A Little Frog’s Heart: The Stellar Waltz of Life

The third volume of the Little Frog’s Heart will be dedicated to someone, following the pattern of both the previous volumes, and of those that are yet to come. There are many persons in my life to whom I am grateful for bearing me in their arms from the very first day, always there for me to witness my first smile, my first gurgling, my first steps. Although these are persons who deserve this book to be dedicated to them, and even if it may seem surprising, after the dedications to my parents in the first volumes, this volume is dedicated to the editor of the Little Frog’s Heart. Why Adriana? I shall answer this question (if it should still be necessary), after I have set down in the following lines, with your permission, a little story containing some essential points which will serve as arguments for this choice, and I shall transpose it into an imaginary world, as I usually do. It was a horrible winter night. The blizzard and frost so heavy, that the hardest of stones would crack open. The thick layer of snow had taken good care to cover all the imperfections of the ground during the swap-over between years, so that the Earth would enter the New Year dressed in clean, immaculate clothes, as clean as people hope that the time to come will be. Everything was so beautiful! The luminous sky of the day itself seemed to have descended on earth, offering – even if just for a while – the grandeur of the high skies. The only thing missing was the brightness of the sun, which would have made the darkness of night shy away for ever... Lifelong friends, the Old Wind and the sharp Frost had planned to bring the dark night to its knees, because she took sides with the rocks, which she hid under her dark clothes, impeding the two friends from reaching them. Whistling like mad and blowing hard enough to make your hairs stand on end when you heard him, the Wind had drawn a very thick curtain made of murky clouds over the vaults of the high sky, so that it would not be able to read his intentions. With the help of the magic wand, received as a gift from his friend (the fierce Frost), the Wind had stolen the brightness of the stars in advance, and he bestowed their shine over the sheets of snow that embraced the earth in a warm moist cuddle. But Night was not sleeping! Leaning nonchalantly on the backrest of her throne, made of a hill that kept inside it the bodies of everyone who’d sacrificed their lives for the good of those lands, Night watched the two old friends from above as they scattered a multitude of sparkling little stars all over the Winter’s. On the one hand, she thought the old swingers would not manage to do much, especially at their age... On the other hand, she was feeling the steadfastness of the Wind, closely supported by the merciless winter Frost, and she soon realised that those two old fools were taking things beyong a joke! She had to distract them somehow, to put a spanner in their works, making it a hundred times harder than it had been and never-ending; something akin to that of Sisyphus. After a little thinking, she stretched her delicate arm and drew quickly a corner of the curtains covering the immense vaults of the sky. Once unveiled, the stars shone strongly and the old adventurers gave a start. They turned their eyes towards heaven, frowning. The stars shone even stronger, making signs to the old folks. Some encouraged them in their endeavour to finish the Winter’s mantle, but some threw angry sparks at them, telling them off for trying to replicate their beauty... It was not the first time, anyway, when Night played such tricks on the two friends. The Old Wind and the fierce Frost did not give up easily; they exchanged knowing looks, determined to return to their job. But something else caught their attention that instant. It was something that had gone unnoticed from the very start! It was a little star that barely shimmered as it crossed the vaults of the sky. It was heading straight to earth, nevertheless, apparently driven by great sadness, and making slow progress, sliding down shyly amongst others, more luminous and more imposing stars. You could see the Little Star was coming back from a long secret journey, but knew nothing of where he was going. In no hurry at all, he was coming from the west, and going eastwards... Some of the stars around tried to cheer him up, scattering star dust on him to brighten him up. But the Little Star pushed them away. The Old Wind and the Frost exchanged yet another gaze, unable to understand what was going on! The Little Star descended straight to earth, as if somebody from above had thrown him on a wet surface on which he was now sliding discreetly... That was the reason why he was barely visible; from afar, he looked just like a shy glimmer. The cold, sad star flew above the Wind, above the Frost, and above their friend –the Winter – without paying any attention to them. Nothing like that had ever happened before. How on earth, did the little fellow dare ignore them?! Having reached the far end of the land, the Star came to a standstill. He stayed there for many nights, unmoving, looking towards the earth. Throughout all this time, the other stars tried to shed their own bright light on him... In vain! The new-comer was ever so hard to please! Perhaps he was waiting for a signal from down below, in the midst of the Earth?! A sign from somebody? A greeting? A secret message? Having understood they couldn’t be of much help, even the two old friends let him be. Why the Little Star stopped there was none of their business. They were busy anyway: they had to adorn Winter’s dress, and make it as beautiful as they could, so that at the time of their separation she would give them top marks! She would then recommend them to her sisters, the seasons, who run away from Wind and Frost! She would tell them about these lands as being some of the most hospitable and welcoming! They all seemed to have got used to the star being around... But on a cold frosty night, when you’d have thought that even the last breath of life had gone numb because of the savage cold, and the howls of the wolves resounded frighteningly from all over the place, the Little Star left that area. And, sliding gently, as gently as he had arrived, without making a noise, he turned back on the same route, from the East to the West. With only his sadness as his fellow, he started back in his journey discretely shimmering in the night sky… The Wind and the Frost had seen his movements. The departure of the mysterious star was no laughing matter to them. They knew stars never deviate from their track: on the contrary! They tirelessly spin around, and follow one direction only! Once again they looked at each other inquisitively: what was happening to the Little Star? Maybe he needed help? Was he somehow lost? The Wind even wanted to ask Frost to go up to the lonely visitor and ask him what was wrong. Also to warn him that his unusual movements might play havoc with that corner of the universe. The Little Star, haunted by sadness, had read their intentions. He didn’t know what to do, he didn’t have laborious plans to put into practice. He had simply emptied his mind and left everything aside, hoping that the Universe would take care of it as the Universe would find appropriate. Suddenly, an exceptionally strong light burst out at the ground level. The Old Wind stood stock still, shading his eyes with his hand in order to protect them. In the sudden light, the stars in the sky could witness the immense wound that marked the land. A wound nursed back to health by the restless waters of the winding river that had managed to turn it into a scar by permanently caressing it. The Little Star felt something inside him. He slowed down a little, as if trying to taw away with him the sorrow that overshadowed the land for millennia, like a valuable piece of memorabilia deemed to leave its mark in the eternal existence of the Universe. But he did not stop. The unseen force in whose hands he had placed his hopes urged him to go further... So, continuing on his way, he flew over the Wind and the Frost. This time the Little Star was not so indifferent. His eyes met with the Old Wind’s and something deep down inside stirred. He was now going forward and shone his little light on the most hidden corners on earth that had been crucified by Frost. He peered around long and hard, as if looking for something specific. The two friends, the Wind and the Frost, didn’t make a move. They just followed the Little Star in silence. The Moon made a discreet sign in order to tell them to see about their jobs. She seemed to be telling them that she would deal with the Little Star herself. He continued unimpeded on his way: the whole Universe knew that it was his “home” and, despite his small dimensions and his weak light, nobody and nothing could touch him. Nobody could harm him! Who knows how far he did go? He had gone far enough from the place where the Wind and the Frost were competing amongst themselves to draw the most impressive sceneries in Nature’s nooks, and to adorn the Winter’s dress. At some point, the Little Star suddenly stopped. After flying for quite some time, the Little Star found himself hovering above a land which stretched out for miles desolate and deserted. The Little star paused her flight mid-air to have a good look. Despite the barren appearance, or maybe because of it, nature had embellished it in its unique, complete manner; in its quiet stillness, the land laid undisturbed by meddlesome creatures of any kind, while the eye of the unsuspecting viewer was drawn to... something special! The Little Star’s eyes opened wide: what was so special about that place? What was it that made him stop from his journey across the sky? he asked himself. His instinct served him well – he could distinguish something moving underneath and, in a flash of intuition, he understood: the little shimmering light glowing out of him scattered over the land beneath and woke up a little flower! A little flower that had miraculously withstood the freezing wind and the unforgiving cold! Nature, like a good mother, had put to work its unparalleled craftsmanship to sew a delicate little duvet made of the fluffiest snowflakes; it had sheltered the flower from the wintry winds and the grumpy moods of the frost. But even so, her act of resistance had attracted the Little Star’s attention. There was nobody else around it. Yet, when all its sisters abandoned it, the fate didn’t, despite the gloomy thoughts of the little frail plant. The Star’s light seemed to have woken the little flower up from her hibernation. She didn’t realise what was happening, but looking up, she discovered the Little Star who looked closely at her. When he realised he’d been discovered, he gave a gentle start and his gaze sank in the horizon, in the direction he was supposed to follow. The Little Flower noticed his gesture. She smiled, but the unforgiving cold put a frozen kiss on her lips as he passed by. The Little Flower didn’t show her pain. On the contrary, she defiantly went on to confront the one who thought she was helpless and daringly shook of her shoulders the little snowflake duvet, thus showing she was not afraid of the Frost. Then she looked around her self-conscious, as if she felt slightly guilty for failing to fulfil her role as a hostess of the place. Her eyes shone with joy when she discovered that Mother Nature had adorned everything so beautifully, as for a celebration, and she welcomingly beckoned the Little Star inviting him to stay over if he wanted! There was enough room and nobody would have minded, as there was no one else around! The Star looked at her without as much as a gesture. His straight face was a credit to him: cold and unmoving like a proper dignified star’s! He just looked at her without even blinking; nothing there seemed to raise an interest for him him. Not even the flower’s invitation!