In the final chapters, the Little Prince reveals that it is time for him to return to his star — to his rose. He has made peace with his journey and understands what he must do. But his departure is not without sorrow.
He tells the narrator that it will look like he has died, but it won’t be true. His body is too heavy to take with him. What matters, he says, is invisible. The stars, he explains, will now laugh with his voice. Whenever the pilot looks up, he will hear laughter in the sky.
The Little Prince allows the snake to bite him — a mysterious and poetic farewell. The pilot repairs his plane and leaves the desert, forever changed by the friend he made there.
The story ends quietly, with the narrator gazing at the stars, wondering if the Prince has truly returned to his rose. He asks us, the readers, to let him know if we ever find a little golden-haired boy who laughs and never answers questions.