The Stars of Hidden Dreams

Get lost if you have no money!

Goodness, I just asked a simple question! Why so angry!?

Alright, Mr Quirky Accent, after I've politely told you the fare, what's your plan? To fumble through those empty pockets and then boss me around?

What you say? How you know me no...

What's there to know? Like a Charon would have more than five coins in their pocket! This place is reserved for the rich and the powerful, not penniless wanderers like you!

Well, well, look at you. Clean skin, tidy coat. What're you doing digging through trash with the likes of us?

Don't play dumb, kid.

Yesterday, some woman in uniform came by, sobbing her eyes out. She chucked a box right into the bin. Some nice old lady picking through scraps tried to ask if she was okay... got yelled at, real nasty. Told her to shove off and mind her own business.

And that box you're holding? Yeah, that one. So... still wanna say you didn't dig through the bin?

It wasn't...you know what, forget it. Thanks for the info anyway.

(A woman in uniform... Could she have something to do with one of the items Margie gave me?)

One year and eight months into the job, I finally saved enough for a single fare to Scarletriver, one of the big southern cities.

Isn't that exciting? You're getting closer to your dream.

Closer? Have you forgotten about the supervision levies they slap on Charons? The ticket itself is nothing compared to the fees we have to pay just to be allowed to buy one! To afford a ticket to where he went, I'd have to starve myself for five whole years. And even if I managed that... I still have a family to feed.

You here, ask about trains? Careful, mean gatekeeper girl here!

Enough for me! Want to leave, very, very much!

Still learning! Language here, different from home!

Thank you! You are good! I watch you handle this!

Get lost if you have no money!

Goodness, I just asked a simple question! Why so angry!?

Alright, Mr Quirky Accent, after I've politely told you the fare, what's your plan? To fumble through those empty pockets and then boss me around?

What you say? How you know me no...

What's there to know? Like a Charon would have more than five coins in their pocket! This place is reserved for the rich and the powerful, not penniless wanderers like you!

Well, well, look at you. Clean skin, tidy coat. What're you doing digging through trash with the likes of us?

Don't play dumb, kid.

Yesterday, some woman in uniform came by, sobbing her eyes out. She chucked a box right into the bin. Some nice old lady picking through scraps tried to ask if she was okay... got yelled at, real nasty. Told her to shove off and mind her own business.

And that box you're holding? Yeah, that one. So... still wanna say you didn't dig through the bin?

It wasn't...you know what, forget it. Thanks for the info anyway.

(A woman in uniform... Could she have something to do with one of the items Margie gave me?)

One year and eight months into the job, I finally saved enough for a single fare to Scarletriver, one of the big southern cities.

Isn't that exciting? You're getting closer to your dream.

Closer? Have you forgotten about the supervision levies they slap on Charons? The ticket itself is nothing compared to the fees we have to pay just to be allowed to buy one! To afford a ticket to where he went, I'd have to starve myself for five whole years. And even if I managed that... I still have a family to feed.

Who's this? Another broke Charon?

Mind your tone. I'm not some broke Charon. Heard of the owner of the Hypnos' House? I'm leasing another property of his.

Hah? Everyone knows that grump hates outsiders. Do some research before you try to impress people with a lie. Since you're so delusional, you should lock yourself up in that "mansion" and stay out of sight!

That's mean! Please, speak, make her stop mean talk!

Why did you put this rubbish on my desk? This isn't a recycling centre! Get them outta here!

Why call them rubbish? To me, these are delicate handicrafts. You can tell the maker must've put a lot of effort and feelings into them.

Paper stars, Huaxu tradition too. People say, make many, dreams come true.

That explains it... I was curious about how they were made, so I unfolded one and found something written inside.

It appears to be... someone's wish.

You... you opened them!?

Just one. I noticed it was made from a train ticket, and the message on the back was also train-related, so I came here, hoping to perhaps find its rightful owner.

But since you call them rubbish, I guess I'll just take care of them myself.

Whoever made these stars couldn't afford a ticket but still wrote some station names on them, probably dreaming of visiting those places one day.

Do they really want their dreams discarded like rubbish?

"May 21st. Mrs Catherine tossed silver coins at my feet and told me to pick them up one by one from the ground. She said I didn't deserve to take the money directly from her hand. Ah, if only I had endless coins too..."

"September 13th. Dreamt again last night of finally saving enough for a ticket. This time, the terminal was Scarletriver..."

...Stop it! Enough already!

So, they belong to you, don't they?

"Jessica."

...

...Alright, fine. I'm Jessica. I'm the one who threw this "rubbish" away, happy? You've just danced around to mock me, huh?

Yeah, you got me. Just like every other pauper in this dump, I can't even scrape together half a ticket for this bloody train. Is that what you wanted to hear? Happy now!?

...Dreams coming true my foot...

If you too dream of riding the train but can't afford it, shouldn't you empathise with those poor folks like you? Why are you so harsh towards them?

Heh, what am I supposed to do then, gently comfort them?

And let them nurse fantasies about someday boarding the trains meant for the rich lords!?

Can ride, just need to make money! We Starweavers, we trade, save up slowly.

You're a Starweaver!? Then, do you know another Huaxu Starweaver named Jiayan? He was here in Icelake thirteen years ago.

Starweavers... many, many. No memory.

...Alright.

Was this person a friend of yours?

Hmph, a friend? No, he's the person I hate the most.

He claimed he had visited many countries, met many fascinating people, and had countless wonderful experiences. With each piece of merchandise he sold, he told a story of the outside world.

I noted every line of his stories and memorised all of them like an idiot, believing it would bring me closer to that vast world he described.

He said, "Stars are the seeds of wishes; as they fall, like fruit to be harvested, your desires come to fruition." He also said, "Countless stars, crafted from cherished dreams, will sprout upon the earth."

I wanted to go with him and hear more of his endless stories. But I couldn't afford the ticket, so all I could do was watch him board that train and leave.

Ha... here it is. This is the ticket from his train, the one bound for the far south, across the great plains of Hyperborea.

The ticket seller back then... she felt sorry for me. After the train left, she slipped me an expired, unsold ticket and told me there'd be other trains heading that way.

But I could never afford the real thing. All I could do was stand there and watch the trains roll out. I learned every step of the process by heart. And when that old ticket seller retired, I took her place.

Now you get it, right? These paper stars are nothing but rubbish. Thanks for bringing them back to me. Next time, I'll tear them up before throwing them away.

Me think, a pity...

I don't need you to pity me, Starweaver.

Be nice? You mean like that Starweaver and that ticket seller, sugar-coating reality with pretty, empty words about "the outside world" or "the future" and getting people's hopes up for nothing?

As a Charon, you should know what a terrible place Icelake is better than I do, or at least better than this Huaxu man does!

Take a walk around the city, everyone's complaining, wailing, and cursing! In such a place, what good does being nice do?

Wait!

This box, made in Huaxu! It locks, no lose stars, no one see.

What do you mean...? There's no way I can afford this fancy box...

No need money. A gift! Dreams... don't lose.

...See? Kindness isn't entirely meaningless, sometimes, it turns into a pretty little box, safeguarding a dream tucked within stars.

Maybe, when you find time, you could refold these stars.

...

A, Alright... I'll take it, but only because I've had enough of your rambling. Th, Thank you.

Take it away. Why do you think I wanted to throw those stars away? I've thought it all through over the years and have come to terms with reality.

Alas, a pity, a real pity!

...

...By the way, even to the same destination, ticket prices vary. Some are cheaper, not by much, but still...

If you ever manage to scrape together enough for a ticket, I can help you find the cheapest available.

In exchange, don't tell others about the stars.

Thank you, thank you! So you are a kind ticket lady!

That Starweaver you say, if me see him, me tell him for you.

Thank you, but... you don't have to. If I ever get to leave here, I probably won't go looking for him. I'd rather go to a warm place where it never snows, to see if the people are different from those in Icelake.

Sound good too. Work hard, save money, you can leave.

...Yeah.

You also have your stars. Keep them safe. No throw in bin!

Li An'de, me name, Starweaver. Days ago, business bad. Now sell goods at city gate, me work hard! Please come!

Ah, it's you... Let me know if you need to buy a ticket.

Ah! me remember! Me have pretty paper! We make stars, yes?

Huh? You mean you want me to help? But I don't even know how to fold stars.

Me not know too! Me folding... very ugly. But if we help each other... maybe look nice!

...Alright, I'll give it a shot.

Here! Gift for kind Charon friend. Also small thank-you gift. Please, take!

A gift? For me?

Yes! Her stars, wishes. Starweaver's stars... is travel. Is home.

Who's this? Another broke Charon?

Mind your tone. I'm not some broke Charon. Heard of the owner of the Hypnos' House? I'm leasing another property of his.

Hah? Everyone knows that grump hates outsiders. Do some research before you try to impress people with a lie. Since you're so delusional, you should lock yourself up in that "mansion" and stay out of sight!

That's mean! Please, speak, make her stop mean talk!

Why did you put this rubbish on my desk? This isn't a recycling centre! Get them outta here!

Why call them rubbish? To me, these are delicate handicrafts. You can tell the maker must've put a lot of effort and feelings into them.

Paper stars, Huaxu tradition too. People say, make many, dreams come true.

That explains it... I was curious about how they were made, so I unfolded one and found something written inside.

It appears to be... someone's wish.

You... you opened them!?

Just one. I noticed it was made from a train ticket, and the message on the back was also train-related, so I came here, hoping to perhaps find its rightful owner.

But since you call them rubbish, I guess I'll just take care of them myself.

Whoever made these stars couldn't afford a ticket but still wrote some station names on them, probably dreaming of visiting those places one day.

Do they really want their dreams discarded like rubbish?

"May 21st. Mrs Catherine tossed silver coins at my feet and told me to pick them up one by one from the ground. She said I didn't deserve to take the money directly from her hand. Ah, if only I had endless coins too..."

"September 13th. Dreamt again last night of finally saving enough for a ticket. This time, the terminal was Scarletriver..."

...Stop it! Enough already!

So, they belong to you, don't they?

"Jessica."

...

...Alright, fine. I'm Jessica. I'm the one who threw this "rubbish" away, happy? You've just danced around to mock me, huh?

Yeah, you got me. Just like every other pauper in this dump, I can't even scrape together half a ticket for this bloody train. Is that what you wanted to hear? Happy now!?

...Dreams coming true my foot...

If you too dream of riding the train but can't afford it, shouldn't you empathise with those poor folks like you? Why are you so harsh towards them?

Heh, what am I supposed to do then, gently comfort them?

And let them nurse fantasies about someday boarding the trains meant for the rich lords!?

Can ride, just need to make money! We Starweavers, we trade, save up slowly.

You're a Starweaver!? Then, do you know another Huaxu Starweaver named Jiayan? He was here in Icelake thirteen years ago.

Starweavers... many, many. No memory.

...Alright.

Was this person a friend of yours?

Hmph, a friend? No, he's the person I hate the most.

He claimed he had visited many countries, met many fascinating people, and had countless wonderful experiences. With each piece of merchandise he sold, he told a story of the outside world.

I noted every line of his stories and memorised all of them like an idiot, believing it would bring me closer to that vast world he described.

He said, "Stars are the seeds of wishes; as they fall, like fruit to be harvested, your desires come to fruition." He also said, "Countless stars, crafted from cherished dreams, will sprout upon the earth."

I wanted to go with him and hear more of his endless stories. But I couldn't afford the ticket, so all I could do was watch him board that train and leave.

Ha... here it is. This is the ticket from his train, the one bound for the far south, across the great plains of Hyperborea.

The ticket seller back then... she felt sorry for me. After the train left, she slipped me an expired, unsold ticket and told me there'd be other trains heading that way.

But I could never afford the real thing. All I could do was stand there and watch the trains roll out. I learned every step of the process by heart. And when that old ticket seller retired, I took her place.

Now you get it, right? These paper stars are nothing but rubbish. Thanks for bringing them back to me. Next time, I'll tear them up before throwing them away.

Me think, a pity...

I don't need you to pity me, Starweaver.

Be nice? You mean like that Starweaver and that ticket seller, sugar-coating reality with pretty, empty words about "the outside world" or "the future" and getting people's hopes up for nothing?

As a Charon, you should know what a terrible place Icelake is better than I do, or at least better than this Huaxu man does!

Take a walk around the city, everyone's complaining, wailing, and cursing! In such a place, what good does being nice do?

Wait!

This box, made in Huaxu! It locks, no lose stars, no one see.

What do you mean...? There's no way I can afford this fancy box...

No need money. A gift! Dreams... don't lose.

...See? Kindness isn't entirely meaningless, sometimes, it turns into a pretty little box, safeguarding a dream tucked within stars.

Maybe, when you find time, you could refold these stars.

...

A, Alright... I'll take it, but only because I've had enough of your rambling. Th, Thank you.

Take it away. Why do you think I wanted to throw those stars away? I've thought it all through over the years and have come to terms with reality.

Alas, a pity, a real pity!

...

...By the way, even to the same destination, ticket prices vary. Some are cheaper, not by much, but still...

If you ever manage to scrape together enough for a ticket, I can help you find the cheapest available.

In exchange, don't tell others about the stars.

Thank you, thank you! So you are a kind ticket lady!

That Starweaver you say, if me see him, me tell him for you.

Thank you, but... you don't have to. If I ever get to leave here, I probably won't go looking for him. I'd rather go to a warm place where it never snows, to see if the people are different from those in Icelake.

Sound good too. Work hard, save money, you can leave.

...Yeah.

You also have your stars. Keep them safe. No throw in bin!

Li An'de, me name, Starweaver. Days ago, business bad. Now sell goods at city gate, me work hard! Please come!

Ah, it's you... Let me know if you need to buy a ticket.

Ah! me remember! Me have pretty paper! We make stars, yes?

Huh? You mean you want me to help? But I don't even know how to fold stars.

Me not know too! Me folding... very ugly. But if we help each other... maybe look nice!

...Alright, I'll give it a shot.

Here! Gift for kind Charon friend. Also small thank-you gift. Please, take!

A gift? For me?

Yes! Her stars, wishes. Starweaver's stars... is travel. Is home.