Museum of Stars

She ran. She saw an opening, and ran. She ran away from Mother and Uncle, body still aching, and into the forest. She didn't even bother glancing back, their shouts still echoing in her mind. She didn't know where she was going, but she knew she had to run as fast as she could to get as far away as possible. After a while of dodging branches, shrubs and trees, her stamina ran out and she collapsed on the forest floor, panting heavily. Looking around, she saw that she was deep in the forest, and considerably lost. Instead of fear, she felt relieved. She was finally free and they won’t be able to find her now. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted what looked like an old shack. To get a better look of it, she walked towards it. ‘Perhaps I can take shelter here for the night,’ she thought to herself.

“Hello Leyanna,” she heard as she walked up to the door of the shack. She spun around, adrenaline shooting through her body in anticipation of a confrontation. She looked around, expecting someone she at least vaguely knew only to find no one. Puzzled, she turned back to the shack, and knocked on the door, dismissing the voice as part of her imagination. “Come in,” the voice said again. She turned to the forest once more, this time a bit more frightened.

“Hello?” She called out, scanning the forest surrounding her, trying very hard to make out the source of the voice.

“Hello.” There it was again! ‘Did it come from the shack?’ She wondered. “Yes. I can in fact speak. Call me Mysha.” Zie replied, clearly able to read her thoughts. “You know, manners of old considered it rude to lurk in doorways. Come on in.” Leyanna opened the door and hesitated, stopping just short of walking in.

“How do I know this isn't a trick to kidnap me and kill me? I’m sensing some major red flags here.” She said cautiously. She heard gentle laughter in response.

“I can assure you that you are safe now. No one can harm you anymore.” Leyanne didn't know why, but she felt calmed by Mysha’s gentle words. When she walked in, she didn't know what to expect, but she certainly didn't expect to see a vast library about the supernatural. “Do you like it? My Pine Stars spent years accumulating all these books. “

“Your Pine Stars?”

“They lived here long before I grew a soul,” came the reply. “Would you like to meet them?”

“You mean they are here?” Leyanna asked.

“In a sense.”

“A-Alright then,” Leyanna said hesitantly.

“Go through the door on my back wall, go up my stairs and into my attic, and you will find many generations in a second.” Following Mysha’s directions, Leyanne walked past what looked like zir living quarters for residents, and up the stairs to the top floor. What she saw blew her mind. Millions of origami stars hung from the ceiling by strings. Each one had a single name written in gold. Some had two names. “The other name is the true name,” Mysha explained. Leyanna continued to marvel, walking through them.“Go ahead, touch one.”

Leyanna walked up to one with the name Willow, and the moment her finger touched it, the room melted away. She saw the memories of a girl, from life to death, in the span of a minute. Her full name was Willow Miriam Antares Pines. Her mother was Mabel Ariel Pines, also known as Mizar. Father, Henry aka Woodsman. Uncle, Dipper, aka Alcor. Was born a triplet. Died of old age, respiratory problems. The vision faded and Leyanne was back in the room of stars. She was completely in awe.

“How is that possible?” She said aloud to herself.

“When something is surrounded by energy, positive or negative, memories can become fused to different things. In my case however, I grew sentience,” Mysha explained.

“That’s incredible!” Leyanna exclaimed.

With renewed vigor, she reviewed the memories, eventually approaching the biggest star, labeled Mabel/Mizar. In this one, she saw a lot more. It started normal, but escalated when she was 12. Fear, relief, angst, pain. A whirlwind of emotions. Her parents lack of understanding that her brother was still good. Her wedding day where her parents had the gall to refer to Dipper negatively to Henry, her loving husband. Her birth of the triplets, the fear of losing Willow. The in-between where they watched their kids grow up. Henry's death contained so much sadness. Then, Mabel's death at 105 years old, her brother singing her till death. When the vision ended, Leyanna felt tears running down her face. This was by far the strongest memory. She became curious about Mabel's brother. After searching the stars for a long while, she couldn't find his name.

“He is still alive, and the creator of this Museum of Stars.” Mysha stated, clearing Leyanna’s confusion. “He has been around since before I was self aware, and he has been alone for too long since the death of his close family. How would you like to stay here indefinitely? It is purely your choice, but if you don't mind a roommate and me, we would love to have you here.”

“You would want me here?”

“I believe you will greatly benefit Alcor’s well being. He has been searching for his humanity, and I believe you can bring him back.”

“Why me?”

“You have nowhere else to go, and your soul will remind him of whom he loved the most.”

“Mabel,” Layanna stated. Then took a deep breath and added, “When may I meet him?”