My body shivered as a gust of cold air went through me, making me tug for my knitted cardigan pulling it a bit closer to my chest. Exhaustion crept through my legs, making me stumble on a nearby rock. My head ached from the constant chirping of crickets.

Below my foot a twig snapped bringing me back to the present and easing the dullness in my mind. Four hours. That’s how long I had been searching. Waiting. Hoping. I licked my lips and tasted something wet and salty. I hadn’t realized I had been crying. My mind started drifting to the reason I was here in the first place but I forced it back to the present. That was the only way I could keep moving. I stumbled forward, forcing my body to walk one more step. Just one more.

Minutes passed into hours and my body eased into a more comfortable rhythm, the only noises being the pulsing rythm of my heart and my staggering breaths. Another rock caught my foot, but this time I wasn’t so lucky. My body lurched forward and hit the ground. My mouth landed on something hard, and the taste of iron flooded my senses. My hands scrambled around me, desperate for something to hold, something to pull me back up. I gritted my teeth as I pulled myself back up. Keep on searching. Keep on hoping. I stumbled foward. The ache in my knees doubled, and the dullness in my mind coming back with full force. I wiped my mouth ignoring the bright stain it made on my hand.

“I will find you”, I whispered to myself. I looked up to the sky and my heart lurched. A single tear cascaded down my face. Thousands of stars painted the midnight blue canvas. It only happened once in a blue moon. I admired the view in front of me, taking in each star. You loved stars. You had told me that the stars would lead the way.

“I will find you.” I said louder this time, firmer. I held my head high and continued, my steps precise and my mind controlled. The dullness in my mind dissipated and something new emerged. I couldn’t put a name to it, but it was something beautiful. Something rare. Just like the stars. Just like you.