Starlight Sisters (Parts 1-3)

Starlight Sisters

By Michael Babbish

Part One – Mr. New’s Bad News

Mr. and Mrs. New were having much trouble consoling their young daughter Twinklette before departing their home on a stormy night. Mr. New used to work in Main City and had managed to move his family from that dreadful place when he obtained a Silver Pass. Unfortunately for him, an old debt to Mr. Spiderhat had surfaced, and the Main Patrol came knocking on the door of the New family. Mr. New and his wife had to go to meet with the Grandie spider that ran Main City to settle their debt. They were greatly pained to have to go, but were glad their older daughter Sparklette was there to look after her young sister. Sparklette was sixteen years old and up for the task.

“It will be okay Twinklette,” Sparklette told the crying girl. “When we get to Plane City we’ll be safe. You know they have good people that take care of children there. And it will only be for a little while.” Sparklette did all she could, but young Twinklette would not stop sobbing.

“Oh this is just terrible,” said Mrs. New, putting forth all her efforts to hold back her own tears. “Why can’t that awful spider just leave us alone? We haven’t even lived in Main City for over a year. I don’t understand why we must return there now.”

“If we do not go, the Main Patrol will come and arrest us all,” answered Mr. New, who felt dreadful himself but also tried not to show it. “I’ll be sent into the Grand Coliseum that the filthy spider owns, and who even knows what they’ll do with our daughters. You know how they split families up in Main City, we are lucky our girls are even with us at all.” What Mr. New said was true, but it did not make it any less difficult for his wife and daughters. Grandies were massive creatures in the shape of an animal or insect that could speak and had exceptional strength. Mr. Spiderhat was a Grandie spider that wore a top hat (hence his name) and had not only exceptional strength but also such cunning that allowed him to gain much power in Main City. He used this influence to keep the entire populace of that place under his control.

Main City was a Metroscape, which means it was a region controlled by the governmental institution known as the Caretaking Body. This organization was centered in the Metroscape known as Sleek City, but Mr. Spiderhat was their chief agent in Main City, and the Main Patrol was the police force of that Metroscape. Technically the Main Patrol answered to the Caretaking Body, but Mr. Spiderhat’s influence was so strong that he could get them to do his bidding and often did.

Mr. New was a very intellectual man, and used his technical prowess to help maintain the Teleweb system throughout the Metroscapes. This was an important function because the Teleweb was the means of communication throughout all Metroscapes. It functioned through screens that were set up in the walls of various buildings and public spots. Mr. New was brilliant in his field, but even one so talented as him lacked immunity from the bad luck that came to so many people in the Metroscapes.

Mr. New and his wife started their family in Main City and managed to keep their daughters in their home. Mrs. New would teach them at home instead of sending them to the boarding schools of Main City. Mr. New’s position allowed his family this rare privilege. But the cost of doing so was now catching up to them. Mr. New had appealed to Mr. Spiderhat to have this permission on the condition that Mr. Spiderhat could summon Mr. New to work an assignment at a future date. Mr. New accumulated much Cabbage (the currency of the Metroscapes) and bought himself the Silver Pass that allowed him to move his family to their current location. However, the Grandie spider remembered the debt of Mr. New and sent the Main Patrol to summon him. The Patrolman that visited the New family’s home was cordial, but informed them in no uncertain terms that he and his wife were expected at Mr. Spiderhat’s office within the Grand Coliseum.

“I don’t want you to go.” Twinklette sobbed as her sister held her tightly. “I don’t like that Grandie spider. He’s ugly and scary. Let’s just stay away from him. We can go somewhere else.”

“I’m truly sorry my dear, but we can’t.” Mr. New said to his daughter, placing his hand on her shoulder. “I have to do an assignment for Spiderhat, but after it’s done your mother and I will pick you and Sparklette up from Plane City and we’ll come back here. Things will be okay, this is only temporary.”

Twinklette would not stop crying, but Sparklette knew what would console the girl. She turned on the Teleweb screen the family had in their living room and found a program featuring the popular entertainer Christie Starlight, who was known as “The Dream Queen.” This name was appropriate because the concerts of Christie Starlight had a mesmerizing effect on viewers throughout all of the Metroscapes. Twinklette adored the Dream Queen as so many people did. The musician’s songs brought comfort to the populace of Main City whose lives were so often filled with sorrow and anxiety. After seeing her idol on the screen little Twinklette began to calm down, and she sat cuddling on the sofa with her older sister as Mr. and Mrs. New silently slipped out of the home with teary eyes.

The New sisters would be departing the following morning for Plane City. Sparklette would drive her sister there. It would happen that the sisters would never see their parents again. Despite the horror that was to come, the girls had one good night that evening as they fell asleep in each others arms watching the beloved Dream Queen perform on the Teleweb.

Mr. and Mrs. New bid a sorrowful farewell to their daughters Twinklette and Sparklette. The image of Mr. Spiderhat is on the TeleWeb screen in the background.

Part Two- The Coming of Despair

The following day Sparklette helped her younger sister get her belongings packed before they made their trip to Plane City. Twinklette was still noticeably downcast because of the departure of their parents, but Sparklette did her best to keep the girl in high spirits. Sparklette knew how to operate the family’s vehicle, and would do so to drive herself and Twinklette to Plane City. Mr. and Mrs. New received private transportation to their meeting with Mr. Spiderhat in Main City. Sparklette had a very bad feeling about the meeting and feared for her parents, but she knew she had to remain strong for the sake of her sister. The girls listened to the music of their beloved Dream Queen Christie Starlight as they travelled along a nondescript landscape outside the region of their home. The large house they knew shrank in the distance as they moved along and the melodious voice of Christie Starlight distracted the girls from their troubled thoughts.

Sadly, the ill luck for the New family had only just begun with the summons from Mr. Spiderhat for the girls’ father. As the older girl drove along in the family vehicle the sky filled with dark clouds and a vicious thunderstorm erupted upon the land. The rains became so heavy that Sparklette had difficulty seeing the road she was driving on. She slowed her speed to where she had comfortable control of the vehicle and would have made it to Plane City without any trouble if not for an attack from a stray Grandie in the midst of the storm. A massive Grandie boar had been struck by the lightning of the storm and its body was immersed in flames before the rain subdued the fire. However, this set the beast into a berserk frenzy and it ran wantonly through the storm. The vehicle Sparklette was driving was in the path of the raging Grandie. It rammed into the vehicle and flipped it into the air with its gigantic tusks. Both girls screamed as the vehicle was hurled into the storm and crashed onto the ground. Almost as if a malevolent, unseen force had a grudge against the girls a bolt of lightning shot onto the vehicle and caused it to explode. As if by a miracle amid the terrible luck neither of the girls were seriously harmed, but they were both sent flying away from the vehicle in opposite directions. They both let out a shrill scream before they hit the ground. Each sister heard the other’s scream and believed her sister was in mortal danger. Twinklette hit the ground and fell unconscious, but Sparklette made her way back to the flaming remains of the vehicle to try and find and her sister. She ran and searched among the flaming wreckage beneath the merciless rain, but found no trace of Twinklette. She called out her sister’s name repeatedly, but did not receive any response.

The thought of losing her dear sister was too much for Sparklette to bear, and so she screamed and raged and pounded her fists onto the ground in fury. The rain did not subside, but another presence drew nearer to Sparklette that made the raging Grandie boar seem mild by comparison. Floating high in the air was a figure wrapped in a deep blue cloak. Its body could not be seen except for two massive purple hands that came from the sleeves of the robe. Its head was a skull with strands of yellow hair on the sides that curved upward like horns. Its teeth were long and sharp, and in the occipital orifices of the skull burned two glowing red orbs that served as eyes to the hideous being. The spectral creature was an old wicked ghost who gained power by feeding off the despair and hopelessness of people. Many knew this being as the Ghost of Despair, and he had his red eyes set upon the grief-stricken and fearful Sparklette. The girl believed she had lost her little sister and was inconsolable. The situation, and her consequent feeling of despair as a result, made her the perfect prey for the foul ghost. He descended upon Sparklette and she was immersed in his long and flowing robes. This was the way the ghost gained power as he absorbed grieving people into his being. Sparklette was his current victim, though the hardy girl would not be consumed by the demonic wraith without a fight. She struggled as much as she could, but it mattered little because once she was inside she was transported into the Nightmare Country- a region created by the ghost in which he would break the spirit of his victim and absorb their soul into his being. He could conjure any fearful scenario or image from the victim’s psyche and use it to scare them to death and also make a meal for himself at the same time.

In a terrifying instant Sparklette found herself in a dark and frigid place covered in ice. There was no light whatsoever except a very dim glow emitted by an old lamp. There were snowflakes throughout the dimly lit area that were frozen in space. They did not fall or move, just remained stationary in the still and cold air. There were dead and withered black trees scattered throughout the area, and Sparklette did not like the atmosphere. She heard an echoing voice say to her, “You have failed your family. Your parents are gone and your sister is lost. You have failed them all and there is nothing you can do about it. You are completely and utterly alone. You may remain in this cold and lonesome world forever, or you can enter into my life-stream and forget about everything forever. Give yourself to me, because there is no point in you existing anymore.” This was the voice of the Ghost of Despair speaking to Sparklette. He crafted the area she was standing in to frighten her into submission. Sparklette began weeping tears of fear and rage, but she did not answer the ghost. She said nothing.

From in the distance the spectral figure appeared again. He hovered above Sparklette and pulled away the front of his robe with his large purple hands. This revealed a grotesque image of intestines covered in blood and a slimy green substance. The innards hung from a ribcage within the robe, but besides these horrid organs there was no physical body to be seen. Sparklette stood shivering and weeping at the Ghost of Despair as he hovered toward her. The intestines wrapped themselves around her body, and they surprisingly felt quite warm against the biting cold she stood in. Still, she despised the feeling of being smothered in the ghost’s intestines and fought violently against the encroaching organs. She also screamed as she fought, but it was to no avail. Nobody heard her cries, and the resistance was not enough to fend off the intestines of the ghostly enemy. Eventually she was totally engulfed by the disgusting intestines. She tried screaming again…but nobody heard. Nobody ever heard.

Part Three- Survivors

“It’s only natural to fear

Things you cannot see but only feel

It’s natural to wonder

What is and isn’t real

We live a life of wonder

But also one of doubt

The things we need to get us through

Can be hard to figure out

But now I say, don’t be afraid

You are better than your inner fears

Be kind, be good, be proud and brave

Let your inner light brighten every year!

It’s natural to want to cry

When you feel a piece of goodness die

But I want you all to know

You can make your inner goodness grow

Believe in your inner goodness

Let your inner light shine true

Believe your light will never fade

As I believe in you!”

-“Inner Light” by The Dream Queen Christie Starlight

Despite being a major pop star and icon in the Metroscape regions, Christie Starlight had many troubles of her own. Being a positive inspiration to people was a difficult occupation in a world run by the most corrupt of beings. The people in the Caretaking Body and Grandies such as Mr. Spiderhat had no regard for the well-being of the people who lived in the Metroscapes. Such places were very demoralizing atmospheres, but this is what made the role of the Dream Queen so important. Christie not only had talent for writing songs and music, and performing her work with exceptional dance skills, but she had a magnetic personality that made others want to be around her. The moods of others were lifted in her sanguine yet serene presence. A large part of this came from the fact that the encouraging messages of Christie’s songs were written with sincerity. She was truly a humanitarian, and wanted to help ease the pain she saw the people of the Metroscapes constantly living in. She did this well, as her music engaged the minds and hearts of thousands of people throughout the world. The Caretaking Body and Mr. Spiderhat did not hinder her work because it kept people from breaking down and going insane. However, they resented the Dream Queen because of her success. Mr. Spiderhat had an especially strong grudge against Christie because her entertainment was the primary rival of his show The Grand Coliseum, named after the arena he hosted from. It was a show that featured competitors fighting each other for prizes. The Grandie spider would have done anything to get the pop icon into his Coliseum, but so far had been unable to do so.

Although Christie often sang of overcoming inner darkness and fostering an inner light, she had trouble doing so herself. The reason for this is something that Sparklette New would have easily sympathized with. When the Dream Queen was young she had two very good friends in school. The girls loved each other so much they called one another sisters. Biological families typically didn’t remain together in Main City, with some exceptions such as the New family. But Christie and her friends Selena and Sunny might as well have been born together, because they had become a family throughout the years. One summer night Sunny had the idea to go into the school building and use a swimming pool there. Selene was opposed to the idea because it would get them in trouble, but Sunny was insistent. Christie also did not want to accompany her friend into the school building and tried to persuade her not to go, but Sunny left anyway. She was never seen again. Something happened that caused Sunny to drown, and both Christie and Selene were devastated. Although they were overwhelmed by grief, their friendship helped them through the remaining years of school and Selene was very influential in encouraging Christie to become a singer and dancer.

The guilt of leaving Sunny alone to go to the pool never left Christie, and it always haunted her despite her seemingly happy persona. Sometimes the guilt and the inner turmoil it caused manifested itself as a creature that appeared to Christie. It was always behind her and looked like a blue lobster with large yellow eyes. She would sometimes see it in her peripheral vision, and sometimes in a mirror. The creature would float in the air and always be behind her or beside her. It never made contact with her though, and often disappeared when she looked directly at it. Ironically the creature even appeared in the nightmares of the Dream Queen. The one defense Christie had against this demonic floating lobster was her creativity. Anytime she wrote a song or music and became immersed in that activity, the creature was nowhere in sight.

Christie had a rehearsal for an upcoming show but needed to get a custom outfit made in a shop on the outskirts of Main City. She was travelling along in her vehicle when the creature appeared to her again. It was small as always, but still definitely there. She hated being alone, and often surrounded herself with friends. Selene was unable to go with her to the tailor that day and Christie had to go alone. She did her best to ignore the little demon that was hovering behind her right shoulder, and even started singing to herself to hopefully make it go away. But the creature soon disappeared, because as she travelled along in her vehicle she came upon a scene. There had been a thunderstorm the previous night and the ground was wet. There was a smoking heap of wreckage in her road, and so Christie stopped her vehicle and went to look at it. A vehicle had crashed, but she heard a sound from near the wreckage. Christie recognized the sound as a child crying. She walked around and found a little girl with bright orange hair curled up and weeping. It was Twinklette after the crash she and her sister were in the previous night. Christie was alarmed and distraught to see a child on the barren region between Metroscapes because such areas were very dangerous. Christie’s immediate instinct was to comfort the child, because she knew the child’s companion was most likely among the wreckage.

“Hey there little girl,” said Christie as she placed her arms around the girl and held her. “I don’t know what happened, but you’ll be safe now. I’ll get you away from here, what’s your name?” The girl could not respond because she was weeping uncontrollably. Twinklette was knocked unconscious by the explosion, but suffered no serious harm. When she woke the fire of the vehicle was nearly gone due to the rain, but her sister was nowhere in sight. Twinklette called out to Sparklette again and again and looked in all directions but found nothing. The little girl was lucky Christie Starlight came upon her when she did, otherwise the hideous Ghost of Despair might have returned to get the traumatized child.

Christie continued to try and comfort Twinklette, whose crying slowed down as she held her. When the little girl looked up into the face of her beloved icon she was surprised. “You’re Christie Starlight,” the girl said in a soft wavering voice. “I love you!” she said as she held the Dream Queen tightly. Christie was used to being told this by her fans all the time, but hearing it from Twinklette touched her so deeply that a tear fell down the pop star’s cheek. Although much of Christie’s music was very emotionally driven and evocative, she rarely ever shed any tears. Her experience with her passed sister Sunny hardened her to doing so, but she could not help it when Twinklette embraced her.

“Whatever happened here, I promise you I will take care of you,” Christie said, and realized the responsibility she could be taking on by saying such a thing. But it came out of her so naturally she did not mind. Twinklette explained to her what she remembered of the vehicle’s wreck and said she could not find her sister. Christie could not see anybody else around either, and assumed the worst as Twinklette had already done.

“I will help you Twinklette,” Christie told the little girl. “I’ll inform the Main Patrol and they will help find her.”

“I don’t like the Main Patrol,” answered Twinklette. “They’re bad.”

Christie had a small Teleweb communications screen inside her vehicle, and used it to file a missing person report for Sparklette to the Main Patrol. Seeing as there was nothing else that could be done, Christie brought Twinklette along to get her outfit and talked with the girl along the way. Christie helped save Twinklette and, though she didn’t realize it at the time, Twinklette would save her too.