Shooting like a rocket, she left earth and entered the sparkling star clustered sands of the universe. Free floating she felt free. Alive. Her heart was bursting at the beauty she beheld. It was magnificent, joyous in its celebration of life. She looked at each star as she would a new born child. With wonder.

Her body was somewhere back on earth in a room dark and gloomy. But here, her mind and spirit were free. Free of the constraints that held her bound. Bound in slavery to an existence she loathed.

She traveled in her mind to different places. Each one new, exciting in its exploration.

A voice called to her. She followed. She did not hear the voice audibly, but knew it by the sound vibrations. As she neared, she beheld the most wondrous sight in her known existence. A woman dressed in the stars, stood before her. She was the most beautiful presence she had ever known.

The Star woman spoke to her mind. "I am your mother."
"My mother?"
"Yes child."
Her heart was near bursting with a joy that exceeded any happy feeling she ever imagined or experienced.
'How is this?' She wondered in her mind trying unsuccessfully to rationalize and ignore her bursting heart.
But the woman heard and answered her. "You are not from earth. You are a Star Being. You were sent to Earth to learn, grow, accept and guide others on their path."
"So why am I being tortured?"
"You are being conditioned to learn humility, the cruelty of others, in order to help others who are learning the same lessons."
"Why do I have to learn these lessons, as you call them."
"If you do not experience pain, suffering, joy, or any other human emotion, you will not learn to find other star children that fell to Earth."
"Fell to Earth?"
"Yes," The Star woman said quietly. "A long time ago in Earth's history, we were traveling near the planet you know as Earth. A craft carrying our children fell into the water there. Now, because they have touched the Earth, they must be transformed into beings who can sustain life on this planet before they can be brought back here and reintegrated into our system."
"Oh. Is this why I am there?"
"Yes. You and several others. You are not alone."
"I'm not alone." She was overwhelmed with newfound emotion and did not know how to respond.
"You must go now. Find the others or they will find you."
"But…" She found herself spiraling backwards into her body on earth. The intensely beautiful woman disappearing. Back into her body, feeling as if she just put on a pair of wet, muddy overalls, she hear the woman's voice she called Aunt.
"Coming."
"You're late. You shouldn't have taken so long to get here."
The red mark that her aunts hand made reminded her of what her Star Mother had said. She didn't cow this time. She stood proudly. Smack! Again. Still she stood proud. She was no longer afraid. She was a Star Being. She was not alone! She calmly thanked her startled aunt and walked from the house on a journey never to return.