The Stolen Star

by Halyna Franko

done well at school, even coming second in maths in his class. But it was literature that seemed to have the most influence over Michael. That year he was studying Shakespeare.

  Shakespeare!!! And he had even dreamed about Romeo and Juliet at nights. What a powerful and passionate love! One day he was out for a walk near Windsor Castle: a place with a powerful and secret mysteriousness all of its own. It seemed to Michael that Juliet herself might have once wandered along these grand halls, so lonely and defenceless in her all-consuming love. Michael would see Shakespeare and his characters literally everywhere he went. There under the clock of Big Ben Romeo and Juliet would secretly meet and there was her nanny running to them to warn them of great danger. But soon their love would come to its tragic conclusion.

  “However, Shakespeare was wrong about that,” pondered Michael. “It’s wrong to kill people who are so in love. Love should always be allowed to live!"

  At that very moment he heard a voice right next to him reply:

  “That’s the way of the world.”

  Michael continued to ponder.

  But why should the most wonderful people have to die? Just take Princess Diana, the pride of her people and not only her people, who embodied all the finest characteristics of her ancestors, who had been brought up on the works of Shakespeare and the country’s finest traditions, even she had died! Why hadn’t she been better looked after? It seems that our times are not so different to Shakespeare’s.

  And suddenly Michael was hit by a maelstrom which spun around him. Next to him was a curious looking man, about fifty years of age, with piercing eyes and grey hair and dressed in 17th century clothing.

  “I’m sure I’ve seen this face somewhere before,” thought Michael desperately trying to jog his memory.

  “You know young man. No-one has ever questioned whether the ending of my tale about those two wonderful lovers was right or wrong before.”

  “And who are you? Shakespeare?”

  “I’m at your service.”

  “You’re pulling my leg,” Michael thought to himself, but out loud said: “Don’t you know, great writer that you are, that love should overcome death.”

  “As you so rightly noted it indeed does live on because you continue to think about it and with some rapture I must say. You see, their love is eternal. And it is only natural that these young lovers should die, they were too fragile for our cruel world.”

  Michael wanted to say something in reply but the whirlwind spun him round so fast that he fell to his knees. However, the avuncular man with a remarkable resemblance to Shakespeare grabbed him and pulled him out of the maelstrom. Michael found himself on the pavement with a group of passers-by standing around him and applauding.

  “Good lad, you managed to keep your balance, well done.”

  Michael looked around but the man who had saved him was nowhere to be seen. The passers-by continued to pat him on the back amazed at his fortitude. It was evident that they hadn’t seen anyone else besides Michael.

  Michael went home mumbling to himself all the way:

  “A whirlwind, an argument with Shakespeare, did this really happen or was I imagining it?”

  “No, no it was real all right,” someone replied.

  Michael stopped and looked all around him.

  Standing right next to him was the most beautiful young man.

  “He even looks a bit like me,” Michael thought to himself. However, out loud he asked:

  “And who are you?”

  “I am an Angel, I saw everything and it really was Shakespeare who helped you get out of that scrape."

  “Firstly, Shakespeare died a long time ago – so how could he have got here?”

  “Well as you young people say these days, you really ‘wound him up’ with your generalised prejudices about love when you said that he had made a mistake. But that’s no bad thing, not everyone gets to have an argument with Shakespeare. But I am here to tell you the following bit of news. You, your cousin Ben and your whole family are in great danger. Dark forces want to turn you away from the path of righteousness. This summer you and your brother will find yourselves in some very strange situations in which you’ll learn a lot about yourselves and your family. But the forces of good will come to your aid. So for now, farewell but we will see each other soon."

  And with that the Angel disappeared with a flap of his wings.

  Thus, Michael and Ben reported their amazing stories to each other and waited for the next stage of the adventure that the Angel had promised them.

  Meanwhile, Sophia was getting everything ready for the trip to the seaside. Nearly everything was prepared: the bags were packed and the tickets bought. Everyone was in a good mood. Then suddenly for no apparent reason the cat let out a loud howl. Michael let out a yelp and tried to calm the poor animal and was joined by Ben, Sophia and grandmother. What a din they made. It was then that Ben noticed a strange dark shadow sliding between them and asked Michael:

  “Have you noticed something a bit like smoke?"

  “Dear Lord, what on earth could that is?”

  And with his hand Michael began to coax the cloud towards the window.

  But the cloud only spun round faster and faster glowing with ever greater passion. The cloud went out on to the balcony and stood like a column swaying from side to side. And then grandmother said:

  “All living things give praise to the Lord!"

  Grandmother repeated this over and over again. The column stood where it was for some time swaying slightly and finally after some time said:

  “And I also give praise.”

  Then it drew itself up, dissolved and disappeared.

  Everyone stood in a frightened silence because it was, after all, past midnight. And then Michael suddenly broke the silence again shouting:

  “An Angel!”

  “Where?” asked all the others simultaneously.

  “On the balcony,” and Michael pointed.

  But nobody saw any Angel, although Ben did hear the flapping of wings.

  “Let’s go to sleep, we need to get up early tomorrow. Let’s hope that the Angel will bring us a good night’s rest,” said Sophia hopefully.

  The holiday at the seaside was a great success. They were blessed with the most wonderful weather every day. The sea was calm and its waves gently and calmly lapped against the shores. Michael and Ben barely left the water. They swam, dived, raced each other and played with a ball by the sea, in the sea and even under the sea. From a distance they looked like two adolescent dolphins gambolling about in the waves. In the evenings they explored the old part of the small resort where they were staying and even swam in the sea by the light of the moon or went for evening boat trips.

  And so rested, tanned and full of the delights of the sea the boys and their grown-ups returned home. The coach was pleasantly cool. Michael and Ben were sat next to each other listening to music, exchanging pleasantries and looking out the window. The landscape began to change with each passing mile away from the coast. Huge expanses of fields, meadows and vineyards were replaced with mountains. Initially the mountains seemed a distant feature on the horizon but then they drew closer and closer to the bus. And suddenly they rose up magnificently on both sides of the road. The mountains became especially beautiful in the light of the fading sun. And like a huge orange disc the sun hung above the mountains now on one side of the road and now on the other. The road twisted so sharply and the sun changed its position so quickly that it felt as if the mountains were playfully throwing it to each other. Ben thought to himself:

  “It’s as if the mountains are playing football with a huge orange ball.”

  In their turn the sun's rays clothed the mountains in different colours and shades. Those arrayed in forest gave off a deep green hue while those covered in grass produced a mysterious blue. Further away from the road huge giants rose shrouded in a gr
ey-blue mist. And there against the background of this orange sky right next to the window where Michael and Ben were sitting appeared a silver flying machine. It was being driven by an Angel who like his craft was also dressed in silver. Two snow white wings protruded from behind his back. The Angel nodded to the cousins and motioned to the two seats behind him.

  “Come and sit down here. The time for your adventure has arrived.”

  Michael and Ben looked all around them. How would they be able to transfer from this bus going at full speed on to this flying apparatus? But no sooner had the thought entered their heads than they found themselves sat behind the Angel.

  “But what about mum and grandmother aren’t they going to get worried when they find us gone," the brothers wanted to ask.

  But the Angel anticipating their question made a sharp turn leaving the craft hovering next to the window where Sophia and grandmother were seated:

  “As you can see, they are fast asleep and they won't even have woken up before you'll be back in your seats on the bus. But now let's go!"