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Description
During her early childhood, Selene developed a love/hate relationship with the night. She loved the soft, pale glow of the town when night fell, but hated the darkness that followed. Usually she fell asleep before the darkness reached her bedroom; but not tonight. Tonight every single light in town would go out to save power, each one blinking out long before little girls went to bed.

Eleven-year-old Selene sat in her bed, curling her arms around her legs. She stared out her window at the falling snow, heart aching when she was the lamppost illuminating the street. Looking through her window, Selene gazed in wonder at the pink and gold dlow emitting from the lamp. Hope swelled within her chest at the light.

Then, the light blinked off, plunging the street in darkness.

Selene whined in fear, tightening her grip on her legs. She pulled her blankets over her lower body, eyes glued to her window as the searched for movement in the silent night.

There! Across town, something flickered on the side of a house. Selene’s heart raced, terrified that something would notice her and snatch her away from the safety of her room.

Moonlight and stardust bathed the town, casting faint shadows across houses and snow mounds. The shadows danced on their surfaces, quivering with joy. They leapt from their chains and darted over the snow, ready to wreak havoc. Selene whimpered as the she watched one latch onto the side of her neighbor's house, chittering quietly to herself. It spotted the young child through her frost tinted window and reached out with a long, thin arm, spindly claws glinting in the moonlight. Selene pulled the covered over her head, thinking that the soft blankets would save her from impending doom.

The door to her bedroom brushed against her rug as a person opened it, a warm light in their hand. Selene pulled the blankets from her head and stared in wonder at the figure in front of her. Her short blond hair had the same texture as a cloud. She wore a light grey cloak over a midnight blue long sleeve shirt, dotted with constellations. She seemed to embody the night. She glided over the carpet, eyes glued to the shadow outside Selene's window. The lantern in her hand casted a warm glow in Selene’s room.

“Easy there,” she whispered to the shadow, her voice soft.

The shadow chittered at her before dashing away, sprinting off somewhere in the town.

“Blast,” the light guardian whined, lowering her hands to her sides. She glanced over at Selene and smiled, “hello, sorry to disturb you.”

“Th--thank you,” Selene gushed, the guardian’s smile widened and she practically lit up the room.

“You’re welcome,” she glanced around the room and remarked, “you need a nightlight in here.” She floated over to Selene’s window and opened it to the cold night, letting the icy air into the room. She peered at Selene’s painted birdhouse hanging just outside the window on an old nail. “Do any birds live in here?”

“No, no one lives there.”

She lifted the birdhouse off of the nail and replaced it with her lantern, which shone brightly in the dark night. “Perfect,” she sang, stepping back. “That light will protect you for the night,” she smiled at Selene once more, “good night, child.”

“Goodnight,” Selene called.

Her savior swung her legs over Selene’s window and fell to the ground, landing in the snow. Selene pushed away her blankets and sprinted up to her window just in time to see the mage walk down the snow laden street. She seemed to glow in the moonlight, chasing away the shadows. She pulled her grey hood up over her head to protect her cloud-like hair. The edge of her cloak brushed against the snow, leaving a wavy pattern on the ground.

Selene watched her leave, awe-stricken at what she had witnessed. Silence once again flooded the town as the darkness settled. The young girl smiled to herself and slowly crept off to bed to dream of magic and stars.