The Last Fallen Star by Graci Kim (the mitten read aloud .TXT) 📗

declares. “That would be mayhem. If the goddesses came down, the world as we know it would end.”

Emmett nods. “We have to stop her. We need to stop the Cave Bear Goddess.”

“I think I know what we have to do,” I say, and everyone turns to me expectantly. “If the Cave Bear Goddess is possessing Gom bodies to do her business on Earth, she obviously needs us. So let’s disconnect her. Let’s sever her link to the Mortalrealm completely, so she can’t ever get her hands on the last fallen star.”

“You mean, like, unplug the Cave Bear Goddess from the Gom?” Taeyo asks.

“Exactly.” I turn to my parents and Auntie Okja. They’re definitely not going to like what I’m about to say. “That would mean losing our patron goddess and the Gom’s ability to channel her power. Do you think the clan would be willing to do that?”

Sora holds up her Gi-less wrist. “If it’s any consolation, we lost our patron goddess, and look at us now. We’re still committed to our clan motto, and we’re more powerful than ever. We don’t need the goddesses to do good works. Magic is all around us.”

Taeyo pipes up. “We can even help you unlock your own abilities.”

My parents and Auntie Okja hesitate. I can see the doubt in their eyes. This would fundamentally change the Gom way of life. They look at one another, and eventually Auntie Okja speaks. “Our clan motto is Service and Sacrifice. This is precisely the type of decision we were born to make.”

My heart beats proudly at their courage. They get it. This is what being a true Gom is all about.

“But how?” Emmett says, putting his hands on his hips. “How exactly do we unplug her?”

I bite the inside of my cheek. I think of the last two lines of the prophecy:

In the one last divine, a weapon shall rise;

Unless the gold-destroyer ends the soul who lies.

Based on what we know, the soul who lies has to be the Cave Bear Goddess. But what if the one last divine weapon—the last fallen star—isn’t the thing that brings upon the end of all days? What if it’s the thing that will prevent it?

“I don’t know how, but I think the last fallen star is still the answer to all of this,” I start. “It’s supposed to be a weapon. So maybe that’s how we unplug her, by using the weapon against her.”

The sound of beating wings descends on us, and I look up to see Areum land on the crown of Mr. Pyo’s head. Luckily for him, she’s still dove size. He yelps and rolls into a ball, covering his head with his hands.

“You are correct, Riley Oh,” Areum says. “Only a weapon forged in the Godrealm—a piece of the divine itself—has the power to sever the link between a goddess and her gifted clan. The last fallen star is a divine weapon, and therefore an appropriate tool with which to carry out such a task. All you need is a threading spell.”

“What’s that?” Emmett asks.

Auntie Okja responds. “It reveals the threads that connect a witch to a patron goddess. The council has had to perform this kind of spell on rogue witches from time to time, when they weren’t willing to tell us which clan they belonged to. The spell can not only reveal the link, but also make the connection vulnerable.”

Areum gives a jerky nod. “Reveal the threads that connect the goddess to the Gom, then cut them with the last fallen star. That is the way to sever the link between the Cave Bear Goddess and all the healers.”

I let out a gleeful yelp. I guess being able to fly freely between the Mortalrealm and the Godrealm means you pick up some useful knowledge.

“And just by chance,” I ask Areum, “do you happen to know where we could find this divine weapon?” I don’t know why I didn’t ask her earlier, but better late than never.

She squawks. “I do not know where it is, but I know who does.”

Emmett comes over and nudges me in the side. His eyes are sparkling. “I told you she might come in handy!”

My heart soars as the sweet taste of hope returns to my tongue. We can still do this. Areum will lead us to the person who knows where the last fallen star is, and with it in our hands, we’ll await the goddess’s return. When the Cave Bear Goddess sees that I’ve retrieved what she asked for, she’ll give back Hattie. And once my sister is safe and sound, we’ll unplug the goddess from the Gom clan. The plan is kind of devious, sure, but no more so than a goddess impersonating a Gom.

“So, who is it?” Taeyo asks Areum, jumping up and down excitedly. He looks like he’s holding a hot potato. “Who knows where to find the eighth artifact?”

Areum flies over to me and pecks affectionately at my hair.

“Well, that’s easy. The dokkaebi, of course.”

“THE DOKKAEBI?”

“Yes,” Areum confirms. “With its bangmangi, a dokkaebi has the ability to summon any item in the Mortalrealm. All you need to do is make a deal with the creature, and it will retrieve for you what you desire.”

We all stare at the inmyeonjo in disbelief. Sure, we’ve all heard the stories about the magical club a dokkaebi carries, and its incredible powers. But striking a deal with a dokkaebi would be like striking a deal with the devil. Except worse.

The dokkaebi are goblins that live in our nightmares. Literally. They feed off human despair (also literally), becoming more powerful each time they consume our deepest fears. Basically, if you fall asleep in the presence of one, it will step into your dreams and make you experience your worst horrors so it can eat them. Fun, right?

They are so frightening that when children misbehave, parents sing them this song to remind them what lurks in the shadows:

With bloody skin so red, so bright,

And