Space. It is the dark and vast void that surrounds the universe. In Cloud Nine, the beautiful night sky is always studded with trillions of Stars. Yes, our Space is also called the Sea of Stars. The institute of Dreams taught their students that among many other topics. The Dream Research Institute is the only place where almost all of the Dreamscape information is found. What Aspirations or Nightmares are, or how the Star Drops came to be, everything can be learned here as long as people are interested and are willing to learn about them.
“By people, I meant us Star Drops. Sirius, you fell asleep again in Oneirology class didn’t you?” A pink-haired girl softly scolded her friend who was busy trying to catch some Zs again. She decided to poke him on his cheek a couple of times, and he woke up.
The scruffy, shaggy-haired boy shooed his friend’s finger away. “Argh! Mistralle! I’m awake, okay?”
The meek girl kept her hand away and apologized. “Oh, sorry. Wanna listen to my lecture again?”
Sirius bit his lip and said, “Nah, I’m good. I can just copy your notes later anyway.”
“You always say that. Well, you’d better start now. You missed quite a lot of lessons.” Mistralle brought out a sparkly purple notebook which had the subject label, Oneirology. Her raggedy friend graciously accepted her notes.
“Thanks Mistralle! Hey, since we have a long break before the next class, wanna go for some Astral Drops? Or have you tasted it already?”
“Hm? Oh no, I haven’t. I heard that it’s made from the leaves and bark of the Starlight tree. Everyone says it tastes divine.”
“Alright, let’s go then! Can’t wait to try it either!” Happy as always, Sirius grabbed Mistralle’s right hand and they paid a visit to the cafeteria. Mistralle smiled and went along with him.
“Two Astral Drops, please!” ordered Sirius with an eager look on his face.
“That’ll be six gems!” said the friendly female cashier.
Sirius and Mistralle were shocked.
“… Nah, just kiddin’. I know your tuition is free. Here ya go, two Astral Drops.”
The pair sat where they could view the star-lit sky and took their time. Sirius copied Mistralle’s notes about the Sea of Stars and what the Dream Research Institute was. He scratched his thick chocolate brown hair.
“Euggh, this is a lot of lessons. I don’t think I can finish given the time we have before the next class.” The boy downed his serving of the ‘divine’ beverage.
Mistralle sipped her cup of Astral Drops little by little. “You’re always welcome to continue copying tomorrow. And, try not to succumb to slumber next time.”
The scruffy boy continued on with his friend’s notes. The cotton-candy pink-haired Star Drop gazed at the sky. “Hey, Sirius, what do you think us Star Drops are?”
“Hasn’t it been explained in history class yet?”
Mistralle shook her head. “Uh-uh.”
“It isn’t wise to ask me.” the boy looked at the window together with Mistralle. “But they’re really dazzling, aren’t they? Stars, I mean.”
“Yes.” the soft-spoken girl said. “I never ever want this dreamy landscape to go away. It’s just so magical. But I really wanna know what we are and how we came to be.”
“Be patient, we’re going to learn about next time, I guess.”
“Or you can learn about it now.” said an older man’s bass voice.
The two Star Drops were startled. Sirius jumped in his seat in surprise.
Mistralle gasped. “You’re Mr. Sakaki, the head of the Nightmare Investigation Team!”
“Doodly who now?” Sirius said as he picked himself up from the checkered floor.
His friend turned to him and she introduced the Dream scientist. “Sirius, this is Mr. Sakaki. He’s renowned for his specialty in the field of Nightmares and Star Drops. We’re very pleased to meet you in person, Mr. Sakaki.”
“A pleasure to meet you both as well. And your name is, little miss?”
“Ah, how rude of me. I’ve forgotten to introduce myself. My name is Mistralle, professor. And this is my friend, Sirius.”
“Mistralle and Sirius, huh? You said you wanted to learn about Star Drops?”
“Yes, um, if it’s worth your time.” said Mistralle shyly.
“Misty, we can just learn that in class. We don’t need him lecturing us.”
“But I am fascinated by our race. This is serious, Sirius!” the mousy girl pleaded.
Her Star Drop friend gave a deep sigh and let Sakaki tell them all about Star Drops. Professor Sakaki grabbed a chair and the three of them had their own little world.
“Y’see, young’uns, Star Drops aren’t just a normal race of celestial bodies. We aren’t living just to be here, we also have wishes and hopes. Yeah, we’re kinda like human beings, but we’re pretty much magical people. Us Star Drops are immortal, unless Nightmares get to us, then we’re completely dead.”
Mistralle and Sirius were silent for a while and looked at each other. Their gazes went back to Mr. Sakaki.
“The Dreamscape is like our version of Earth, the planet where humans live. We also have shops, houses, parks, and other buildings. Although we build better relationships than humans though. There is no racism, toxic environments, or hate for another’s religion, because when it comes down to it, everyone of us are Star Drops. Every one of us is equal and we all have our faults. Eh, well, there are some of the more cuckoo Star Drops among us, and not to mention, the Nightmares. We send the crazy Star Drops to some court of law out there to be judged. But other than that, the Dreamscape is eighty-percent a sugar bowl! Oh, since this is a strange world, we don’t have any animals. The gravity of the Starlight trees might crush them. Since we are born from Stars, we have no problems on the force that the trees exert.
“About our race itself, we do our best to help each other and also guide the Short-Lived Ones and Aspirations that come here. I’m the only one who does that, actually. Other Star Drops go into food service, flower shops, become Star Harvesters, or a member of the Bureau of Dreams, or into the Dream Military. There’s really a lot that we can do. And every one of us Star Drops have their special talents.”
Mr. Sakaki pressed on with his intriguing explanation about their race as the younger ones listened intently. As the room was cold, Sakaki noticed that Mistralle’s cup of Astral Drops coagulated.
“Aww, I’m sorry. With all my rambling, your drink has become an Astral sherbet.”
“Eh?” Surprised by the scientist’s comment, Mistralle looked in her cup. “Oh, you’re right! Mmm! Astral Sherbet! I’ll just get a spoon. I’ll be right back.”
“Ergh. I wish I hadn’t finished mine first.” said a regretful Sirius.
Back again with the two guys, the soft-spoken Star Drop dipped her spoon into the luscious snowy, sparkling midnight sweet. Just as Mistralle finished her dessert beverage, the clock in the cafeteria chimed at two.
“Misty, time for our next class.” said her best friend. “Ugh, I still have to copy this much, but I’ll leave it for tomorrow.”
“I know. Time flies by so fast.” Mistralle smiled. Both she and Sirius stood up from their seats.
Mistralle bid the scientist farewell first. “Professor Sakaki, thank you for taking your time to talk with us. We sure learned a lot. If you would please excuse us.”
Sirius was next. “Thank you very much mister Sakaki. Even if I slept through most of my classes, it’s as if I have the will to catch up in everything!”
“Glad to hear that you two.” Sakaki gave them a warm smile. “Do your best, okay?”
The two Star Drops proceeded into their classroom with new-found knowledge on what and who they were. Learning outside their classroom was fun and educational. They realized that each and every one of them were equal and unique and that it’s okay to have flaws. Even Star Drops weren’t perfect entities. Mistralle and Sirius lived each day to their fullest, even if it didn’t go their way, until it was their time to graduate.
THE END
“The Sea Of Stars” © Kaiser44, May 14, 2015.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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