Erica was a sheltered princess living in a castle with no way for her to escape. She tried everything. She tried to bribe the servants, beg her father, seduce the guards. She gave up on trying to escape. When Erica asked the servants why she couldn’t go outside, her one and only answer was, “Because the King decreed it.” Erica had read in stories, “And they lived happily ever after.” She didn’t think such a thing existed. She read in stories that when the sky is sad, it will cry and rain will fall. When the sky is angry, stars will fall from the sky. Erica wanted to see the stars fall. But, she had never seen a star before. She had never see the sky cry, or the Sun smile. The windows were barred, but from time to time Erica was allowed to peer through the bars and see the sky. Erica was always rushed into rooms where she could learn, “This is how a princess should behave! This is the proper way things are done!”
One day, on her birthday, she asked her father for one day of freedom. One day to do anything she wanted. Reluctantly, her father agreed, only if she did not go out of the castle grounds.  Erica went to the kitchens to watch the maids prepare the food, and even tried to make something of her own. She spent the whole day exploring the castle grounds and wondered how such a small, confined area could be so beautiful. There were roses, lilacs, and lilies all growing in the same area.She sat in the grass and slept with a smile on her face.
When Erica woke up from her nap, it was sundown. She looked up and her mouth fell open in surprise. There were billions of beautiful, sparkling stars in the sky! Whoosh! A meteor fell from the sky! Erica watched, as a meteor shower unfolded before her eyes. That night, as she was ushered to bed, Erica couldn’t forget the meteor shower that seemed to brighten the sky and bring the Sun to shame. Secretly, she smiled to herself, sadly, as her day of freedom came to an end.