In the bright little Kingdom of Bellflower, Princess Amelia was known as Explorer Amelia. She wore a blue cloak with many pockets, sturdy yellow boots, and a tiny compass that always pointed toward interesting places.
Every morning, Amelia explored one new corner of the Kingdom. On Monday, she found a snail sleeping in the royal teapot garden. On Tuesday, she discovered that the bakery chimney puffed clouds shaped like buns. On Wednesday, she climbed the soft hill behind the castle and counted sheep-shaped clouds.
But on Thursday night, something very strange happened.
The sky went plink.
Then it went plonk.
Then one small star fell from the sky and landed somewhere beyond the silver woods.
All the people of the Kingdom looked up. There was an empty little space between the Moon and the Great Bear.
“Oh dear,” said the king.
“Oh my,” said the queen.
“The night looks lopsided,” said the royal gardener, who was holding a watering can.
Explorer Amelia put her hand over her heart. “A star should not be lost. I will find it and bring it home.”
Her parents packed a picnic with pear sandwiches, cheese cubes, and three cinnamon biscuits. Amelia packed her compass, a coil of red string, a lantern, and her favorite magnifying glass.
Just as she was leaving the castle gate, a jingling sound came from above.
Jingle-jing! Jingle-jing!
Down swooped Star Collector.
Star Collector was a cheerful little sky traveler with a round silver hat and a coat covered in shining pockets. Every pocket held a tiny thing from the sky: a moon pebble, a sunbeam button, a cloud feather, and even one polite raindrop in a bottle.
“I heard a star has fallen!” cried Star Collector. “I collect stars that need help. May I come?”
“Yes, please,” said Amelia. “But we must be gentle. The star may be frightened.”
They followed the trail through the silver woods. Amelia’s yellow boots went crunch, crunch on the leaves. Star Collector’s silver shoes went twinkle, twinkle.
Soon they found a path of glowing star dust.
“Look!” said Star Collector. “It goes past the singing stream.”
At the stream, the water sang, “Bubble, tumble, tumble, bubble!” But a family of ducklings stood sadly on the bank. Their little bridge of reeds had floated away.
“We are too small to cross,” peeped the smallest duckling.
Amelia looked at the glowing trail. It was leading onward. She wanted to hurry. Then she saw the smallest duckling wobble.
“We can help first,” she said.
Star Collector pulled a long silver ribbon from a pocket. Amelia tied the ribbon between two smooth stones. The ducklings walked across it one by one.
Waddle. Waddle. Waddle.
“Thank you!” they peeped. The smallest duckling gave Amelia a blue feather. “This is for brave explorers.”
Amelia tucked it into her cloak.
The star dust trail led next to the Whispering Meadow. Tall grass bent close and whispered secrets.
“Turn back,” sighed the grass.
“Lost things stay lost,” hummed the daisies.
Star Collector’s smile became small. “I do not like whispery places,” he said.
Amelia felt a tickle of worry in her tummy too. But she held up her lantern. “We can be worried and still keep going.”
“That is a very explorer thing to say,” said Star Collector.
They walked close together. Amelia counted her steps. “One, two, three, four.” Star Collector answered, “Twinkle, sparkle, shine, more!”
The whispers became quieter. At the far end of the meadow, they found a large black feather lying on the ground.
“Who has feathers that big?” Star Collector whispered.
A voice floated from the foggy hill ahead.
“Mine.”
Out came Sorceress.
She wore a purple cloak, a tall crooked hat, and boots with shiny green buckles. A black raven sat on her shoulder. Her name was Pepper, and Pepper had a sneeze that sounded like, “Caw-choo!”
Sorceress carried a golden cage.
Inside the cage was the fallen star.
It was no bigger than an apple. Its five points drooped sadly. Its light was dim.
“Give the star back,” said Amelia, trying to make her voice strong.
Sorceress frowned. “No. My tower is dark. I wanted a light that never goes out.”
“The star belongs in the sky,” said Star Collector. “Its friends are waiting.”
Sorceress hugged the cage close. “My tower has no friends waiting.”
Amelia looked carefully. The Sorceress’s purple cloak had a patch on one elbow. Her hat was bent. Her eyes looked tired, not mean. Behind her, at the top of the hill, stood a lonely stone tower with one tiny window.
“Did you ask anyone to visit?” Amelia asked.
Sorceress blinked. “Ask? I am a Sorceress. People usually run away when I say, ‘Good evening.’”
Pepper the raven sneezed. “Caw-choo!”
Amelia smiled a little. “Maybe they run because Pepper sneezes very loudly.”
“Caw,” said Pepper, in a sorry voice.
Then Amelia had an idea. “We can help your tower shine. But the star must go home.”
Sorceress narrowed her eyes. “How will you make a bright light without a star?”
“With many small lights,” said Amelia. “They can be just as lovely when they shine together.”
Star Collector clapped. “I have moon pebble dust! And cloud-glow buttons! And three very polite fireflies who owe me a favor!”
Sorceress did not say yes. She did not say no.
So Amelia opened her picnic basket. “Would you like a pear sandwich while you think?”
Sorceress stared at the sandwich.
“No one has ever offered me a pear sandwich,” she said.
“It has a little mustard,” Amelia warned.
“I like mustard,” said Sorceress.
They sat on the hill. The raven ate a cheese cube. Star Collector ate two cinnamon biscuits, then said he was only checking if they were safe.
At last Sorceress unlocked the golden cage.
The little star floated into Amelia’s hands. It was warm, like toast fresh from the oven.
“Thank you,” whispered the star. Its voice sounded like a tiny bell.
Then everyone went to the lonely tower.
The tower was dusty and dark, but it had a wide round roof. Amelia and Star Collector worked hard. They hung cloud-glow buttons along the windows. They sprinkled moon pebble dust on the walls. The three polite fireflies arrived and made small lamps with their glowing tails.
Sorceress waved her wand. “Wiggle, waggle, warm and bright, make this tower full of light!”
Poof!
The lights glimmered gold, blue, and soft pink.
The tower did not shine like one lonely star.
It shone like a party.
Sorceress gasped. “It is beautiful.”
“It is,” said Amelia. “And tomorrow, you could invite people for tea.”
“People might come?”
“If you ask kindly,” said Amelia.
Sorceress practiced. “Good evening. Would you like tea?”
Pepper added, “Caw-choo!”
“Perhaps Pepper can sneeze outside,” said Star Collector.
Now there was one important job left. The star needed to return to the sky. But it was too tired to fly.
Star Collector opened all his shining pockets. “I have a plan! We will build a Starboat.”
They used a curved moonbeam from Star Collector’s pocket for the boat’s side. Amelia tied the blue duckling feather to a stick for a sail. Sorceress whispered a gentle lifting spell. Pepper brought a strand of silver grass from the meadow.
Soon, a tiny Starboat bobbed in the air.
The little star climbed inside.
“Ready?” asked Amelia.
“Ready!” chimed the star.
Sorceress lifted her wand. Star Collector gave the sail a puff of cloud wind. Amelia pointed her compass up toward the empty space in the night.
“Up, Starboat!” they cried.
The boat sailed higher and higher. Past the tower. Past the silver woods. Past the round Moon.
The other stars twinkled wildly when they saw their friend.
The little star slipped back into its place.
Plink!
The whole sky sparkled brighter than before.
Far below, the Kingdom of Bellflower cheered. The king and queen hurried up the hill. The ducklings came. The royal gardener came with his watering can. Even the whispering meadow hummed a happy tune.
The queen placed a new medal around Amelia’s neck. It was shaped like a compass and a star.
“For Explorer Amelia,” she said, “who is brave enough to help, wise enough to listen, and kind enough to share a sandwich.”
Then Star Collector gave Amelia a special gift: a small silver box.
Inside was a star-shaped lantern. It did not need a candle. When Amelia held it, it glowed with a warm, friendly light.
“It shines brightest when you are helping someone,” Star Collector explained.
Amelia hugged the lantern close. “It is the best explorer treasure ever.”
Sorceress smiled shyly. “Will you visit my tower tomorrow? I will make tea. And perhaps pear sandwiches.”
“Of course,” said Amelia.
That night, Princess Amelia stood at her castle window. Her new star lantern glowed beside her. Above the Kingdom, the returned star winked in its place.
And from the hill, a warm tower light winked back.
Everything was bright. Everything was home.