A Single Star

'Come, my son.'

'Where are we going Father?'

The man, in reality rather young but prematurely aged by recent events looked down into his little boys bright and hopeful eyes. 'We are going someplace you have never been before.'

The little boy's eyes widened. 'Where?'

The boy's father tried his best to smile. 'You must wait and see.'

'How long will we be gone?'

 'You are very full of questions today, Son.'

 'I must know Father!'

The father looked questioningly at his son, 'Why do you need to know so badly?'

'Well,' the boy said in a tone of reasoning, 'if we are to be gone a long while, I will need to pack my things, won't I?'

 The man turned away his head and frowned, 'Where we are going, you will not be allowed to take your things.'

 'Why not?' the boy returned, growing anxious and angry.

'It doesn't matter my son, everything we have of value we are taking with us.'

'What are we taking, Father?'

 With a smile, the man bent down and leveled himself with his son he wiped away the tears of fear that had been streaming down the boy's face. Gently, he took the child in his arms and turned him around to the other side of the apartment the two shared with the rest of the family. 'We are taking all of the family.'

 The young boy seemed to calm, and even to like the idea, but still had many unanswered questions. 'But Father! Where are we going?'

 Then there was a pounding at the door.

 The young boy's mother jumped with a start and the child noticed his father's arms tighten around him. He watched as his grandfather rise from a seat and walk to the door in that proud manner common of all Tarisian nobles. His mother came and stood behind his grandfather with almost as much pride. She addressed the boy, 'Be brave, my son. You are about to face beasts in disguise as men.' His Father stood strait and tall and gaited over to his mother and stood by her.

 Though they stood so strait and tall, the boy could fear there fear from where he sat on the floor across the room. His grandfather cast a glance over in his direction and, staring back at the door as another pound issued forth from the other side, called to the boy.

 'Rukil, come and stand beside your mother.' Rukil, obediently, if not hesitantly, stood and walked across the floor and buried his head in his mother's side. His mother reached down and removed Rukil from her side. 'Stand up, Son. Show these men your noble spirit.'

'But Mother, I am not a noble.' The young boy said, looking at his mother from head to toe, she was dressed in her finest clothes, so was he. Looking at his father and grandfather, he noticed they were dressed in the same manner. The foursome stood in stark contrast to the dingy, dark apartment around them.

 'The monster's that started this war were the 'nobility' of Taris by birth and economy.' His grandfather said, still staring at the door. 'But as far as there spirits are concerned, they are wretches. They are not like us. They are not like you, Rukil, you have greatness within you, emanating from you...not simply pinned to your name.' His grandfather then glanced over his shoulder, 'You, Rukil, are one of the true Tarisian nobility. Act upon that, and  dare not forget it.'

Rukil neither understood what his grandfather was saying nor did he know how to take the compliment on his young character. But he noded in obediance and did the only command given to him by his mother he knew how to carry out...he stood up strait.

 The door flew open and the Tarisian police stampeded in. Rukil's family did not move until they were seized and removed from the apartment.

He and his grandfather walked side by side. Rukil strove to walk like his grandfather, trying to match him stride for stride but ever falling farther behind until one of the police grabbed him by the arm and dragged him along in front of his grandfather.

 They came to a part of town Rukil had never seen before. They rounded a corner and stopped while the policeman typed in something on a keypad in the wall of the building. It was late at night, and Rukil had become separated from his mother he strained his eyes looking for her and saw the familiar faces of some of family freinds in roughly the same position he was in, surrounded on all sides by policemen.

They were murmuring softly to each other. 'Everyone, Rukil's grandfather said a voice a hint louder than most people in his position would have been brave enough to speak at, 'Look up at the sky, into the stars...this might be your last chance to do so.'

 A hush fell over the group and they obediently peered into the strip of the night sky that shone down on the narrow street in between the Tarisian skyscrapers. Rukil did so as well, but between the lights of the city and the crowd of people, all at least twice his height; he could only see one star. But Rukil treasured the star, and decided he should always remember it. He gazed up into his star and decided that someday he would very much like to visit it. He savored the sight and pondered what his grandfather had meant in saying that Rukil himself was a true Tarisian noble.

Rukil heard the sound of the door open and, before he was through gazing the star he had claimed as his own he was pushed into a crowded elevator, the doors shut, and that was the last Rukil ever saw of the sky.