wished for the villagers to be happy that Sophie and I had returned to them with our lives.

Lumin was my only comfort, and I leaned my little body onto his giant head. Tiko was still perched on his opposite shoulder. She was attentive to me, and I felt her comforting hand on my back. Sophie whimpered and hid herself in Tryn's petite shoulder.

Perhaps we were safe with Tryn and Lumin. Even so, none of us could have anticipated what would result as the stars attempted to reconcile Sophie and I to our village. Thin swirling strands of shadow crept from certain onlookers as they huffed. They were very angry, and from what? From being confronted by hope?

The nix could not control their feelings. We expected to be met by a jovial and celebratory crowd, but those expectations were drastically wrong. That was the night I decided to save Pinnikle. If i survived the reconciliation, I wanted bring peace to the people who express it so well.

Darkness encroached from the nostrils of those who were offended by the shock of new life. I only wished they felt hope, before giving into despair. I felt as if their darkness could kill; I knew it could. I did not want to see more death, nor did I desire to feel threat of such a terrible thing.

Lumin cleared his throat to speak. He was not afraid of the darkness. I Suppose he had fought many battles against such shadows, and the things shadows become. I did not share his confidence.