A Couple of Shooting Stars Lit Up My Life

It was one of those days when Catan decided to skip class. Not out of necessity but for his simple pleasure. He wasn't in the mood for lectures and mingling with other foals -although he was painfully aware that his absence was only delaying the inevitable. However, just because he was skipping class, didn't mean he was skipping out on learning.

On these days when he needed to make a quiet escapade, he sought refuge in his neighbourhood's library, where he could stick his nose -quite literally since his glasses had been broken the day before- into the books of his choosing for however long he wanted. His parents argued that reading storybooks didn't count as learning, but he argued that they taught him invaluable life lessons that one simply could not get from arithmetics or grammar. Besides, they were at work all day anyways, and the kind librarian had assured him that his escapades would be their little secret. She always let him come behind the counter to check the new arrivals. If he liked one, he got to call dibs and savour the new book smell behind her desk.

And while he usually liked fantastical tales best, today the foal found himself leaving the cosy building with a copy of the Insectopedia vol.2 - Swamp Region. The colourful and unusual appearances of the little creatures sparked his imagination as much as the mighty dragons and sly sirens of his favourite stories. The library had just closed and he was eager to get home before his parents did, but something peculiar happened that made him change his plans for the rest of the day. It began with the sound of a gallop on the pavement. Then, a yellow blur came into view. While he stood still, trying to focus his vision on this development, the blur kept approaching -fast. Catan realised too late that he was in the way and the other quirlicorn (another foal, judging by the size) connected with him, making him stumble backwards. His stiff hind leg's braces jabbed into his thighs rather than letting him fully collapse on the ground. This made him lose his footing and he fell to the side, with the other quirlicorn falling on top of him.

The foal grunted, his delicate hind legs burning with pain.

"I'm so sorry," a foal's voice said. "I didn't see you there. Are you alright?"

There was another voice, this one warm and deep behind the severe tone. "Peak, what did we say about running in public places?"

"Not to," Peak sadly responded. She turned her attention to Catan. "Are you okay?"

Catan opened his eyes and was met with two blue beads. Upon further analyses he realised they must actually be this other foal's eyes. He felt a large muzzle lift him up and support him while he found his balance again.

"Thank you," he said politely, looking curiously at the two newcomers. The smaller one, Peak, was yellow. The larger one was pink. Presumably a father-daughter duo. Tourists too, if he had to guess, as he had never seen them before. Not that he was seeing them now. Not properly anyways.

"Here's your book!"

He poked his nose out, trying to locate it. When he did, he placed it back into his saddle bag.

"Did you also lose your glasses? There aren't any of them around here."

Catan smacked his lips in embarrassment. "Uh no no, you're fine. They're at the repair shop today."

"Well, at least that’s not my fault. I just got here this morning." The three of them laughed.

“Say, where were you heading in such a hurry?” Catan asked after an awkward pause.

Peak started pacing around, her small hooves clicking against the paved road. “To the docks! We heard there might be a music show there-”

“-But it's not easy getting places around here. Too many streets lead to nowhere.” The adult said.

“Our town only has one street!” Peak chimed in.

Catan chuckled. Torre was pretty big, and it could take a while to walk to any given point of interest at a walking pace. No wonder they were galloping like they did. “I know where the docks are. I can take you there if you want.”

“Really? That would be awesome!” Peak jumped in place.

“Don't you have places to be? Your parents might worry.” The adult said.

Catan thought about it for a second. Yes, his parents would notice he was gone, but he had a good excuse this time, right? They couldn't be mad at him for being helpful. As long as he didn't tell them that he met these tourists while skipping school, that is.

“No, it's fine. I'm always out late anyways,” he lied.

“But you don't have your glasses.”

“Not to worry, I know this city like the bottom of my hoof.” He gestured with his leg to accompany his point.

“C'mon, Dad! We're gonna be late if we don't hurry,” Peak pleaded.

“Well, fine.” The adult trailed with hesitation. “We'll accompany you home afterwards.”

“Sounds like a plan! Come on, there's a shortcut this way.”

During their trip to the docks, Catan came to learn that the grown-up was called Baroque, and that he was from a small town in the icy region. He made a point to ask about all the creatures there, like the walruses and the killer whales. Sadly, there were none where he lived, but he had seen some while  with his daughter travelling. Catan imagined himself threading in a thick bed of snow, feeling the icy wind on his mane as he watched the animals swim in an endlessly stormy sea.

The show at the docks was nearly as pleasant as his little fantasy. The group was dressed as sailors and did balancing acts with barrels while juggling flaming torches as they sang sea shanties. At one point, the crowd was asked to chant in response to the group, which had deafening but impressive results. The concert was complemented by a gorgeous orange sunset over the sparkling gulf.

A few encores led to the show to carry on until the moon rose in the horizon. After that, the crowd members began to leave one by one to explore other areas of the docks, as a small midnight market was being set up. After the group replayed the same song for the third time, Peak suggested they leave as well; she had spotted a small row boat for rent and had pleaded with her dad to go out on the water for a bit, which Baroque accepted with enthusiasm. “Not for long though, we have to bring Catan home soon.” His voice was hoarse from singing along to the songs.

The foal was disappointed to hear that. He wished this day would never end. Well, if it did have to come to an end, he would make the most of it.

The sensation of being rocked by the waves was pleasant. He and Peak sat together to stay warm since the night breeze was rather strong.

“Oh, the first star appeared! Quick, make a wish,” Peak exclaimed. She was silent for a bit. Then she looked at him. “Can you see it?”

Catan shook his head. The sky was simply dark purple to him, with a few lighter patches where there were what he presumed were clouds.

“Aw,” Peak sounded disappointed. “Well, more are already showing up. There’s three, four, six, ten…” She gasped in wonder. “The sky is so pretty here.”

“Sometimes there are aurora borealis,” Catan said. “Those are pretty cool.”

“I love them,” Peak answered, her nose still pointed at the sky. “Once we saw some pink ones.”

“Pink? That must be amazing!”

After Baroque brought them back to land, he struck up a conversation with the quirlicorn who had let them use the row boat. At first, the foals had fun kicking rocks at each other as if they were sports balls, but that could only entertain them for so long. At that point, Catan led Peak under a lamp post and showed her the book he had borrowed from the library. After a few ‘ooh”s and “aah”s, the filly began describing the bugs to him as he closed his eyes and imagined what the world would look like if these creatures were the same size as Baroque. Perhaps quirlicorns would seek them out to slay them like dragons. Maybe other quirlicorns would use their large tunnels and hives to found their underground cities, gaining their physical traits similarly to how apoidea quirlicorns who look like bees. It did help that Peak was a very good speaker. She spared no details, painting the bugs in his mind with her words. However, Baroque’s voice broke the spell.

“Alright Catan, everything is settled. Let’s get you home.” Normally, the foal would have protested, saying that he knew his way around the town, but he actually enjoyed the idea of spending more time with his friends, and of them knowing where he lived if they ever wanted to find him again.

He lived downtown, so he had plenty of time to listen to their tales of the desert region, where Peak had seen camels (he asked if she was sure they weren’t dromedaries since they look similar, but she confirmed that they had two bumps.) They arrived at the house, which was attached to a block of identical houses, though each of them had their own quirks visible in the daytime, such as flowery curtains, hanging laundry and plants climbing along the window sills. Catan looked sadly at the door. The dream had finally ended. It was time for him to wake up. He raised his hoof and knocked before opening it. It was quiet inside. Although he could see some candlelight emanating from the living room, where his mother liked to read.

He lingered at the door. “Since you know where I live now… you could write to me,” Catan said hesitantly. “I’d love to hear from you once in a while.”

“Will do,” Peak said.

“Promise?”

Peak chuckled. “Sure, I promise.” She poked his shoulder with her muzzle. “Stay out of trouble, alright?”

“That, I can’t promise,” Catan laughed sadly. “Bye, Peak. See you around.”

“See you around!” The yellow filly pranced away, followed by her father.

He watched the colourful blurs shrink in the distance.

Then, a loud cry rang out: “Catan, is that you? Close the door; you’re letting the bugs in!”

Peak and Baroque were gone beyond the horizon. So he obeyed with a sigh.