In Her Glow

When his Luna was at her brightest it was difficult to remember those darker nights. It was also impossible to forget the in-between when The Man felt so alone that the pang in his chest was the only reminder that there was something worth missing, worth waiting for. It wasn’t Luna’s fault, The Man knew, and he loved his Luna in all of her phases. He admired her strength, powerful enough to move the oceans and soft enough to cast a gentle, blue glow onto lovers as they swayed in each other's arms down below.

One night, during Luna’s full face, The Man sat on his rock and glanced below as he always did. It was his favourite time of the month when the world below was lit so brightly that the people there could see him as well as he saw them; If they ever looked up, which they seldom did. When his eyes fell on a figure, so minuscule that he might have missed her if he blinked, he wanted to weep, to allow the ache in his heart to shatter him, his soul simply dissolving and drifting away like ashes in the wind. The feeling confused him. At first, he thought that the girl might be a star, the way that she reflected Luna’s glow and magnified it. Leaning forward and resting his chin in his hands, he realized in gentle astonishment that she was, in fact, human.

For centuries, the man had observed the people below from his seat above, admiring the mere fragility and beautiful tragedy of their lives. He had watched men and women grow into great, and sometimes terrible souls, all impacting, either significantly or subtly, the people around them like a ripple throughout humanity. So, it had puzzled the man that such a simple, and a rather young soul could capture his attention so adamantly, being no more than a speck on the Earth.

It was during Luna’s Hay season that his eyes first snagged on the girl who, by even their standards, was a child. Children often emitted innocence, but this girl went beyond that. She reminded The Man of how Eve had been, but that was long ago.

She was twirling in a small, bright meadow, Luna’s light shining down like a spotlight on a stage. The trees danced with her in the breeze and the crickets sang along to her rhythm. Her golden-brown hair fell wild and frizzed around her freckle-dusted cheeks. She had a speck of chocolate just below the right side of her lip and angry scrapes that had scarred and opened multiple times just below the jean shorts of her overalls. When her head fell back and her arms spread wide as if trying to embrace the sky itself, her face broke out into a large, toothless grin. The Man found the corner of his own lips tugging up. She began collecting the dandelions that decorated the long blades of grass, content in her own little world as her adults sat boringly chatting by a fire a few feet away.

The Man closed his eyes, dissolving into Luna’s moonbeam, his now translucent form mingling and merging within her light. When he opened his eyes he stood among the trees, shining down between two ferns. The girl continued her dance in the meadow, a soft hum in her throat. He wanted to give her something then, some kind of gift. When an idea came to him, he leaned down and whispered to the small, star-like creatures hiding there. They sprang from their hiding places and spirited gracefully to the girl like fairies of old. Her laugh of delight was musical and pierced the hearts of every woodland creature nearby, all watching in bewilderment. Prey and predator alike forgot their nature and simply stood with the wisped form of The Man from another world.

The distant observers remained like this until the night breeze cooled and the girl’s adults called her to bed.

A heartbeat later, the man was back with his Luna, a smile still dancing on his lips. When the dark nights came, as they inevitably did, the man discovered a new sensation in his chest, something light and warm instead of the cold heaviness he had come to expect.

As seasons melted into the next, and years ended and began anew, The Man watched the girl grow. He watched in helpless dismay as her lessons grew harsher and the girl’s light began to dim.

Then, one night, the girl returned to the meadow, her light flickering dangerously low. The Man’s heart hiccoughed when he feared it would extinguish completely. She was older now, practically a woman. A billowing, white dress fell effortlessly just below her knees. Her hair, a dark chestnut, threatened to escape the bind at the top of her head where curls dropped messily. Her feet were bare as she ran, and the wet drops that were running down her face looked like small diamonds that sparkled and fell into the wind.

The sight of her grief left The Man’s heart bruised.

Coming to an abrupt stop in the centre of the meadow, the girl continued to cry until her breathing calmed and her tears slowed. She leaned her head back, her eyes shut and her arms wide as if offering herself to the universe. When her thick, clumped lashes parted and her eyes opened, they locked on Luna and, for a startling moment, the man wondered if she could somehow see him. A slow, sad smile teased her mouth before she closed her eyes again, her arms dropping to her sides and her head lifting.

A moment later, The man found himself standing before her, as visible as a ghost floating through the halls of old houses.

Without thinking, he reached forward and cupped her wet cheek, his brows lifting when she seemed to lean her head into his awaiting palm that was no more than a stream of light. She opened her eyes and the man gasped as he saw the entire universe reflected there. He wasn’t sure if she was aware of his presence but instinct pushed him to wrap his arms around her, to try to smother the sadness that had left her so broken. Slowly, the light inside her began to grow brighter with their every heartbeat that sang in unison. Soon, the girl shone as bright as Luna herself, her white dress blending with the glow of her skin.

As The Man took a step back, a soft smile sat on her lips, and the sadness was nothing more than a small twinge within her. She reached out then, her right arm bent at a ninety-degree angle and her left rounded forward. Without a word, the man shyly stepped forward, one hand finding the small of her back and the other lightly holding her awaiting palm. As if cued by some invisible orchestra, both began to step and sway, floating gracefully within the meadow. If anyone happened to pass by, they would simply see a girl in a lovely dress dancing alone in the moonlight.

Only the ones who glowed themselves would be able to see the bright silhouette of her dance partner.

They continued this way while the crickets chirped and the night fairies swirled around them. Too soon, Luna beckoned worriedly, the man feeling a slight tug on his moonbeam. The night was coming to an end, as it always must, to leave space for the day. The man leaned forward and placed his lips gently on the girl’s cheek where the freckles, though faded, still stood.

The girl sighed contentedly, her eyes drifting closed once more. As The Man began to drift back to his Luna, he watched as the sun slowly spilled its rays over the horizon. When the sunlight warmed the girl’s face, he knew that he would never see anything more beautiful.

***

The years moved quickly after that, as the girl continued to grow and learn. This time her light grew with her, and The Man was delighted to see the spark she ignited in the people around her like a flame catching their wicks. He watched as the girl fell in love with a boy who was worthy of her light, and who shone his own stronger when hers flickered. The Man watched lovingly as they married in the meadow, and beamed when she returned with small children of her own. He watched as they had picnics and danced with the fairies, and when they laid on the grass to look up at Luna and her stars, The Man gazed lovingly back.

Life continued on for the girl, becoming busy and eventful with the activities of the children. When her family moved out of town and the meadow stood solemn and abandoned, The man would float down and lay on the grass, admiring his Luna’s beauty from afar. The memory of the night he had danced with the girl played in his mind and he watched lazily as their figures swirled around him, happy and oblivious. The Man lived in contentment, knowing that she was loved deeply, and it was all he had ever wished for her.

Decades passed before the girl finally returned to the meadow, the man’s heart singing at the recognition. Even Luna beamed brightly at her arrival.

Wasting no time, the man floated down to her, as he had done all those years before. She was still the same girl he had seen in the meadow that first summer night, but he realized that the people around her saw her differently than he did. To them her skin was loose and wrinkles, many caused by laughing, danced beside her twinkling eyes. She was shorter now, her back hunching inward slightly, and her dark hair turned as white as her nightgown.

She smiled at him, reminding the man of the toothless grin of her youth.

Then, her frail body collapsed onto the warm ground beneath her, The Man helpless to stop it. Her light shuddered violently before extinguishing forever.

The Man sunk to his knees, his grief rippling out of his soul like waves of sadness through the night, shaking him to his core. Even the woodland creatures that watched from the trees were weeping.

“Hello,” came a soft, musical voice.

The Man looked up to see the girl standing before him, once again youthful and as translucent as he was. She wore the white dress, which billowed in a ghostly breeze. She looked down sadly at her body, now as useless as an abandoned shell, then grabbed the man’s hand and pulled him away from the sight.

The Man could feel her hand in his own.

The girl, once they were safely away, stretched up on her toes and placed a soft kiss on the man’s cheek, returning the gesture from all those nights ago. Tears brimmed his eyes and when she finally pulled away, his cheek felt warm.

“Thank you,” she whispered to him, before beginning to fade as if her very own Luna was calling her home.

And then she was gone.

***

From his place above, he watched as the girl’s children and grandchildren ran to the fallen form of their loved one. Their grief echoed the pain he felt inside of his own heart, the sound of love, lost. A small comfort settled in the man’s chest upon realizing that the girl had left behind a piece of her light in each of her mourning descendants; that she wasn’t so gone.

Luna held The Man as sobs racked his body, all the love he still had to share yearning painfully to be let free. It wasn’t until the darkest night of Luna’s phase that he noticed the night sky held a new, bright star.

The End.