It was night. The night that was always constant, the night, like every other night, that was the same. It was dark, nearly black, yet not so, more an inky blue depth stepping so very closely into the recesses of the shadows. The clouds lifted across the night, like curtains drawing away to reveal the stage of stars lighting up the dark dark sky. The stars could be counted; they were so very few.

“One, two, three.” The little girl paused for a moment, her forefinger to her pouted lips, her eyes scrunched in concentration. “It’s always the same!”

The little girl jumped off the set of swings that were a little too high for her. Her little shoe clad feet stomped into the grainy sand creating annoyed imprints in its wake. Huffing, the little girl crossed her arms defiantly and began a mission to ignore the stars. She bit her low lip, her tiny teeth clamped halfheartedly, and releasing the abused flesh when her mission failed.

Soothing her lower lip with her tongue, the girl faced the set of rusted swings. Contemplating, the little girl’s little hands fisted into her blue sundress, wrinkling the semi coarse material, only to attempt smoothing them out awhile later. Sticking her tongue out at the playground equipment, the girl ambled towards it and clambered onto the wooden seat, only slipping once or twice because of its height.

“See Daddy, I scaled the swings!” the little girl smiled at the sky once more. “I used the word ‘scaled’ too Daddy. You taught me that.” The little girl’s smile faded and morphed into an expression of mild annoyance. “I do learn other words! Who says I don’t!”

The little girl sat under the blanket of stars and cloudless skies, both her hands tucked almost religiously under her chin, as if in a prayer. For a while, the girl was quiet, her eyes glazed as she stared longingly into the sky.

“ One, two, three.” The girl closed her eyes as one tiny tear rolled down her cheek. “Daddy, you said that people who go to heaven are the stars in the sky.”

The little girl was silent again, eyes closed palms still reverently under her tiny chin. Clear streaks ran down each cheek as the girl kept utterly quiet. Then she looked up.

“Mummy says you’ve gone to heaven Daddy. But I only counted three stars. Where are you?”

The tears have dried under the wind, yet clear longing was still in the eyes of the little girl.

“Daddy, where can I find you?”