"Come, come, nuer," came the soft voice, coaxing the young girl from the cool confines of her bed. The girl came around slowly in the pull from dreams that children rallied against. But the crooning gentleness of her mother wended its spell and dark eyes opened. The warm shape of her mother's face came into view, her dark hair pulled over one shoulder to show a pale ear that swung with a jade earring. A gentle hand took the little girl's own and helped her to sit up. "I want to show you something."

"What is it?" she queried in a sleep wrapped voice, a tiny sound like a bell that managed to cut through but also remain swaddled in that silence at the same time. With the help of her mother she was soon upright and with her small feet on the ground. Her hand clasped in the older woman's, she was led toward the large windows that doubled as doors leading out onto a slight balcony.

The room faced out over the garden, and the windows had been opened and pressed backward. The air warm and heavy with the scent of peonies and plum blossoms. The sound of birds and other night creatures filled the space between the chirp of crickets. It was the sort of night that seemed the setting for a fairy tale, something that existed in only half reality.

Reaching the open windows, the mother lowered herself to rest gracefully on her knees in a pool of white fabric from her clothing. Her arm went about her daughter, bringing her nearer. Her free hand rose, pointing upward in the clear summer sky, the stars like jewels caught in a net. "Look there, nuer, do you see?"

The little girl looked up at the night sky. She saw where her mother's finger pointed, to a small group of stars to the south. Two sat across the Milky Way from each other, the third situated within that silvery river. "Do you know what those stars are?"

She nodded, the dark coils of hair a mass about her pale face. "Wai po told me," she answered. "The Weaver and the Cowherd. They love each other but they can't be together. Except when the magpies come."

"That's right," her mother smiled. "And do you know why they are important?"

The girl shook her head then. She'd heard the tale but its significance extended only as far as its allure on her imagination.

"Those are our ancestors, nuer."

"Stars?" The little girl's words were full of surprise, her almond eyes widening.

Her mother smiled at the genuine reaction. "No, the stars are only named after them. Niulang and Zhinu" To many they are just a story to tell during the festival time, but they are the reason our family is here today."

"Are they wai po's grandmother and grandfather?" The girl knew she was there because of her parents, and wai po was old, so surely the stars must be responsible for her"

The older woman laughed and shook her head. "No, nuer. They are much older than that. Much, much older. They lived long ago but they still influence our lives now." She raised a hand, brushing the mussed hair from the little girl's forehead. She was quiet a moment before she continued. "They should be respected for what they gave to us. Even when it is difficult, you must always remember to offer thanks. Do you understand?"

The young girl turned her eyes from the pin pricks of light in the sky to her mother's face. It looked sad, the expression that sat on that loved face. "I understand," she said, although she didn't. All that she knew was that she wanted to take the look from her mother's face, and she thought her answer would do that.

Though the sorrow remained, it turned to something softer as a smile curved her mouth. She put her other arm about her daughter and held her close in an embrace, even as her eyes moved back to the stars.

The little girl put her own arms about her mother and rested her cheek against the cool white silk of her clothing. "Will we be stars, mama?"

It took her a moment to reply, and when she did, her voice was softer still. "Perhaps, nuer."

She spoke again, her voice becoming a bit slurred with the sleep that was starting to steal over her again, comforted by the warm night and her mother's arms. "Will you wait with me so that we can go together?"

The question cut to her heart and she had no way to reply without lying, which she tried desperately not to do to her children. Luckily, when she found her voice, the girl was asleep. She settled down with a sigh, holding the child close with her cheek resting atop the crown of her head.



She jerked awake suddenly, sitting up straight in her chair with a bit of a start. She hadn't meant to fall asleep. A blink of amber stained eyes saw that night had almost fallen outside. How long had she been sitting there"

"Daxia," came a voice behind her, already colored with displeasure. She turned in her chair, resting a hand on the back to leverage herself. A man stood there, tall, his dark hair parted and smoothed back with gel. His features were strong and at the moment his brows were dipped inward, his face a match for his voice in disapproval.

"Yusheng," she said, turning away from him again. "What is it you need?"

"I can't believe you fell asleep," he said, looking at the back of his sister's head as if he could bore a hole into it.

She tightened her lips and came to stand, the blood red fabric of her dress falling to pool about her feet. She bent slightly and picked up the ornate silver tray that was carefully set with differing items. When she turned, her face was neutral again as she glided toward him. "I wasn't aware I was on a sleep schedule," she said as she began to move past him.

"It is disrespectful," he said. "Especially today. You should show the proper veneration."

She paused beside him, looking up into his face with its upside down, crescent-moon shaped frown. "And you should have been at the funeral, shouldn't you have?? She lifted her chin, silently defying him to say more as she swept from the room.

((Chinese terms used: nuer- daughter wai po-maternal grandmother))