"She's forgotten to light the night-light," said Michael, peering around the corner of his pillow. "She must be in a hurry. I wonder where she's going!"
"And she's left the blind up!" said Jane, sitting up in bed. "Hooray, now we can watch the shooting stars!"
The pointed roofs of Cherry Tree Lane were shiny with frost and the moonlight slid down the gleaming slopes and fell soundlessly into the dark gulfs between the houses. Everything glimmered and shone. The earth was as bright as the sky.
"Seventeen-Eighteen-Nineteen-Twenty—" said Jane, steadily counting as the stars shot down. As fast as one disappeared another came to take its place until it seemed that the whole sky was alive and dancing with the dazzle of shooting stars.
"It's like fireworks," said Michael. "Oh, look at that one! Or the Circus. Do you think they have circuses in Heaven, Jane?"
"I'm not sure!" said Jane doubtfully. "There's the Great Bear and the Little Bear, of course, and Taurus-the-Bull and Leo-the-Lion. But I don't know about a Circus."
"Mary Poppins would know," said Michael, nodding wisely.
"Yes, but she wouldn't tell," said Jane, turning again to the window. "Where was I? Was it Twenty-one? Oh, Michael, such a beauty — do you see?" She bounced excitedly up and down in her bed, pointing to the window.
A very bright star, larger than any they had yet seen, was shooting through the sky towards Number Seventeen Cherry Tree Lane. It was different from the others for, instead of leaping straight across the dark, it was turning over and over, curving through the air very curiously.
"Duck your head, Michael!" shouted Jane suddenly. "It's coming in here!"
They dived down into the blankets and burrowed their heads under the pillows.
"Do you think it's gone now?" came Michael's muffled voice presently. "I'm nearly smothercated."
"Of course I haven't gone!" A small clear voice answered him. "What do you take me for?"
Very surprised, Jane and Michael threw off the bed-clothes and sat up. There, at the edge of the window-sill, perched on its shiny tail and gleaming brightly at them, was the shooting star.
"Come on, you two! Be quick!" it said, gleaming frostily across the room.
Michael stared at it.
"But — I don't understand—" he began.
A bright, glittering, very small laugh sounded in the room.
"You never do, do you?" said the star.
"You mean — we're to come with you?" said Jane.
"Of course! And mind you wrap up. It's chilly!"
They sprang out of their beds and ran for overcoats.
"Got any money?" the star asked sharply.
"There's twopence in my coat pocket," said Jane doubtfully.
"Coppers? They'll be no good! Here, catch!" And with a little sizzling sound, as though a firework squib was going off, the star sent out a shower of sparks. Two of them shot right across the room and landed, one in Jane's hand and one in Michael's.
"Hurry, or we'll be late!"
The star streaked across the room, through the closed door and down the stairs, with Jane and Michael, tightly clasping their starry money, after it.
"Can I be dreaming I wonder?" said Jane to herself, as she hurried down Cherry Tree Lane.
"Follow!" cried the star as, at the end of the Lane, where the frosty sky seemed to come down to meet the pavement, it leapt into the air and disappeared.
"Follow! Follow!" came the voice from somewhere in the sky. "Just as you are, step on a star!"
Jane seized Michael's hand and raised her foot uncertainly from the pavement. To her surprise she found that the lowest star in the sky was easily within her reach. She stepped up, balancing carefully. The star seemed quite steady and solid.
"Come on, Michael!"
They hurried up the frosty sky, leaping over the gulfs between the stars.
"Follow!" cried the voice, far ahead of them. Jane paused and, glancing down, caught her breath to see how high they were. Cherry Tree Lane — indeed, the whole world — was as small and sparkly as a toy on a Christmas Tree.
"Are you giddy, Michael?" she said, springing on to a large flat star.
"N-o-o. Not if you hold my hand."
They paused. Behind them the great stairway of stars led down to earth, but before them there were no more to be seen, nothing but a thick blue patch of naked sky.
Michael's hand trembled in Jane's.
"W-w-what shall we do now?" he said, in a voice that tried not to sound frightened.
"Walk up! Walk up! Walk up and see the sights! Pay your money and take your choice! The two-Tailed Dragon or the Horse with Wings! Magical Marvels! Universal Wonders! Walk up! Walk up!"
A loud voice seemed to be shouting these words in their very ears. They stared about them. There was no sign of anybody.
"Step along everybody! Don't miss the Golden Bull and the Comical Clown! World-Famous Troupe of Performing Constellations! Once seen never forgotten! Push aside the curtain and walk in!"
Again the voice sounded close beside them. Jane put out her hand. To her surprise she found that what had seemed a plain and starless patch of sky was really a thick dark curtain. She pressed against it and felt it yield; she gathered up a fold of it and, pulling Michael after her, pushed the curtain aside.
A bright flare of light dazzled them for a moment. When they could see again they found themselves standing at the edge of a ring of shining sand. The great blue curtain enfolded the ring on all sides and was drawn up to a point above as though it were a tent.
"Now then! Do you know you were almost too late? Got your tickets?"
They turned. Beside them, his bright feet gleaming in the sand, stood a strange and gigantic figure. He looked like a hunter, for a starry leopard-skin was slung across his shoulders, and from his belt, decorated with three large stars, hung down a shining sword.
"Tickets, please!" he held out his hand.
"I'm afraid we haven't got any. You see, we didn't know—" began Jane.
"Dear, dear, how careless! Can't let you in without a ticket, you know. But what's that in your hand?"
Jane held out the golden spark.
"Well, if that isn't a ticket, I'd like to know what is!" He pressed the spark between his three large stars. "Another shiner for Orion's belt!" he remarked pleasantly.
"Is that who you are?" said Jane, staring at him.
"Of course — didn't you know? But — excuse me, I must attend to the door. Move along, please!"
The children, feeling rather shy, moved on hand in hand. Tier on tier of seats rose up at one side of them and at the other a golden cord separated them from the ring. And the ring itself was crowded with the strangest collection of animals, all shining bright as gold. A Horse with great gold Wings pranced by on glittering hooves. A golden Fish threshed up the dust of the ring with its fin. Three Little Kids were rushing wildly about on two legs instead of four. And it seemed to Jane and Michael, as they looked closer, that all these animals were made of stars. The wings of the Horse were of stars, not feathers, the Three Kids had stars on their noses and tails, and the Fish was covered with shining starry scales.
"Good-evening!" it remarked, bowing politely to Jane as it threshed by. "Fine night for the performance!"
But before Jane could reply it had hurried past.
"How very strange!" said she. "I've never seen animals like this before!"
"Why should it be strange?" said a voice behind them.
Two children, both boys and a little older than Jane, stood there smiling. They were dressed in shining tunics and their peaked caps had each a star for a pompon.
"I beg your pardon," said Jane, politely. "But, you see, we're used to — er — fur and feathers and these animals seem to be made of stars."
"But of course they are!" said the first boy, opening his eyes very wide. "What else could they be made of? They're the Constellations!"