Dancing with a star was more fun than I could have ever imagined.

Flowing, flying, flourishing, we danced a world of nothing but light and beautiful sound. Up and down, left and right, backwards and forwards, there were no limitations to our joyous tango. Mr star held me softly; held me so gently, so firmly, so kindly, so warmly. Mr Star’s deep embrace was better than anything I had ever imagined.

I giggled, the star giggled back, and we danced some more. We danced, and we danced, and we danced, until we couldn't dance any more. There was only so much dancing one could do at once after all. Perhaps later we would tango again, but for now, it was time to part.

Such as there was a problem with drinking too much tea, something told me that there would be a problem with too much star dancing. A true shame really.

Giggling some more, I gave Mr. Star one last, big, firm hug before it flew back into the sky where it belonged. Nestled right in the middle of a gorgeous constellation that I couldn't quite put a finger on, the star had a place to call home. A place where it meant to be.

Did I have a place where I was meant to be?

I frowned. I had the village, why would I even ask that question ?

My aunties and uncles definitely had me covered. My brothers and sisters, all loveable and kind. The stars had their place in this big wide world, and I had mine.

But why did that train of thought make me so sad ?

Collapsing upon a lake of starlight quickly tossed that thought out of my mind. Waves of light bringing me a moment of absolute peace. But only a moment.

Snap ! Snap ! Snap !

The sounds made me cringe for the fifth time in what felt like an hour.

Something was deeply wrong with that noise. Something deep inside me let me know that for sure. It was a shame that my good friend the wind wasn't here, it was rather good at finding these kinds of things. Slipping through the tiniest breakages in anything.

Such was its nature. Such was its talent.

It was a shame that my nature was not as such. It really was.

Looking about, I really did try to locate exactly what was snapping apart with such a sad sound. I looked up, I looked down, and I looked all around to no avail.

Finding nothing but more stars, It felt like something in this strange world was hiding something from me. Hiding something that I would find deeply disturbing if I knew. But that was just a paranoid theory from the back of my mind. I came up with those quite a lot you know ?

“ It's you. That's what's breaking. “ Stated a rather familiar voice from not far behind me.

Scared out of my wits, I quickly turned to find myself staring at an exact replica of myself standing upon the lake of starlight.

Green eyes. Green robes. Greenish wind dusted hair. I was a true child of the eternal grasslands. It was a look I shared with the rest of my village. And every other village that I had ever visited on the short journeys I had made once or twice in my life. It was also a look shared with the thing standing across from me.

Not really something I was expecting to find myself looking at, I struggled to find anything I could say. Settling with what amounted to a long period of time making strange grunting noises as I guestered both at the figure and myself.

Scooping me up in a wordless hug, my replica grunted back. Perhaps it was taunting me, or just giving a succinct response to my questions in the same way that I had asked it, but in the end, for some strange reason, its response comforted me in some strange intrinsic way.

I enjoyed the second strangest hug of the last few hours for as long as my double allowed it to last, stepping back and giving me an incredibly serious look. A look that I knew rather well. It was the one that I only used when things got terribly bad to say the least. The look I used only at funerals and tornado runs.

“ What is it ? “ I asked my double, grasping its familiar fingers tightly as I stared right into my own eyes.

“ You need to make a choice, “ Not me said. Its eyes and tone wavering in that way told me it was purposefully conveying something extraordinarily serious. Purposefully heightening the emotion in its voice to nail in the intended point. Doing so in the exact same way that I was known to do. It was most definitely a perfect copy. No half assed doppelganger would be able to do that.

This thing truly knew my name. This thing truly knew me.

“ A choice ? “ I prodded ?

“ A choice. “ My doppelganger confirmed with a serious and rather cute nod of its head.

I never knew how innocent anything I did looked. It was something I would have to take advantage of in the future. But that wasn't important at the moment.

Thinking for a moment, quickly I nodded back. I was never one to shy away from choices. There were not many important ones I had to make within my short childhood.

“ You have two options… “ My double sighed, “ Accept a painful reality, or take a nap. A long…. A long eternal nap…. A nap with no troubles… No worries…. And no pain…. You will be guaranteed to like it. You will be guaranteed to have a place in it… “ My double paused. Letting the two options sink into my mind.

“ Remember, you had no control over how you got to this point, and you will be given this choice again. Or really whenever you want. Just think of me and I will be there for you. You will be able to play amongst these stars once more and the choice will be offered. And you will be free. Free to dream. Free to sleep. So what will it be ? What will you choose for now ? “

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Well… This was most definitely not the dilemma I was expecting to be thrust into…

“ Is there a third option ? “ I asked hopefully.

“ If there was, it would have been offered, “ replied the double with absolute certainty.

“ Who are you ? Why am I being offered this choice ? For all I know I I have a wonderful life in the world I live in already ? Why would I ever want to escape into a dream ? “ I questioned rather confused. I just didn't see why I would be placed into as strange a situation as this one. My life was good. I was content. I was happy. I had a family.

My doppleganger cringed. A sad smile flashing for a moment before disappearing. They tried their best to hide it. They really did. But I still spotted it. It was my face after all.

“ I am a gift. This is a gift. A gift from the Earth and the Wind. From the Skies and the Seas. From the will of a world that has failed to protect its most innocent, it is a rather shabby interpretation of a gift. It is forgiveness eternal. No matter what actions you do from this point onwards you will only receive forgiveness. You will only receive understanding. There was a reason this gift was given, and you have no reason to bring it into question. “ My double carefully said. Word by word, each carefully chosen and respectfully said. Each hiding an entire rant that was probably thought in their place instead.

This was given from the Land, the Sky, the Wind, and the Sea ? That was an odd way of putting things…. Perhaps the world was very much more alive than I had once thought. But did not I always think of it that way ?The Land, the Sky and the Sea. A world with a will. Thats what made sense. Thats how things ran here. That's how things ran in the eternal plains.

But that wasn’t the issue at hand… Something was tugging at my consciousness. Something was setting off alarm bells louder than I had ever heard in my entire life.

Eternal forgiveness. That was a powerful thing. But why would I need it ? Why was I out of all people receiving such a gift ? I had no need for it ? The worst thing I had done in my life was waste grain once as a stupid little five moon old… Did such a thing really need forgiveness ?

If I had ever really committed a mortal sin, the grassland wind would have long ago swept me off my feet in divine anger.

“ Forgiveness ? “ I questioned. My thoughts escaping my mouth.

“ Forgiveness. “ My double responded. Its voice declaring all questioning of the subject over.

“ What about the option of life ? Why would it be broken ? “ I asked ? Trying my best not to flinch as more snapping resounded throughout the strange world.

Snap ! Snap ! Snap !

Three more things broke. Three more times did that sinking feeling punch me in the gut.

“ It would be very painful. “ My double shakily responded. The sympathy in its eyes increasing with every background snap.

“ How painful ? “

“ More painful than you can even imagine… “

“ Well cant I just avoid this pain ? “

“ No… “

Eyes locked with my double the sinking feeling that had developed over our conversation had increased to a full blown inescapable tidal wave of anxiety.

“ I can come back here anytime I want ? right ? “ I desperately asked. My question quite similar to a drowning man looking for any piece of floating driftwood within reach.

At this point I was almost having a full blown panic attack. The shivering stars not even giving me an inch of comfort.

“ Yes. “ Replied my double. The sad smile now fully on display. Its attempts to hide anything from me fully gone.

Snap ! Snap ! Snap !

Three more punches to the gut. Three more things to make the second choice look more appealing. A nice nap sounded rather appealing at the moment. But it was not something I was yet interested in. I had a village to support. Every single person was important to each other. I couldn't leave them like this. Not now. Not ever.

“ I choose a broken life. “ There was no other option. There was nothing else I could choose over my family and friends.

“ You will be back. But for now I wish you luck. “ My double sighed matter of factly. Pulling me back into a deep hug before the world around me began to fade and I resurfaced from the very depths of my soul.

—-

I awoke tied to a chair. A very uncomfortable splintery chair.

I also awoke to the fact that I had no family. I had no friends. They were all dead. They were all gone. Taken from me by others. Once again I relived the events of what felt like the past eternity.

Perhaps I should have felt more rage, but all I could really feel was inescapable sadness.

The memories of my strange encounter also began to fill my mind but I was quickly distracted by the feeling of something dripping onto my lap. A warm, strange liquid.

Unsurprisingly it was blood that was starting to stain my green trousers. Not the preferred tears. Well, perhaps there was some tears streaking down my face but they were very much blotted out by the drops of blood.

It was then that I noticed the tubing sticking out of my wrists and the strange liquids flowing both in and out of them. The talisman resting upon my forehead. The strange sickly sweet incense that floating about the air. The sickly feeling in my chest. And the pain that wracked my body.

Coughing into a roughly placed gag, my eyes further scanned the strange place I was in to find many others like myself.

Hundreds of other children just like me all tied up on rickety old chairs. Wires, tubes, and strange talismans sticking haphazardly out of every one of them. Strange incense coloring the skin of each and every one of them in odd multicolored hues.

I let out a groan of pain and shifted around in an attempt to free myself from my bindings, I locked eyes with the boy next to me. He was the very same one that had attempted to rip the talisman from the ‘runners’ face.

Unlike me however, he was incredibly panicked. Desperately pulling and yanking at his bindings as he tried to scream at me through his gag.

Was he trying to tell me his name ?

Well. No matter what he was trying to tell me, I would never hear it.

Moments after we locked eyes, the boys flesh began to shift strangely. His body rejecting the strange liquids that were being pumped in and out of his veins. And, in the most horrific display of anything I had ever seen before in my life, simply exploded. Painting me and the other tightly packed victims in a spray of blood guts and viscera.

I screamed.

The others began to scream.

We all began to scream.

Well scream as well as we could while roughly gagged.

It wasn't long before another person's body exploded. And another. And another.

It was disturbingly similar to the red fireworks I had once witnessed during what felt like an eternity below. Pop pop pop went the fireworks. Pop pop pop went the bodies.

Pop pop pop, went a talasman that had fallen on my lap, cackling with demonic energy. Fallen from the head of one of my neighbors no doubt, but I wasnt to certain. Reality was beginning to merge with the horrors of my mind. Space twisting and turning as I once again heard unbearable screaming from all directions.

It wasn't long before I retreated to the place amongst the stars. My eyes growing dull and lifeless and I once again played amongst comforting lights and danced upon a river of starlight. Tears and blood flowed down from my unpiloted body as I was once again faced with that terribly, terribly, attractive decision.