27. Star Gazing

     There was almost a skip in my step as I lightheartedly lugged my hockey gear from Tuttle and over the athletic field back toward the dorms.  My body still radiating off the excessive amount of heat I had generated from practice, I found myself going without my jacket and twirling the shaft of my stick within my hand, glancing up momentarily at the blanket of stars spread across the night sky.  My eyes immediately found Orion, one of the few constellations I had memorized at a very young age, my eyes drawn up to the stars just to the northeast of the constellation, one particular star catching my eyes from its surrounding friends.

     Upon the blanket of twilight navy,
     glowing spheres sparkle and shine—
     somewhere out there is home.

     “It is a beautiful night,” I heard the familiar voice suddenly state.

     Startled, I turned from the position I had unknowingly rooted myself to, my eyes falling upon the tall frame of the mysterious Wishgranter, he standing a few feet from me and to my side.  I caught sight of him draw his cape around his arm, masking the metallic bands that lined his arm.  “Hello,” I warmly greeted, a reserved smile making its way over my lips, pleased to see him, yet still wary of him.  Glancing at his concealed arm for a moment more, I then inquired, “Do they hurt?”

     He seemed set back by the question, a chill permeating from his essence that caused me to shiver.  “They are a part of me,” was all he answered, slowly striding past me.  Stopping a few feet in front of me, he turned to face me as he said, “I came to see how your first day went.  Was it everything you had hoped for?”

     “Truthfully, yes,” I responded after some hesitance.  “I still cannot believe how well my ankles function and it’s…thrilling.”

     He appeared to watch on with some unease despite his stoic stance.  “Is it still worth the price of your intelligence?” he coolly questioned.

     I choked on my words momentarily at the bluntness of his question.  “Yes,” I softly replied, my voice timid in his presence.

     “I see,” he simply stated, something subdued overcoming his voice.  “And I noticed you did not tell anyone else of your wish; a wise move.”

     “Yes; I presumed that it wasn’t allowed, though I doubt anyone would believe me if I did confide in them,” I remarked.  “But I suppose that means you’ve been following me?”

     “Yes, I have,” he plainly answered, making no effort to avoid the question.

     “Is that part of the deal?” I inquired.

     “I feel…responsible if anything were to happen as a result of granting such a wish,” he awkwardly told me and for the first time, I saw the composure he normally exuded begin to falter by the subtle expression about his mouth.

     “You still feel it was a mistake to make such a wish?” I pointedly asked, a hint of a defensive tone making its way into my voice.  With how happy I felt since the wish had been granted, it hurt to have it rebuked as a mistake.

     His gaze faltered from me, turning his head away from me as he lowered it slightly.  “It always is,” he relented as a sad sigh passed over his lips.