The Moon's Child

The Moon's Child

It was a warm sunny day. The bright flames of the sun shone through the air, casting shadows among the trees surrounding the meadow. The tall, dry blades of grass; light brown from the lack of rain, gave way as I wove my way through them. I knew where I was going: somewhere the mild temperatures couldn't reach.

Now deep in the woods I wandered, listening to all the life that roamed freely everywhere: among the impressive overgrowth of roots and weeds, entwined and tangled beneath my feet, to the high, hovering branches of elm trees and pine, swaying in the afternoon breeze. The pleasant atmosphere of it all had me eager to reach my destination that lay at the heart of the forest. Time nor loneliness caught up to me as I continued to venture further. Then the trees finally began to thin and I broke through the clearing in a run.

Fast-flowing, the stunning river flowed through the thick foliage of trees in a clear path, reflecting the sun's rays onto the clearing in thousands of crystal-like patterns. This was the place, situated right where the full moon would soon appear. So I waited, hours and minutes going by in a steady click-click rhythm. If I had a watch I would have even be able to hear the tiny noise as the clock hands moved past one another but now, with no time to contemplate on, I had to imagine the sound and then predict her arrival with excellent precision. Only the sky could be a helpful guide to me, as it grew darker in the paling horizon.

Soon the sky was a splendid indigo adorned with the brilliant sparkling lights of millions of stars. Then, there she was, standing as pale as her self-portrait in the night sky.
"Mum." I breathed and as automatically as any mother would do, she enclosed me in her arms like a safe cocoon no one dare disturb. Her pretty, windswept, silver hair caressed my shoulders as she withdrew her embrace and stared intently at me.
"You've grown in the last month." She said, smiling as she brushed the blonde hair from my eyes. Her hands, weak from holding the gravity of the earth, fell to her side in folds of wrinkles and skin stretched over bones. "You're growing up to look so much like your father."

I nodded, even though I disagreed. I wanted to be like her: strong willed and bright, a beacon for the night's sky. As though reading my thought, she gazed up, looking at the glowing globe of rock and craters. Quickly though, her eyes darted away from the gleam of incandescent light that shone upon her frail body; grooves of the flowing white robe, that hugged her form, fell around her like moonlight in the form of silk. I couldn't understand though. She looked older, more fragile, than the last time I saw her a month ago, at the full moon.
"Mum?" She looked at me again and I fully saw the extent at how much she had withered in the passing years. “Are you ok, mum?” I knew she would deny anything about her health but it was the least I could do to ask.
“Of course sweetheart. I'm fine.” She cast another wary look at her home, in the sky, while absentmindedly she stroked the fine pearl blue, half-crescent moon swung low around her neck.
"You can't stay." A statement not a question. She smiled again, crinkling her tear filled eyes until they overflowed down her cheeks. She pulled me back within her hold and we hugged one last time, braking apart sooner than I wanted.
"Stay safe," she demanded before slamming a kiss to my forehead, "and give my best to your father." Then she took a step back, preparing her transmission from body to spirit.
“You too. Stay sa-“ And then .. it happened. Her skin had grown fainter. Her body had lifted from the ground. Her spirit had become clearer as her body began to disappear.

Ranging from all sides, glistening dust fell in splatters among the dark grass. Neither of us saw the blast of light coming from behind her. I didn’t see it hit her, the very source of her heart, her soul. Her spirit. And I hope, beyond all hope, that she didn’t feel the pain that engulfed my body and mind like shock waves of great magnitude.

I was flung backwards, first through thin air then prickly bushes before my back hit the solid, rough bark of a tree. The world was flung into total darkness. Not even the stars shined their nightly essence. That was when my world turned to chaos and all light became an eclipse of the world.

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Here is the list of words used in the story:
warm
impressive
splendid
brilliant
excellent
pretty
stunning
mild
pleasant
sunny
deep
fast-flowing