The Star Who Fell Into a Well

One night, a young star named Tara leaned too far from her place in the sky. She had always wondered what lay beneath the roofs and trees she saw from above. As she stretched to look at a village garden, she slipped. Down she tumbled through the cool night air, past a chimney and a neem tree, until she landed with a little splash in a village well.

Tara rested on the water like a glowing flower. The stone walls rose high around her, and the circle of sky looked terribly far away. She tried shining brighter, but light alone could not lift her. "I only wanted to see the earth closely," she whispered. Soon, a soft crying drifted up from the well. Nearby, a farmer's daughter named Leela was helping her father put away their evening tools.

Leela heard the sound and called him over. They stayed safely beside the well's raised wall and looked down. A silver glow shimmered on the water. "Who's there?" Leela asked. "I'm Tara," came a small voice. "I'm a star, and I can't get home." Leela's father blinked in wonder. Leela, however, was already looking for the bucket. "Then we should help you get out first," she said.

Her father checked the rope and steadied it while Leela lowered the bucket. Tara carefully climbed inside. Together, they pulled, hand over hand. The bucket was not very heavy, but the rope was long, and Leela's arms began to ache. At last, Tara reached the top. They set her on a clean cloth, where she sparkled like a little piece of moonlight. "Thank you," she said, still trembling.

Leela brought Tara a dry handkerchief, although she was not sure whether stars needed drying. Tara accepted it politely. "How will you reach the sky?" Leela asked. They considered a tall ladder and the village hill, but both were far too low. Tara looked toward the stars overhead. "Only a true wish can lift me," she explained. "A wish made with your whole heart, not merely words said because they sound nice."

Leela grew quiet. She had often wished for a pretty bracelet, a room full of books, or a grand house for her family. Here was a real star beside her. Perhaps she could ask for gold or a palace. Tara waited without telling her what to choose. Then Leela noticed how the little star kept looking up, searching for the place where her friends were waiting.

Leela closed her eyes. She pictured Tara safe among the other stars, no longer frightened or alone. "I wish for Tara to go home," she said. Warm light filled her hands. When she opened her eyes, Tara was rising, slowly at first, then higher than the neem tree. "I will remember you!" the star called. Her glow became brighter as she reached the sky and settled into her familiar place.

For a long time, Leela and her father stood beside the well, looking upward. They had gained no gold and no palace, yet the evening felt wonderfully rich. Ever since, Tara twinkled above Leela's village, guiding travellers safely home. Whenever Leela saw her, she remembered the quiet moment when another person's happiness had become her own deepest wish. And Tara remembered the girl who had helped her rise simply because she wanted her to be safe.

Moral: Wishing well for others is the truest wish of all.