A Child's Dream of a Star

A Child's Dream of a Star Charles Dickens - THERE was once a child, and he strolled about a good deal, and thought of a number of things. He had a sister, who was a child too, and his constant companion. These two used to wonder all day long. They wondered at the beauty of the flowers; they wondered at the height and blueness of the sky; they wondered at the depth of the bright water; they wondered at the goodness and the power of GOD who made the lovely world.They used to say to one another, sometimes, Supposing all the children upon earth were to die, would the flowers, and the water, and the sky be sorry? They believed they would be sorry. For, said they, the buds are the children of the flowers, and the little playful streams that gambol down the hill-sides are the children of the water; and the smallest bright specks playing at hide and seek in the sky all night, must surely be the children of the stars; and they would all be grieved to see their playmates, the children of men, no more.This is a short story about a brother and sister who used to wonder about the stars all day long. On an ordinary day, one clear, shining star would appear before the rest, and every night they watched for it, standing hand in hand at a window. But while she was still very young, the sister died, breaking the little boy's heart. One day, when the star made long rays down toward him, he saw his sister's angel through his tears. But, throughout his life, his sister's angel told him it was not time to join her. He lived a long, full life, and it was not until the old man died was he able to rejoin his sister.