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Last time on Starry
Love Dream! Melanie, Hazel, and Justin’s narration: Melanie: “My name is Melanie!
I’m 9 years old and I’m already working to become a singer!” Hazel: “And I’m Hazel, her number
one fan!” Justin: “And I’m Justin, also
a number one fan.” Hazel: “Hey, Justin. That’s much better. I think you’re getting the hang of this.” Justin: “Thanks.” Hazel: “But you can’t have 2
number one fans! That’s like
counting like this: zero, one, one, two, three, four, whatever! It’s weird!” Melanie: “That’s okay. Both of you are my number one friends, so that’s
okay!” Justin: “That’s very sweet of
you.” Hazel: “That still sounds weird.
But not as weird as the way people treated that lady who’s been
hanging out at the public park near our school lately. People
just don’t get it, do they? Maybe
they never will. They just look at her and they just assume that
she’s a bad person that everyone should stay away from.” Justin: “They don’t even know
anything about her, too.” Melanie: “That’s right. I got to know her a little and I think she’s
a really nice lady.” Justin: “What did you find out
about her?” Melanie: “I found out that she
can write stories. I read a little
bit of her stories and they’re really good!
I can tell she writes from the heart.
It’s wonderful.” Hazel: “Kind of like how you
write your songs, right, Melanie?” Melanie: “I believe so.” Justin: “Her name is Alison,
right? Now that you’ve become
friends with that lady, what happens now?” Hazel: “Let’s find out!” Melanie: “It’s time for Starry
Love Dream! I wonder what’s going
to happen next! Stay tuned!” Opening theme song “Starry Love Dream”
by Starry~en~Luv (Happy dreamy love, wings like a dove) (To the starry night, in the starry light) A dream can’t just stay a dream in my mind It would just be a waste and I would be
in a bind No matter where and how far you have to
go You’ve got to chase your dream so much so Never ever lose sight of the love, of the
dream Let your dream flow like the never-ending
stream I know things are tough and it’s easy to
get sad But as long as we’re together, even if things
go bad I want to sing like a lovebird and touch
your heart (touch my heart) Please stay with me and stay close to my
heart (close to my heart) Starry love dream! I wanna be your
happy dreamy love I wanna spread
my wings like a dove Fly with me all the way to the starry night
Fly to the sky and bask in the starry light I wanna be your
happy dreamy love (happy dreamy love) I wanna spread
my wings like a dove (wings like a dove) Fly with me all the way to the starry night
(to the starry night) Fly to the sky and bask in the starry light
(in the starry light) Starry love dream Hold my hand tight and always stay by my
side Let’s hold onto the dream as we go along
the ride Stay with me, my love, and don’t try to
look back If we lose our way, we’ll always try get
back on track There are so many obstacles to fight your
way through But as long as you believe, your dream will
come true Oh, my love, even if things don’t always
go right We have our love, our dream, never lose
our sight I want to sing like a lovebird and touch
your heart (touch my heart) Please stay with me and stay close to my
heart (close to my heart) Starry love dream! I wanna be your
happy dreamy love I wanna spread
my wings like a dove Fly with me all the way to the starry night
Fly to the sky and bask in the starry light I wanna be your
happy dreamy love (happy dream love) I wanna spread
my wings like a dove (wings like a dove) Fly with me all the way to the starry night
(to the starry night) Fly to the sky and bask in the starry light
(in the starry light) Starry love dream (Happy dreamy love, wings like a dove) (To the starry night, in the starry light) Starry love dream, I love you! The Prologue “Melanie, why don’t you bring some stories
home with you?” said Alison. Melanie
gasped. “You want me to bring
some home with me?” “Yes. That way, you can concentrate on reading a whole
story and enjoy it fully.” “Oh,
if it’s alright with you, I’d love to read more of them.” “It’s
not a problem. That story that
you’re holding right now, take it home and read the whole thing, and
I hope that you’ll like it even more.”
Alison took another binder and she opened it and looked at the
title that was inside. “Here’s another one. This is a really good one, I think. I’d like you to look at this one. I can tell you love stories and you love reading.” Melanie
smiled. “I love to read.” Alison gave her the binder and Melanie took
it. “Great,”
said Alison with a cheerful smile. “Take
them home and enjoy them to the fullest.” Melanie
looked at her wrist watch and saw that it was time for her to go home. She stood up while holding the two stories that
Alison had just given her. “Thank
you so very much, Miss Alison. I’ll
read them tonight.” That night, Melanie was in her room. She was reading one of Alison’s stories. She had already read the first one completely
and she liked it every much. The
second story that Alison gave her was called “Family Love”. Melanie was reading the story in her room at
her study table. “Oh,
my…this story is so good…” Melanie whispered. Melanie
kept on reading the story until it was late at night. It was a story about family and it was a heart-wavering,
tear-jerking drama. It made her
cry a few times as she read the story so she had to place a box of tissues
next to her. Melanie
suddenly thought of something. She
thought about the stories and that led her into thinking about something
else. What if someone were to
take these stories and turn them into songs?
Songs are sometimes used to tell stories.
Melanie wondered if it was possible for her to write songs out
of these stories that Alison had written, especially this story called
“Family Love”. It sounded like
a story that would also make a very good song. Melanie
could not finish reading the story that night.
It was already late at night and she fell asleep on her bed with
the opened binder on her desk. Starry Love Dream Episode 14: Turn
my stories into your songs… Grandma Annabelle came out of the front
door of her house and she walked to the front gate, where there were
four ladies waiting for her. Just
a little while ago, Melanie had left the house because she said she
was going to the library. Grandma
allowed her to do so. She
met with the four ladies waiting for her.
They were Elena Dobson, Esther Lagazo, Elizabeth Rayne, and Julie
Weston. Mrs. Dobson was the husband
of Mr. Dobson and they were both known widely around the neighborhood
as the “Gossip Couple”. Mrs.
Lagazo was the mother of one of Melanie’s friends.
At least, that’s what Grandma heard, but she did not know Melanie’s
friends. Grandma also heard that Mrs. Rayne was the mother
of one of the girls in Melanie’s class, but that’s all that she knew.
It was the same with Mrs. Weston. “Good
afternoon, ladies,” said Grandma Annabelle. “Hello,
Miss Hartford. How are you?”
said Mrs. Dobson. Both she and
Grandma were the older ones in the group.
The other three ladies were significantly younger. “I’m
fine. I hope everyone is doing
well today as well.” “We’re
fine, thanks, Miss Hartford,” said Mrs. Lagazo.
“By the way, I heard about that old lady in the park from Mrs.
Dobson. That’s definitely something
that you don’t see everyday. We
were just talking about it earlier.” Grandma
nodded. “I see. So she’s still at the public park?” “That’s
right,” said Mrs. Rayne. “She’s
just there. I saw her while I
was driving my car. I was passing
by and I saw this lady with a shopping cart.” “I
saw her, too,” said Mrs. Weston. “She
was just at the park not doing anything.
I was just walking by the park when I saw her there.” “I
see,” said Grandma. She was thinking
about what they were saying but she was not sure what else she should
be saying about them. “It’s a
strange situation. What do you all think of her being there?” Mrs.
Dobson was the very first to answer.
“Well, like I said the other day, I think she shouldn’t be here. But at the same time, I don’t know if we should
be telling her to leave or having the police tell her to leave, because
if we do that, that would make us look like the bad guys.” Grandma
looked at Mrs. Lagazo. “What
about you, Mrs. Lagazo?” she asked. “You
know, I’m not really sure what to think.
I think it’s important that we think about the feelings of both
everyone in the neighborhood and also the feelings of that woman in
the park. Perhaps we can come to some kind of compromise?”
said Mrs. Lagazo. “I
agree with that,” said Mrs. Rayne. “I
think we should find out why she’s here, too.
Maybe if we knew the reason why she’s here, we might be able
to help her out. Someone like
her wouldn’t come to a neighborhood like this for no reason.
That’s what I think. There’s
probably a good reason why she’s here and we should find out what it
is.” Mrs.
Weston was shaking her head. “I
don’t think so. I think we should
flat out tell her to leave. And
I don’t think that will make us look like one of the bad guys. We’re just abiding by the law. It’s illegal to loiter in public parks. That’s what that woman is doing. She is loitering on property that is owned by
the city and she should not be there.
I think we should ask the police to ask her to leave.” Mrs.
Dobson looked up at Grandma Annabelle.
“What do you think, Miss Hartford?
What do you think we should do?” Grandma
Annabelle was silent for a while but she had no expression on her face
to indicate anything. “I do agree
with the fact that she is loitering.
It is against the law to do that.
But I also agree with being diplomatic and making sure that the
wishes of the people of the neighborhood and the wishes of that woman
are respected. However…” All
four ladies looked up at her with anticipation. “However,
like I said the other day, in this kind of situation, there is no such
thing as the right thing to do. Anything
that the neighborhood decides to do would have some kind of negative
effect, one way or another. No
matter how right it might seem to some people.” Everyone
was quiet for a while. “I see,”
said Mrs. Lagazo. “I think you’re
right about that.” “So
whatever we do, it’ll do something negative, no matter how minor it
might seem,” said Mrs. Rayne, and she shook her head.
“That’s really bad. I
don’t know what to think then.” “That’s
just horrible. But I think the
rules should be followed anyway. Not
everyone is happy with the law, but the law is final,” said Mrs. Weston. “Although
that’s slightly insensitive, you’re right, Mrs. Weston,” said Mrs. Dobson. “I guess everyone’s right in some way, but like
you said, Miss Hartford. None
of these solutions are perfect. There
is some harm being done somewhere, whatever we choose to do. We’ll probably get a bunch of activists from
the city coming here and telling us that we’re all nothing but a bunch
of insensitive pricks and it’ll become a political issue.” “That
would most certainly not be welcomed,” said Grandma Annabelle. Mrs.
Rayne suddenly thought of something.
“Oh, Miss Hartford, that reminds me.” “What
is it, Mrs. Rayne?” asked Grandma. Mrs.
Rayne smiled. “Earlier, while
I was on my way here, I saw your granddaughter at the public park and
she seemed like she was having a good time speaking to the homeless
old lady.” Grandma’s
eyes went wide slightly and a frown appeared on her face. “She was doing what?” “She
was speaking with the homeless old lady.
Your granddaughter seems like a very nice young girl, Miss Hartford.” Grandma
looked quite annoyed suddenly and the four ladies were puzzled by that. “That may be true about Melanie, but I think
in this situation, that would be a disadvantage.” Mrs.
Dobson nodded to that. “That’s
right. We’ve been telling kids
to stay away from her. That’s
not good at all. What if she gets hurt?” Grandma
sighed and shook her head. “Well…she
probably won’t get hurt, but even so, children were told to stay away
from that woman. I guess that
means I’m going to have to have a talk with Melanie once she gets home.” The next day, when it was in the early afternoon,
Melanie had gone into the nearby public library, which was located next
to the plaza where the convenience store was at. She sat by herself at a table reading the story
that she could not finish last night; the one entitled “Family Love”. She came here right after having an early lunch
at home. There were only a few
pages left in the story as well. She
was close to finishing the story. But
something felt strange. Melanie
felt like there was someone watching her.
She looked to the side and she saw a girl sitting at another
table. The girl was staring at her for a long time
and Melanie was puzzled. She
wondered who it was, and then she gasped, for she remembered where she
had seen her before. It was at
school. “Oh,
I remember her,” said Melanie. “She’s
one of those 4 girls who were friends with Hazel before I became friends
with her. I don’t know her name. I saw her…with the other 3 girls, and they were
arguing with Hazel. They were
telling Hazel that she shouldn’t be friends with me, because their parents
said that my father is nothing but trouble.” Melanie
tried to get back into her reading, but she could see in the corner
of her eye the girl standing up and walking towards her.
The girl approached Melanie and stood a few feet away. That’s when Melanie looked up at her. Melanie looked a little frightened and didn’t
know what to say. “You’re
Melanie, right?” the girl asked. She
seemed to have no emotional expression on her face at all and her voice
sounded monotone. Melanie
was a little startled and she felt tense.
Her hand went to her heart. “Um…yes…”
she said very shyly and very softly. The
girl seemed to have noticed that Melanie was scared. “I hope you’re not afraid of me.” Melanie
gasped and looked down. “Oh,
um…no, I wasn’t…I mean…” “I
just wanted to ask you something. Can
I sit here?” she asked. Melanie
hesitated, and then she nodded. The
girl sat down on the seat by her table.
Melanie was scared and tense.
She didn’t know what this girl was going to say to her or do
to her. What if she started saying mean things to her
like some kids already have, just because her father is in trouble? “I
really…I really need to understand something.
A lot of kids are saying bad things about you and your father,
the Premiere of Ontario.” Was
that supposed to be a question? Melanie
was wondering where she was going with that.
But she did not say that because it would not be polite. “Oh, um…yeah,” she said shyly. “I’ve
known Hazel for a long time. She’s
the kind of girl who would only be friends with someone if she saw something
good in them.” Melanie
was a little puzzled as she looked up at the girl. The
girl looked down a little. “I
guess...Hazel saw something good in you.
But I don’t know what it is.
I don’t know what it is. We
all told her not to be friends with you, but she went ahead and became
friends with you anyway. She
must have seen something good in you.” Melanie
was still speechless as she stared at the girl with wide eyes. The
girl looked up at her. Her eyes
seemed a little sad, almost like she was regretting something. “Melanie, could you please tell me what Hazel
saw in you?” Melanie
thought about that for a long time.
Hazel had mentioned something before that could be a good answer
to that. “She
said…she said to me that she didn’t believe I was a bad person. She said she looked into my heart and wanted
to be friends with me,” she said softly. The
girl thought about that for a long time as well. She looked down and sighed. “Oh,
I see. That is so like Hazel. She’s a really good person. She looks at people’s hearts.” She slowly began to smile and she looked up
at Melanie. “I’m…glad you and
Hazel became friends. I think…you
could be a better friend to her than we were to her, especially after
we said those things to her about you.” Melanie
was speechless again, because she didn’t know what to say to that. “But,
if it’s okay with you, I’d like to know more about you. Because I want to know what’s good about you.” Melanie
thought of something. It was
her ability to touch people’s hearts through songs that she wrote. Melanie looked up at the girl and she smiled
slightly. “I
guess there’s one way you could find out,” she said. “How?”
the girl asked. “On
the radio,” said Melanie. The
girl seemed puzzled. “What? What do you mean ‘on the radio’? You mean on the news radio or something?” Melanie
shook her head slightly. “No. Not the news radio. I meant, on a pop music radio station. Like 92.5 FM, for example.” The
girl seemed even more puzzled. “Oh,
you mean…a pop music radio station like 92.5 FM?
But why there?” Melanie
smiled. “You’ll find out. You just have to listen for the next few days.” “Oh,
okay,” said the girl, but she was still confused. “I guess I’ll do that.” The girl looked around and saw the clock and
then she began to stand up. “Well,
I better go. I have to get home. I just had to return some books to the library.” Melanie
nodded. “Okay.” “By
the way, my name is Tara Weston, in case you were wondering.” After that, the girl named Melanie
was looking at her as she walked away, and then she exited the library. She smiled, and then she glanced back down on
the story that she was reading. The front door of the house opened and Grandma
Annabelle looked up while she sitting on the couch in the living room.
Melanie came into the house and she began to remove her shoes
at the door. “Hi,
Grandma,” Melanie said sweetly and with a smile. Grandma
stood up from the couch and she had a very, very strict and stern look
on her face. Melanie lost her
smile quickly and felt an imaginary cold wind blowing through her body. “Melanie,”
said Grandma. Melanie
hesitated and began to feel scared.
“Um…yes, Grandma?” she said very softly. Grandma
spoke very loudly. “It has come
to my attention that you’ve been visiting the homeless old lady in the
park during the last few days! Several
neighbors have mentioned this to me.
Is this true? Have you
been visiting that person?” Melanie
gasped and felt very small as Grandma walked a little closer to her. She clasped her hands together close to her
heart and she looked down. “Um…I
have, Grandma.” Grandma
paused and she sighed and shook her head.
“I see. I forbid you from
visiting her! That homeless old
lady is ruining the image of this nice neighborhood.
It is not right for you to be going anywhere near her. It will make you look bad and it will make this
neighborhood look bad. It will
also make it look like we don’t care about our children!” Melanie
looked up at Grandma with a frightened face.
“But, Grandma…” she started. “What?”
Grandma said very sharply. Grandma’s
voice felt like a knife that cut through Melanie. “N-nothing…” “Children
have been told to stay away from that lady!
I’m telling you right now to do the same thing. Stay away from her! Don’t go anywhere near her! She is a threat to this neighborhood, that’s
what she is. Do not---I repeat---do
not visit her any longer!” Melanie
was silent for a while as she looked down at the floor. She felt that there was something very wrong
with what Grandma was saying. “Do
you understand what I’m telling you, Melanie?” Grandma said very strictly. Melanie
closed her eyes tightly. There
was something that she absolutely wanted to say, but she did not feel
that she had the courage to say it.
But if she didn’t, things might only get worse in terms of what’s
right and what’s wrong. Grandma
was still waiting for an answer. “I
asked you a question. I expect
it to be answered.” “I…do
understand...” Melanie said very softly.
“I understand, but…” “What
don’t you understand?” Grandma said loudly. “I…I
was just trying to be helpful to her.” Grandma’s
eyes narrowed as she stared at Melanie with cold eyes. “What?” Melanie
shook her head and she look up at Grandma with terrified eyes. But she also said something that was very brave
of her. “It’s
not wrong to help someone!” Melanie cried out. There
was a long moment of silence between Melanie and Grandma. It was so long that it made Melanie extremely
scared. You could cut through
the tension in the air with a knife.
Grandma stared down at the little girl, still with a very serious
and very strict expression on her face. After
that tense long moment, Grandma turned and began to walk towards the
couch again. “Go to your room,
Melanie!” she said loudly. She
was still obviously very much irritated. Melanie’s
eyes became misty and she quickly went to the stairs and went up the
stairs to her room. She closed
the door to her room and she leaned on the door for a while.
Some tears went down her cheeks as she closed her eyes. “It’s
not wrong…It’s not wrong to help someone…” she whispered. Melanie
went to her bed and she lied down, hiding her face in her pillows and
she started to cry. Her tears
soaked into her pillows. “Why?”
said Melanie. “Why is it that
everyone has to judge everyone else from what they see on the outside? Why is it that everyone has to treat everyone
else so badly just because they look different from them? Why does it have to be like that? Why!” Melanie
continued to cry, but she did not cry for herself. She cried for Alison and everyone else who was
judged just because of the way that they looked. Alison was not a bad person. Because she was homeless and dressed in raggedy
old clothes, people in this neighborhood believed she was nothing but
a bad person. “I
won’t…I won’t stop visiting her…” Melanie whispered. It was the next day. Melanie was carrying 2 binders with her and
they were Alison’s stories. She
was dressed up to go outside and was coming down the stairs. Grandma Annabelle was in the living room and
she was reading a book while sitting down on one of the couches. She looked up at Melanie. “Are
you going somewhere today, Melanie?” she asked. Melanie
stood facing her grandmother, holding the binders close to her. “Yes, please, Grandma, I’d like to go to…I’d
like to go to Hazel’s house. If
that’s okay with you,” she asked. Grandma
stared at Melanie for a while and it made Melanie slightly uncomfortable. Melanie was telling the truth. She was going to Hazel’s house, after all.
But Grandma looked like she was scrutinizing every single thing
about her right now. “So
that’s the only place you’re going to, right?” said Grandma. “The
library, too, we were hoping that maybe we could go there. Is that okay, Grandma?” That was also true. She wanted to bring Hazel to the library with
her. Grandma
was still staring at her and it made Melanie feel very small. There was a slightly strict look on her face
even though she wasn’t feeling upset or anything. “Very well, Melanie,” she said. “However, remember that you are to stay away
from the public park. And if
you insist on going to the public park, stay away from the part of it
where the homeless old woman is at.
Remember that.” Melanie
hesitated and she looked down slightly, but then she nodded after a
few seconds. “I’ll remember,
Grandma,” she said softly. “You
have a good day,” said Grandma. “Thank
you, Grandma.” Melanie went to
the front door and put on her shoes quickly.
Then she opened the door and she left the house. A
few minutes after Melanie left, Grandma looked up. She closed the book that she was reading and
she stood up from the couch. She
stood there for a while not doing anything because her mind was full
of thoughts. She was trying to
figure out something. She was
trying to decide whether to do something or nothing about a certain
issue. She had been thinking about it for a while and
she was getting very close to a decision.
However, the decision was not something that she liked very much. “So,
perhaps I do have to be the one to call the police after all…” Grandma
whispered, looking at the telephone that was in the living room. Melanie stood next to a tree that was in
the public park. She had defied
her grandmother. She
carried the two binders with her that contained Alison’s stories. She began to approach Alison, who was sitting
on the park bench. Alison looked
up and saw Melanie and they both smiled at each other.
Melanie sat down with her. There
was a radio beside Alison and it was playing some music. “Hi,
Miss Alison,” said Melanie. “Hello!”
said Alison, who was very cheerful.
“You look well.” “Thank
you. Are you okay? Did anybody give you a hard time today?” Melanie
asked. Alison
was amused by that. “Oh, don’t
worry about that. I’ve lived
a long life and lots of people have given me a hard time.
After a while, anything hurtful things they say just bounce off. It’s like I’m wearing bulletproof vest,” said
with a smile. Melanie
smiled at that. “Oh, okay.” She gave the two binders back to Alison. “I read these two stories and they’re really
good. I like the one called ‘Family
Love’. I think it’s very beautiful. I think it’s one of the best drama stories I’ve
ever read.” Alison
began to laugh. “That’s very
nice of you. I’m glad that you
liked it. And I’m glad that it’s one of the best drama
stories that you’ve ever read.” “Thank
you so very much for letting me read them.”
Melanie smiled very brightly and very cheerfully. “You’re
welcome, dear.” “You
love writing stories, right?” Alison
was a little surprised by that. “Of
course, I do. Like I said, it’s
one of my longtime hobbies.” “I
think I told you that sometimes I write stories for school. But guess what? I also like to write songs. I like song-writing.” Now,
Alison was even more surprised. “That’s
good, Melanie. Writing songs
is a little different from writing stories.
Well, maybe it can also be the same.
A song is sometimes like a story.
It talks about something that might have happened in the singer’s
life. And it can get very emotional when someone sings
it.” “Miss
Alison?” Alison
looked up at Melanie. “Yes?” Melanie
tried to get the courage to say what she was about to say. She’s been thinking about it since this morning.
“I think your stories are wonderful.
They really touched my heart.
Because of that…if it’s alright with you…could I please write
songs about them?” Alison
looked surprised. “You want to
write songs about my stories?” “Yes,
please,” Melanie said cheerfully. “But
only if it’s alright with you. If
it’s not, that’s okay. I won’t
mind at all. It’s just that….your
stories really touched my heart. I’d
like to do the same for other people for you.” Alison
seemed almost misty-eyed. “That’s…so
sweet of you, Melanie. I know
that it’s not possible for me to have my stories published. Who would want to publish a story written by
a homeless old woman? When I
was younger, I wanted to publish my stories but I never had the chance
to do that. I wanted my stories
to touch people’s hearts.” Melanie
put her hands on Alison’s arm. “That’s
why I’d like to do that for you. I’d
like to write songs about your stories, so that the songs can touch
people’s hearts.” Alison
rubbed her eyes slightly. She
smiled down at Melanie and she patted her on the head.
“Thanks, Melanie. You
really are a very sweet little girl.
But you’re not a singer, are you?
When you write songs based on my stories, is someone going to
actually sing them?” Melanie
giggled as she leaned back. “Oh,
don’t worry. I’ll take care of
everything.” “Thanks,
Melanie…” Alison said softly. She
then looked down at the radio that was beside her.
“That reminds me. You
know, sometimes I listen to music on my radio.
I listen to any kind of song that makes me feel good. It can be any kind of music, as long as it makes
me feel good. I don’t really
have a preferred kind of music that I like to listen to.” “Is
that so?” said Melanie, with a smile on her face. Alison
nodded. “Yes. But anyways, while I was on one of the pop radio
stations, I heard this song that they said was a very new song. They said that the singer was a little girl.” Melanie
felt something in her heart but she did not quite know what it was. She became extremely curious. “A new song that a little girl sang on a pop
radio station?” she asked. “Yeah,
they said she was a new artist and it was her debut song.” Alison picked up the radio and she listened
to it. She began to turn up the
volume. “It was a really good
song. I think it’s coming up right now. Do you want to hear it?” Melanie
had a look of anticipation on her face.
But what was making her feel that way?
She didn’t know it herself. “Yes,
please,” she answered. The
radio announcer spoke. “Here’s
a new song by a new artist that we’d like everyone to check out. Apparently, she’s an elementary school student,
but from the sound of her voice, she sounds like she has some real talent.
Here it is again, for your listening pleasure.
The debut song of a new song artist named Starry~en~Luv, ‘Dream’!
You’re listening to KISS 92 FM.” Melanie
gasped, her eyes went wide open. She
looked up at Alison, who closed her eyes and was listening to the song
that was now playing. “Dream”,
Starry~en~Luv’s debut song! Dream… Oh,
make a wish upon a star (wish upon a star) Oh,
make your dream come true (your dream come true) Dreaming
a dream The
quest for a wish might make you happy, make you sad But
in the end, it will all be worth it, you will be glad! Just
dream! Dreaming
a dream, make your dream come true Sing
a song or write a story, anything you want to do Whatever
good thing your dream might just be Never
lose your hope, never lose your energy Dreaming
a dream (Just dream) Dreaming
a dream, make a wish upon a star Go
on a journey, you’ll go to many places afar Always
remember that I will stay and walk with you And
keep in your heart whatever it is you want to do Dreaming
a dream (Just dream) Just
dream! Wake
up from your comfortable and peaceful sleep Remember
the dream you had while you slept deep Let
the warm golden sunshine through your window (sunshine through the window) The
first thing to do is smile while you hug your pillow (hug your pillow) And
today, the most important thing that you should do (you should do) Will
be to come closer to making your dream come true (make your dream come
true) Just
dream! The
song continued to play. Melanie
leaned back and she placed her hands on her heart.
She was having trouble containing her excitement! That was her song! Her debut song! It was being played on the radio! Melanie placed her hands on her heart. Her heart was beating so fast and for a few
seconds, she had trouble breathing.
But she was able to recover. Alison
looked down at Melanie. “Hey! Are you okay?
You look like you might pass out.” Melanie
wanted to shout it out right there.
She wanted to tell her that the singer of that song was her. She wanted to say that the new singer whose
name was Starry~en~Luv was actually her.
But she had to stop herself.
She had to keep it a secret for now, because this was not yet
the right time to reveal to anyone in the world who Starry~en~Luv is
and what Melanie has started to become. Melanie
sighed and she looked up. “I’m
sorry. I was just excited about
something.” “Excited
about what?” Alison asked. Melanie
paused for a moment and she smiled cheerfully.
“It’s a secret for now!” “Oh,
I see.” “But
only for now. One day, it won’t
be a secret anymore.” Alison
looked at Melanie and started to laugh.
“Okay, if you say so. I
won’t make you say what the secret is, since it is a secret, after all.” She glanced down at the radio as the song continued
to play. “But, really, this song
is very good.” Melanie
smiled. “You think so?” “It
has a nice message to it and it sounds very good. It feels good to listen to. This song will touch people’s hearts and convince
them to follow their dreams and live their life to the fullest. That’s really what everyone should do. And the little girl who sang this song is really
good. She has a very beautiful
singing voice.” Melanie
wanted to thank her right there, but that would take some explaining
to do. This was not yet the time. “Oh, I’m sure that…Starry~en~Luv would be very
thankful if she heard you say that,” she said softly. Alison
looked at Melanie and smiled. “You
know what, Melanie? I want you to take some stories from me. I want you to keep them. Then you can read them and write songs for them.
You said you wanted to write songs about my stories, right?
I think it’s a wonderful idea.” Melanie
sighed and she smiled. “Thank
you so much. I’m going to do
my best.” Alison
gave her the two binders that Melanie had borrowed overnight. “’Family Love’ is one of these two that I’m
giving you. I’d like you to have
a few more. There are 3 binders
of some short stories that I wrote that I’m particularly fond of. I’d like you to have them, too.” Alison
stood up and went to her shopping cart.
She searched through one of plastic bags and took out 3 small
binders. She sat back down and
she gave them to Melanie. Melanie
accepted them. “Thank
you so very much, Miss Alison. I’ll
treasure them forever. I’ll do
my best to write songs about them, songs that will touch people’s hearts.” Melanie held them like they were gifts from
heaven. She held them very carefully. Alison
patted her on the head again. “Do
your best, Melanie. Do your best
for me.” Melanie
smiled and she nodded. “I will…”
she said softly. Hazel was looking through the pages of one
of the binders of short stories that Melanie had brought with her. Justin was doing the same thing with another
binder. But they were not in
Hazel’s house. They were at the
public library and Melanie was with them. “Hey,
these are pretty good,” said Hazel.
She put one of the binders down and looked up at Melanie. “That homeless old lady in the park really can
write very well. I wonder how
she learned how to do that. She’s
really good.” “She
said she’s been writing stories for a long time,” said Melanie. “She
got a lot of practice. After
a while, you get really good at it if you keep doing something that
you really like to do,” said Justin, as he put down the binder that
he was reading through. “What did you say her name was?” “Her
name is Alison. I didn’t get
her last name. Maybe I should
ask her next time I see her,” Melanie said thoughtfully. Hazel
put the binder she was holding on top of the pile of 3 other binders
at the middle of the table they were sitting at in the library. “She’s a really good writer. It’s really stupid that people in this neighborhood
are treating her like dirt.” Justin
also placed the binder he was holding on the pile of binders. “People do that, especially when they become
adults. They look at how a person
looks on the outside and they don’t really want to look at their heart. Because of that, people treat others like dirt,”
said Justin, in a very calm and cool way. “Reminds
me of a few people I know. Like
my former friends,” said Hazel. Melanie
remembered Tara Weston from yesterday afternoon, when they were both
in the library. She was one of
Hazel’s friends before Melanie became friends with Hazel. “Reminds
me of Kelsey Rayne,” said Justin. “Oh,
yeah, the evil witch Kelsey Rayne. Who
could forget about her?” Hazel
had an almost comically angry look on her face.
“I can almost hear that laugh that sounds so much like a mean
old witch from those fairy tales that my parents used to tell me when
I was small. Ugh! It’s
giving me the chills just thinking about it.” Melanie
laughed uncomfortably. “Let’s…not
think about her. Let’s think
about her when school starts again.
Right now, it’s not time for that, is it?” “You’re
right, it isn’t,” said Justin. “But
you know what? I wonder how this
kind of thing happened to that lady.
Alison is her name, right? I
wonder how she ended up being homeless.
She could’ve gotten rich from writing her stories when she was
younger. But that didn’t happen. Maybe something happened to her a long time
ago?” Hazel asked. Justin
shook his head. “I doubt she’d
tell you even if you asked. Stuff
like that are kept secret. She
wouldn’t tell you anything.” “I
know,” said Melanie. “I couldn’t
ask her about that. It’s none
of my business if it’s her secret. I
can wonder but I can’t do anything more than that.” Hazel
nodded to that. “You’re right. But you’re also right about her being a good
person. I know you pretty well
by now, Melanie. If you could
be friends with that homeless old lady, then she must be a good person. If she could write stories like these, then
she must be a good person.” Melanie
smiled. “Just like Mr. Wilkins
and his garden. People thought
he was a bad person, but I couldn’t believe that he was a bad person
because he could grow beautiful flowers.” “That’s
right.” Hazel thought about something
else now. “And you know what? I’m sorry about that other day. Do you remember? When that man in the park told us to stay away
from Alison, I just told all of us to go play at the other side of the
playground away from her. I probably
sounded like a mean person. I’m
really sorry.” “Oh,
it’s okay. Don’t worry about
it,” said Melanie. “That’s
okay. We probably would’ve gotten
into trouble at the time if we stayed there,” said Justin. “We wouldn’t have wanted that.” Melanie
smiled at her two close friends. “You
guys want to get out of here? Maybe
we can pass by the park. Maybe
we can talk to her for a few minutes before we all go home.
I’d like to introduce her to you anyway.
She’s really nice. Is
that okay?” Hazel
smiled and she nodded. “Sure. I think that sounds cool.” Justin
nodded as well. “Sounds like
a good idea.” Melanie
was glad. “Great! Let’s go to the park now then.” Melanie
took one binder and Hazel took another.
They made Justin carry the 3 binders that were left over. The three of them left the public library and
began to head for the park. Melanie, Hazel, and Justin were walking
down the sidewalk along the side of the park.
They were approaching the area of the park where they would find
Alison. Melanie and Hazel still
carried one small binder each while Justin carried the other 3 binders
that were slightly larger. Melanie
looked over at Justin with concern.
“Um, Justin, are you okay? Are
those binders too much too carry?” Justin
shook his head. “Don’t worry. They’re not heavy at all.” “Oh,
don’t worry about Justin. He
can take it. He’s a boy. He’s supposed to carry things for the ladies.
Isn’t that right, Justin?” asked Hazel in a mischievous kind
of way. But
he took it seriously. “That’s
right,” he said with a nod. Hazel
was surprised. “Wow. You really are a gentleman, aren’t you?” Justin
looked up, slightly confused. “Would
you prefer I wasn’t? I don’t
really know how not to act like a gentleman,” he said. “No,
that’s fine. I think you’re cute
when you’re being a gentleman,” Hazel said with a cheerful and bright
smile. Melanie
started to giggle. Hazel had
a funny way of pretending to flirt with people who were close to her. Since Justin had become a good friend of theirs,
it was only natural that Hazel would do that. Besides, Hazel did the same thing to Melanie
a few times already. Obviously,
she was just joking around all those times. Melanie,
Hazel, and Justin stopped and saw the park bench where Alison was supposed
to be. But she was not there. “Where
is she?” Melanie asked. “Maybe
she just stepped out and will be back in a bit,” said Hazel. Justin
shook his head. “I don’t know
about that. Her shopping cart
isn’t there either.” There
was no shopping cart. There was
no Alison. In fact, there no
trace of her. It was almost as
if she was never there. “I
wonder what happened,” said Melanie. “Let’s
look at the other side of the park.
Maybe she switched places,” said Hazel. All
three of them quickly walked towards the other side of the park. At this time of the day, there would be some
people playing or hanging around in the park.
However, the park was deserted.
It was probably because people didn’t want to be hanging around
here knowing there was a homeless old lady there.
Melanie, Hazel, and Justin followed some pathways that led to
the other side of the park. Then,
Melanie saw something. She saw
Alison in the distance. But she
was not pushing her shopping cart. Someone
else was pushing her shopping cart.
It was a police officer. And
beside Alison was another police officer. “Alison?”
said Melanie. Hazel and Justin
looked at the direction where Melanie was looking and they saw what
was happening. “What’s
going on?” said Hazel. “Alison!”
shouted Melanie. She began to
run towards the area where Alison and the police officers were at. They were slowly walking towards a police car
that was parked at one of the park’s parking lots. Melanie ran towards them. “Melanie!”
Hazel shouted after her. Both
she and Justin started to run towards that area as well, following Melanie. One
of Alison’s arms was wrapped under the police officer that was beside
her. The police officer was gentle with her as she
walked. The other police officer
was pushing the shopping cart that belonged to Alison. “I’m
really sorry about this, ma’am, but you must realize that there are
places where you can’t just walk into and start staying there all hours
of the day every day,” said the officer. Alison
smiled and nodded. “That’s fine,
young man. I know you’re just
doing your job. I did have a
reason for coming here, but I have come to realize that maybe it’s not
really an important reason,” she said calmly and politely to the police
officer. “May
I ask what that reason is?” Alison
shook her head. “I’m afraid it’s
personal.” “Alison!” Alison
and the two police officers turned around.
Alison was surprised to see Melanie running towards her. “Melanie…” she said softly and she sighed. Melanie
reached them but she fell down on her knees and was trying to catch
her breath, her hands on her heart.
Alison saw two other kids coming towards them and she recognized
them as Melanie’s two friends who were with her the first time she saw
Melanie. “Something
I can help you with?” said the police officer who was at the shopping
cart as he approached Melanie to try to help her up.
“What’s wrong?” “Officer,
it’s alright,” said Alison. She
let go of the arm of the officer that was beside her and went closer
to Melanie. “Melanie, what are you doing here?” Melanie
stood up from the ground and she caught her breath after another moment. That’s when Hazel and Justin arrived at the
scene but stayed some distance behind.
“Alison…what’s going on? Why
are the police here? Did something
happen?” she asked. Alison
sighed and she knelt down on the ground in front of Melanie. She tried to smile but Melanie could tell that
Alison was feeling a little sad. “I’m
so sorry, Melanie. But I have
to go now. I can’t stay here.” Melanie
looked horrified. “What? But why, why do you have to go?” “Loitering
is against the law.” “Are
they arresting you?!” She looked
shocked with her hands partially covering her mouth. Alison
shook her head. “Oh, no, not
like that. They just asked me
to leave, that’s all. They are
police officers. It’s their job
to do the will of the public. Someone
said that…that I was ruining the image of the neighborhood by staying
at the park everyday because I’m a homeless old woman.
You have to admit. Someone
like me in a place like this would stick out like a sore thumb.” Melanie’s
eyes began to mist. “But…but
that’s wrong! They’re wrong for
saying things like that about you! They
don’t know the real you! They
haven’t sat down with you like I have and looked into your heart and
saw that you’re a good person! Anyone who can write beautiful stories has got
to be a good person! That’s what
you are!” “I
know, Melanie. I know,” said
Alison, as she tried to smile still.
“But there are people in the world that just can’t do that for
whatever reason. Sometimes…sometimes we can’t do anything about
that. We can’t change other people’s
minds. That’s not for us to do.” “Even
if they’re wrong?” said Melanie, her voice starting to break. She was very close to crying. Hazel and Justin looked on. Hazel stood closer to Justin, her hand covering
her mouth from shock. “I’m
afraid so, even if they’re wrong. Sometimes,
we can only do things for ourselves, not for others. We can’t change their minds. I have to go, Melanie. I’m so sorry.
I can’t stay here anymore.” Melanie
looked down for a long time. Alison
tried to smile at her but it was a pained smile. Melanie looked back up and a tear came down
from one of her eyes. “Where
are you going?” she asked with a very soft voice. “I
don’t really know, Melanie. But
I do know that I’ll be traveling from place to place around the city
of Melanie
was speechless for a while. “Melanie,
I want you to have the rest of my stories.
I want you to take all of them.
I can’t really do anything about them.
The only person that can do anything about them is you. That’s why I would like you to have all of them,”
said Alison. “All
your stories?” said Melanie. “Aren’t
they important to you?” “They
are. That’s why I’m giving them
to you. I’m giving them to you,
because I know that you’ll take good care of them.” Melanie
nodded. “Thank you so much.” Alison
stood up and looked at one of the officers.
“I would like to give her the stories that I’ve written over
the years. I hope that’s okay
with you.” The
officer nodded. “I think that’s
fine. There’s no harm in that.” Alison
took a few plastic bags from the shopping cart and made sure that they
carried the right items. They
carried thin binders of more stories that were written by her. Those were all the stories that she had with
her. It was four plastic bags
of thin binders. She took them
out of the shopping cart and placed them on the grass near Melanie and
she sat down in front of Melanie again. “I
hope you can make songs out of these, too,” said Alison. “I
will. I’ll make songs out of
them, because…because I really am singer.” Alison
looked a little puzzled suddenly. Melanie
put her hands on Alison’s arm. “My
real name is Melanie, but…when I’m a singer…my name becomes…Starry~en~Luv.” Alison
looked surprised. Hazel and Justin
also looked surprise. They were
surprised that Melanie revealed that secret to Alison. “I
was the one who sang that song that you heard on the radio this morning. I’m just an elementary school student. But I’m starting to become a pop singer. I want to touch people’s hearts. The stories that you have, I’ll write songs
out of them, so that your stories will also touch people’s hearts. That’s what I’ll do just for you,” said Melanie. Alison
smiled and nodded. “You sure
have a way of surprising people, Melanie Thompson…Starry~en~Luv. Thank you. Please
do your best as a singer and do your best in making songs out of these
stories that I’ve given you.” “I’ll
do my best. I promise,” said
Melanie. There
was a long silence between the two of them as Melanie looked down. Alison sighed and she gently made Melanie look
up with a hand under her chin. “Please
don’t worry too much about me. I’m
glad that I met you,” said Alison. “I
only knew you for a week. But
to me, it’s like you’re one of my best friends already,” said Melanie,
trying to smile. Alison
smiled at that. “Thanks. That’s very sweet of you. I’ll think the same about you.” “Will
I see you again?” she asked. Alison
stayed silent for a while. She
was not sure how to answer that. “I
don’t know. But it’s a small
world. Maybe one day, we’ll cross each other’s path.
If that day comes, I’ll be really glad.
Will you be glad if that happens?” Melanie
nodded slowly. “Yes, Miss Alison.” More tears began to come down Melanie’s cheeks.
“I’m…going to miss you…” Alison’s
eyes were misty as well, but she did not cry.
“I’ll miss you, too.” They
looked at each other for a long time.
Melanie leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Alison in
a tight embrace as tears came down her cheeks.
Alison smiled and embraced her as well.
They hugged each other for a long time, and then they pulled
away from each other slowly. Alison
stood up and she looked down at Melanie, who wiped away her tears with
a handkerchief. She put a hand
on the little girl singer’s head and smiled. “Do
your best, Starry~en~Luv,” said Alison.
After that, Alison turned to the police officers and she smiled. “Gentlemen, thank you. It’s time for me to go now.” The
police officers continued to escort Alison towards the parking lot,
where a police car was waiting for them.
Alison took one more look at Melanie and smiled as she entered
the car and sat down in the back seat.
Of course, she was in it as a passenger, not as a suspect.
The plastic bags in the shopping cart were placed in the back
seat as well and the shopping cart was placed in the trunk of the car
and made to lie down on its side. Soon, the police car began to drive away. Melanie
fell down on her knees on the grass and she sat down. She put her hands over her face and she cried
even more. Hazel
quickly went over to Melanie and put her arms around her. Hazel felt like she was going to cry, too, as
tears appeared in her eyes. Melanie
put her face against Hazel’s chest as she cried and Hazel just held
her like a child much younger than she was.
Justin came closer to them and he sighed as he watched the police
car drive away with Alison in it. He
knelt down on the grass beside Melanie and placed his hand on her arm,
and Melanie took his hand. As
Melanie cried, Hazel hugged her and Justin held her hand. Tara Weston, one of Hazel’s former friends,
was in her room and she had been listening to the pop music radio station
that Melanie Thompson had told her about. It just happened to be one of her favorite radio
stations. She
raised the volume of the radio. Melanie
had told her that if she wanted to find out more about what’s good about
her, she should listen to this radio station for the next few days,
or any radio station that played pop music.
But she hasn’t heard anything extraordinary on the radio station
yet…except maybe that song that’s been playing lately on the radio. Dreaming
a dream, make a wish upon a star Look
up at the night and watch for a shooting star It’s
a long and difficult road to get to where you’re going No
matter what happens, we should always keep trying Dreaming
a dream (Just dream) Dreaming
a dream, make your dream come true Don’t
be discouraged and always be true to you Leave
behind all the troubles that made you cry The
dream would only be a waste if we did never try Dreaming
a dream (Just dream) Just
dream! Wake
up from your comfortable and peaceful sleep Remember
the dream you had while you slept deep Let
the warm golden sunshine through your window (sunshine through the window) The
first thing to do is smile while you hug your pillow (hug your pillow) And
today, the most important thing that you should do (you should do) Will
be to come closer to making your dream come true (make your dream come
true) Dreaming
a dream, make a wish upon a star Just
dream! Dreaming
a dream, make your dream come true! (Just dream) Dreaming
a dream, make a wish upon a star (Just dream) Dreaming
a dream (dreaming a dream) Just
dream! “What
did she mean?” She
had a comical look of confusion on her face.
If she was a cartoon character, question marks would be flying
around her head right about now. She
began to laugh in a way that made her sound like she was uncomfortably
embarrassed and clueless. “Um…you
know…I don’t really get it.” The End (to be
continued) Ending theme song “Dream” by Starry~en~Luv Dream… Oh, make a wish upon a star (wish upon a
star) Oh, make your dream come true (your dream
come true) Dreaming a dream The quest for a wish might make you happy,
make you sad But in the end, it will all be worth it,
you will be glad! Just dream! Dreaming a dream, make your dream come true Sing a song or write a story, anything you
want to do Whatever good thing your dream might just
be Never lose your hope, never lose your energy Dreaming a dream (Just dream) Dreaming a dream, make a wish upon a star Go on a journey, you’ll go to many places
afar Always remember that I will stay and walk
with you And keep in your heart whatever it is you
want to do Dreaming a dream (Just dream) Just dream! Wake up from your comfortable and peaceful
sleep Remember the dream you had while you slept
deep Let the warm golden sunshine through your
window (sunshine through the window) The first thing to do is smile while you
hug your pillow (hug your pillow) And today, the most important thing that
you should do (you should do) Will be to come closer to making your dream
come true (make your dream come true) Just dream! Dreaming a dream, make a wish upon a star Look up at the night and watch for a shooting
star It’s a long and difficult road to get to
where you’re going No matter what happens, we should always
keep trying Dreaming a dream (Just dream) Dreaming a dream, make your dream come true Don’t be discouraged and always be true
to you Leave behind all the troubles that made
you cry The dream would only be a waste if we did
never try Dreaming a dream (Just dream) Just dream! Wake up from your comfortable and peaceful
sleep Remember the dream you had while you slept
deep Let the warm golden sunshine through your
window (sunshine through the window) The first thing to do is smile while you
hug your pillow (hug your pillow) And today, the most important thing that
you should do (you should do) Will be to come closer to making your dream
come true (make your dream come true) Dreaming a dream, make a wish upon a star Just dream! Dreaming a dream, make your dream come true!
(Just dream) Dreaming a dream, make a wish upon a star
(Just dream) Dreaming a dream (dreaming a dream) Just dream! Preview for Next
Episode Melanie, Hazel, and Justin’s narration: Melanie: “Hello, everyone!” Hazel: “Wow. What a sad episode. I almost cried, too.” Justin: “Actually, afterwards,
you were crying.” Hazel: “Oh, right, I forgot.” Melanie: “Everyone! Guess what?
I heard my debut song on the radio!
The first time I heard it was when I was with Alison. I was so excited! I wonder if anyone else heard it!” Hazel: “Oh, my goodness! That’s too awesome! I’m sure millions of people heard your song,
Melanie! I want to hear it too!” Justin: “I heard it on the radio
when I was at home. It was really,
really good. I think you’re doing
a really good job, Melanie.” Melanie: “Thank you so very much!
I hope lots of people hear it.
Do you think kids in our school will also hear it?” Hazel: “Of course! I’m sure a lot of them heard it. School is going to start soon again, so I wonder
how things are going to be like when it’s back to school time. I want to hear what everyone is saying. Are they talking about your song? Are they talking about the mysterious elementary
school student singer named Starry~en~Luv? What are they saying about her?” Melanie: “Oh, my goodness!
I’m so excited! I’m so nervous! I don’t know what to do! What should I do? What should I do when school starts? Do you think people will find out it’s really
me? I don’t really want them
to know yet. My voice sounds
exactly the same when I’m singing as Starry~en~Luv.
What if they recognize me?” Justin: “Melanie, calm down.
The more you worry, the more you’ll get nervous.” Melanie: “I’m sorry…I’m just…really
excited!” Hazel and Justin: “Next time
on Starry Love Dream!” Melanie: “Episode 15: My heart skipped a beat! It
was a big hit!” |
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