Long ago in the country now known to us as Ireland a girl and her family lived near a great wood. One night when she was fifteen she went out into the woods to enjoy the night air and perhaps pick some wild flowers. She went along the path looking up at the sky and letting herself be wrapped in their delightful beauty when she saw clearly in the starlight the shape of a great black horse. It had a large arrow sticking from its leg and it walked with pain in every breath it took.

“Oh the poor creature,” said the girl.

She put down her flowers and walked over to where the horse stood beneath the trees. The horse saw her and reared up when she almost touched the arrow.

“It’s okay” she said,“I’m here to help you”

The horse relaxed and let her come closer, she saw the arrow all red from the horse’s bleeding. She set her teeth, planted her feet, took hold of the arrow with both hands, and pulled. The horse neighed so loudly that she covered her ears, but then she found she was holding the arrow. She had expected the horse to run away as soon as she removed the arrow, but it didn’t. It stood staring at her and then something so incredible happened that the girl could hardly believe her eyes. The horse grew smaller, and smaller until it was barely as tall as she was. It’s front legs changed to hands and it’s face became that of a human in all ways except one. His ears were pointed, he was dressed in green and his green eyes were so bright that she could not stare into them for long. But what she did see in his eyes were tears, tears of joy and thankfulness. He smiled and bowed, a most beautiful bow and said,

“Fair daughter what do you wish you had?”

She looked up at the stars, he grinned happily and without even having to be told what she wanted he said,

“It shall be so”

As he spoke the words slowly, they came out of his mouth and formed just above his eyes and became real. He breathed on the words and they broke apart into a thousand tiny points of light and fell into his hands. However they never touched his skin but seemed to float just above his hand. The Puca, whose eyes never blinked and whose black hair fell gently over his forehead touched two fingers into the handful of stars. He took a step closer to the girl and he placed the tips of those two fingers on her eyes. She blinked, nothing seemed different the elf led her over to a pool and she could see the reflection of his green eyes in the water.

“See fair daughter, the stars are thine forever.”

She leaned over the water and looked, she drew in her breath. The night sky seemed dim against the light now in her eyes, a thousand sparks flooded her blue eyes with light brighter then the night sky itself. She now realized what the elf had done. He had truly given her the stars to keep for her own, he had taken the stars from the sky and placed them in her eyes.

“There” he said, “Now your eyes too shine like those of the elves, but I have one more gift for you.”

He took the stars he still had in his hand and taking up a solid black rock from the ground he filled the smooth rock with stars.

“Now even when you are not there you can still share your stars with others.” He said.

She opened her mouth to thank him, but the Puca had already become a horse again and now great green sparks came from his nostrils and mouth as he thundered through the forest and disappeared into the trees. She blinked again not sure if she hadn’t dreamed the whole thing, she went over to the pool and looked in. Her eyes still shone and the small rock which she was now holding shone as well.

After this, men came from miles around to see the girl with the shining eyes. When her parents died she and her husband and daughter came to live in the cottage near the woods where she saw the Puca. One day she and her daughter were walking through the woods enjoying the fresh air.

“Mother may I go pick some flowers?” she asked pointing towards the area where she herself years ago had met the Puca.

“Yes dear, go ahead.”

The young girl skipped of towards the flower bed near the pond. Her mother continued walking and remembering the gift that the elf had given her. She took the rock from a pocket in her skirt and stared at it remembering that night and still wondering if it could have been a dream. She walked back to where she had left her daughter and found that she was not alone. A great black horse stood next to her, it’s eyes glowed a florescent green. Seeing the girls mother it took off into the direction of the wood. The young girl walked back over to her mother and something about her looked different, and now for the first time her eyes too were filled with stars.

“Mother the horse said he gave me the stars, what did he mean?”