21. All Downhill
Stellaria couldn’t understand how she could have been so clumsy as to let go of the lantern when she threw the snowball at Flammulina. The lantern had slipped from her hand and had flown through the air and over the cliff.
“Flammulina, stop. Please!” Stellaria called out but there was no reply. The sheep didn’t seem to care a thing about anybody else.
Stellaria made for the edge of the cliff and looked down into what seemed an endless slope into the dark. A single bright light shone somewhere below. Stellaria began to slide down the slope causing a number or tiny avalanches roll down the hill as well. She had to be careful as not to lose her footing. When she got nearer, she saw that the lantern was caught in the branches of a lone tree. It shouldn’t be too difficult to get it down from there. But when she got to the tree, she discovered it was much taller than it had seemed from above.
She could barely reach the lowest branches, and the lantern was hanging in the crown of the tree. Stellaria tried to jump up into the air and work her wings, but they had gone on strike. No matter how she tried, she couldn’t reach high enough. She searched the surroundings for a loose branch or a pole with which to shake the lantern down but there weren’t any. She tried pushing and shaking the tree trunk but the tree didn’t budge. Just then she heard a rumbling noise and saw a huge avalanche spinning down the slope. She barely managed to jump out of its way. The mass of snow hit the tree with full impact and when the air cleared, the lantern had dropped from the tree. Down below, not very far from Stellaria, it lay on the ground emitting its mysterious glow.
Stellaria couldn’t believe her good luck, all she had to do was to slide down a little further and collect the lantern. Then suddenly she heard voices — they were human voices — and two tough-looking men emerged from the dark. They saw the lantern, stopped, and picked it up.
“Look at this!”
“What is it? A gemstone?”
Sellaria hopped down from the cliff and confronted the men.
“Give the lantern to me, it’s mine.”
The men totally ignored what Stellaria said.
“And what do you think this is?”
“It’s our meal ticket. Surely one of our better nights.”
Stellaria tried to grab the lantern but her head reached barely to the level of their knees. Then she was lifted up by the tips of her frozen wings and her feet kicked the air.
“Give me the sack, quick.”
Before quite realizing what had happened, Stellaria found herself to be caught in a sack. She tried to struggle her way out but in vain. Then the lights went out as the sack opening was tied shut. The sack was lifted up, and it began bounce to the rhythm of the walking men, who took turns to carry it on their backs.
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