Princess of the Brightest Star

 

The wind gently played with her hair. She sat on a rock, gazing at the fiery setting sun. The air was filled with the scent of the sea, lapping against the cliffs below.

She was on vacation. She'd arrived here yesterday, alone. She enjoyed being with people, but now she wanted to be alone. She was only 19, and so many problems occupied her mind. She had to leave home because she couldn't stand her parents' behavior, the way they treated each other, if you could even call it that. She wanted to escape reality. She wanted to forget how much Adam had hurt her. She didn't want to remember Ola's death. It was too much for her.

When the sun had completely set and the sky turned navy blue, the wind began to blow harder. Sea waves crashed violently against the rock, and tiny drops of water gently caressed Edyta's face. She put on her sweater and slowly stood up, gazing at the foaming sea for a moment. It was exactly like her current state of mind. She had to put her life back together, but she feared she couldn't. She turned and returned to the boarding house along the path illuminated only by the half-lit moon.

She was already in bed when she heard someone knock on the window. She stood up and hesitantly walked to the source of the knock. She opened the window. There was no one behind it, only a branch rhythmically tapping against the glass. She lifted her head. She saw the stars. They were much more visible here than in the city. She remembered a fairy tale her mother had told her when she was a child... when she was healthy.

The fairy tale told of a princess who lived on one of the brightest stars. She had everything, but she was very lonely. She finally met a prince, who by chance found himself on her star. They fell in love and lived happily ever after. Back then, this fairy tale had seemed so plausible to Edith. She had wanted so much to see the world the way she had then, but she couldn't, and now she couldn't.

She returned to bed and fell asleep. She had a strange dream. She was sitting in the corner of a dark room. She didn't know what she was doing there, but she was afraid. The walls seemed to be closing in on her. She felt like she was in a cage. She screamed, but it was no use. She wanted to escape, wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. Suddenly, in the distance, she saw a beam of light approaching her. A blissful warmth enveloped her, and the walls receded. A bright figure approached her and lifted her from the ground in one swift movement. She closed her eyes.

When she opened them, it was already daylight. She was curled up on the ground. She must have fallen out of bed. She got up and went to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. She didn't recognize herself. The illness had already significantly damaged her appearance. Sunken cheeks, eyes blurred by tears, and skin almost translucent. Edyta washed and dressed. She took the key from the nightstand and closed the door to her room tightly. She walked down the navy blue carpet to the restaurant for breakfast. She ordered scrambled eggs, toast, and juice. She waited for her order. She watched the people sitting at the tables. Her gaze fell on a couple with two children, laughing loudly and shouting contentedly, "To the seaside, Mom, to the seaside! Dad, let's go." Edyta so desperately wanted to have children someday. She wanted to be a good mother and friend to them. However, she knew she would never experience that happiness. She noticed a middle-aged man who was currently enjoying a milk soup while reading the newspaper. "I couldn't do that," she thought. She loved reading and couldn't imagine dividing her reading time with any other activity. The restaurant door opened. A tall, tanned blond man walked in. Edyta watched him. He approached the waitress and ordered scrambled eggs and juice, then took a seat a few tables away. He looked out the window. He was sitting close enough that Edyta could see the color of his eyes—blue. They weren't ordinary eyes, though, but filled with a certain emptiness. He looked her way. She smiled gently, and the blond smiled back. The waitress brought Edyta her order. She was hungry, so she grabbed a fork and began eating without waiting. She didn't notice when the man approached her:

"Hello, may I join you?

" "Sure, sit down."

He looked at her with a strange, yet warm look, and smiled sincerely.

"What's the matter?" Edyta asked.

"You have scrambled eggs on your chin," he said, handing her a handkerchief.

The girl blushed, and the blond smiled again.

"You have a beautiful smile, you know?"

Edyta swallowed the scrambled eggs with difficulty, then replied,

"Thanks. And you have white teeth."

The boy laughed, and Edyta wanted to sink into the ground. What a stupid thing she had said. She felt she would never forgive herself for it.

"Sorry, that sounded stupid," she apologized uncertainly.

"It doesn't matter. Where did you come from?

" "From Katowice, and you?

" "I'm from Krakow. Well, we came a long way to rest here.

" "Yes, that's right," she replied timidly.

"What are you doing tonight?

" "I don't know yet, what's the matter?"

"I was thinking, I came here alone and it would be a bit boring. Maybe you could take me for a walk, say, at 7 p.m.? Unless you have other plans, a girl like you definitely wouldn't come here alone. "

"No, I'm free.

" "You mean, you have time, right?

" "Yes, yes... sorry, that sounded ambiguous.

" "Don't keep apologizing to me," he replied and smiled. "Well, see you later tonight then.

" "See you," she said.

Either she was imagining it, or she'd just arranged a date with a guy whose name she didn't even know. She decided to treat this meeting as an adventure, a situation where she could finally forget her problems, even if only for a moment.

She didn't know what to wear, and it was already 6:30 p.m. She didn't hesitate. She pulled a blue dress from her backpack and put it on. She pulled a white sweater over her shoulders and went to the bathroom. "It's been ages since I put on makeup," she thought. Why would she put on makeup? She stopped paying attention to such unnecessary activities. She applied blue eyeshadow to her eyelids and outlined her eyes with navy blue pencil. She curled her lashes with black mascara and accentuated her lips with clear lip gloss. Ready, she set off for the meeting. The blond was waiting for her at the entrance to the guesthouse.

"Good evening, you look beautiful," he greeted Edyta.

"Thank you," she replied.

"By the way, I'm Damian

." "I'm Edyta, nice to meet you.

" "Me too. So where should we go? I suggest we go to the beach. There's no wind, so the sea is calm.

" "Okay, let's go."

They walked along the shoreline for a long time. But they both had time. They talked about practically everything. Edyta told Damian about her parents' divorce, about the fact that she was moving away because she was going to study in Warsaw. She mentioned the death of her closest friend.

She learned that Rafał was studying philosophy in Krakow. He lived in a studio apartment with a friend. His parents died when he was little, and he was raised by his aunt. He was an only child. Before the summer holidays, his girlfriend dumped him because, she said, he was too smart for her. So, how could she have done something like that? She could have found a better excuse. By the time they returned to the boarding house, it was long after midnight.

"Good night, Edytka," Damian said.

"And the same to you," she replied, hugging him.

"See you tomorrow," Damian returned the hug.

They stood there for a moment, huddled together. After a few minutes, each went to their room.

Edyta dreamed nothing that night, as she barely slept. She thought about Damian, about how good their conversations were. She hoped their friendship wouldn't end anytime soon. Finally, she fell asleep.

They saw each other very often. They spent practically every moment together. They went out for strawberry ice cream, which they both loved, swam in the sea, went to discos, and went for walks. With each passing day, they grew closer. Time passed very quickly, and the holidays came to an end. They promised each other they wouldn't lose touch, exchanging numbers as Edyta got off the train. They hugged.

"See you soon," Edyta said.

"I hope as soon as possible," Damian replied.

Edyta walked along the platform, waving goodbye to her friend. Yes, she could call him that. He understood her; he was a good listener and conversationalist. She trusted him. Nothing special happened between them, but despite that, she became attached to this philosophy student. She longed for their next meetings.

Time flew by. Damian came to Warsaw several times, and Edyta visited him in Krakow. With him, she felt safe and knew she had a kindred spirit, that she could always count on him. And so their university year passed. They hadn't seen each other for the last two months because of the overwhelming amount of studying. Edyta felt increasingly weaker and weaker. They met at the train station in Warsaw. They were going on vacation to the same place they'd been a year ago. However, something had changed between them. They looked at each other completely differently. When they arrived, they booked rooms. Their rooms were right next to each other. Despite this, they only spent their nights apart. They decided to go for a walk. They walked along the shoreline just like they had the first time. But this time it was different. Damian gently grabbed Edyta's hand. They walked forward without a word. Edyta suddenly stopped and looked deeply into her friend's eyes. She wanted to say something, but Damian was faster:

"Edyta, I love you," he said hesitantly.

"I love you too."

The wind gently flowed over their silhouettes. They stood in the darkness, embracing each other. Damian brought his lips to Edyta's. She didn't resist. She loved him with all her heart. For the first time, they shared a kiss. A shiver ran down Edyta's spine. A cold chill washed over her, and she snuggled deeper into her beloved's arms. They stood there almost motionless when a wave touched their bare feet. They joined hands again and went to the boarding house. They were sitting in Damian's room. He approached her and began kissing her neck. He slowly unbuttoned her blouse. He kissed her cleavage, about to unclasp her bra, when Edyta screamed, "NO!" He pulled away from her.

"What's wrong, honey?

" "I'm sorry, but I can't. I simply can't."

Edyta sat down on the ground and began to cry. Damian didn't know what to do. He sat down next to her and asked,

"Edyta, what's wrong?

" "I'm sick, Damian... I have leukemia... I'm dying!"

He couldn't believe her words. He stood up and went to the window. Edyta ran out of the room crying and ran to the beach. He saw her figure disappearing into the darkness. His beloved, his greatest treasure, was dying. He stared into the distance, into space, straight ahead for a long time. Suddenly, he went to the coat rack and grabbed his jacket and sweater, went out, and ran after Edyta. He found her sitting on a rock. She had stopped crying. She was humming a very sad melody. He approached:

"What song is that?" he asked.

"My favorite. It tells how much the hero misses home and sings that he wants to return to it... eventually, he does. "

"Beautiful

." "Yes, I know."

"Edyta, understand one thing...

" "Don't wait a minute, first I'll tell you something," she interrupted Damian. "Don't ruin your life with me, because I won't be here soon. Don't get attached, because you'll suffer greatly when I'm gone. This relationship is pointless, I don't want to hurt you, and...

" "Think about what you're saying." I love you, Edyta, I love you more than my own life. I want to be with you until the end, for better or for worse! We'll fight, my love, you're not alone, I'm with you with all my heart...

" "Thank you..." she replied, confused.

They both cried. But they intended to fight for their love, to make it last forever. They returned to the guesthouse. However, Damian didn't show up in his room that night. They ordered champagne and lit it in the fireplace. They sat down and savored the drink. When the glasses were empty, they placed them on the bedside table. Damian took Edyta in his arms and laid her on the bed. He lay down next to her and began passionately kissing her lips, then her neck. He unbuttoned her blouse, and she no longer resisted. She removed his shirt. She felt his warm, gentle breath on her breasts. A moment later, they were naked. They looked at each other and observed every part of their bodies, every movement. Damian noticed that Edyta's breasts were heaving much faster. She hugged him tightly. They adored each other's bodies for much of the night, their loud breathing drowned out by the crickets' song. It was the most beautiful night of both their lives.

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"And what did the doctors say?" Damian asked nervously, leaning over the bed where the unknown woman lay.

"The chemotherapy didn't help, there's no donor, Baby, unfortunately," replied a familiar voice.

It was Edyta. The chemotherapy had stripped her head of every blond hair. Her eyes were dark circles and her skin translucent. She didn't even have the strength to shake the hand of her husband, who had been watching over her hospital bed day and night.

"Edyta, let's not lose hope! You can't give up! Let's fight to the end.

" "I don't have the strength anymore, honey.

" "But I do," he replied in a trembling voice.

He fought to the end. Doctors didn't give her more than a week to live. Damian took her home. They lived by the sea, not far from where they met. Edyta wanted to spend her last moments with her beloved in the place she loved. They cherished every second they spent together. Damian never left Edyta's side. He was always by her side. One day he woke up and noticed Edyta breathing heavily.

"Honey, honey..." he shouted

. "It's okay, Damian, it's okay... I had a bad dream," she replied, and with the last of her strength, she smiled at him.

"You have a beautiful smile, you know?" he said

. "And you have white teeth.

" "I love you and I will never stop.

" "Damian, I love you too," those were her last words.

Her head fell to the side. Damian knew it was over. He kissed her beloved pale lips one last time and touched her delicate skin...

"See you soon, Princess of the Brightest Star."