The Blackest Night

The moonless sky was an obsidian cloak cast with clusters of silver starlight. The planet's surface bathed in abyssal black, an ill omen to the inhabitants of Half-Moon. All was quiet and still as an ancient tomb. The inhabitants barred every door and shut their shutters at this devil's hour. A mordant lake of water lapped along the bank, its sloshing slap the only echoing sound down the grimy cobbled streets. Everyone knew; that anyone caught in the blackness would never be seen again.

Inside a little hut, just near the edge of the lake's water, lived a woman whose husband had vanished in these exact circumstances; a little over a month ago. On this black night of superstition, the cry of a newborn child emanated from their sparse dwelling. Never in the village's history had a child been born beneath the cursed night which marked the child. Her eyes glimmered like the brightest of silver, along with her hair. She was named Crystalline after heaven from where she had secretly come. Only her mother and grandmother knew, and the two women began planning how best to keep the child safe.

The plan the women found pleasing was to wrap the child in linen and deposit her upon the church's steps. For her protection, her birth date would be kept secret and safe. Her mother would claim her child quietly passed upon the cursed night to avoid suspicion. When The two women did all, they decided to watch Crystalline grow up from afar, safe and un-persecuted.

Ominously, Crystalline Chime's life began.

***

Crystalline’s room was sterile and white, granted her by the will of God. Her clothes were white; everything she owned was white. It was so bland that it almost made her ill; the light of the sterile room accosted her eyes during the day and prevented her from sleeping soundly at night. Nevertheless, it was a comfort that, soon, things would change. She would be old enough to see the world on her own. While true that the church would always be open to her, she would no longer be their ward. This prospect both exhilarated and terrified her. The world, as The priests explained it to her, seemed strange. Her mind could hardly absorb all the information they gave her on how to live her life.

They had taught her spiritual dangers all her life; now, they warned her of the world's troubles. There would be physical evil and temptation to commit atrocities. They warned her that she might lose herself along the way, but all she had to do was turn back to the path God had laid before her. Crystalline packed her bag of meager belongings and placed it beside the door; soon, they would go in a small carriage that would take her to live with a mentor approved by the church.

The priests finally called Crystalline into the sanctuary, performed the traveler's sacrament, and prayed for her. As with any other ward, her leaving was a celebration for those who dwelled in the chapel. Unfortunately, though, Crystalline often felt it was much like a funeral. They would celebrate the exciting life and never hear of the ward again.

Stepping out on the overcast cobbled streets, sickened by grime and city grime, the world did not seem much changed from where it had been eighteen years ago when abandoned upon the chapel stairs. Taking a deep breath, she claimed into the carriage and new life.

At best, the ride was jarring; Crystalline discovered that she would have instead walked. Her stomach twisted and churned upon itself, threatening to pitch her breakfast plummeting out the window and the rest of the city grime. The carriage stopped a day's ride from the chapel in front of a cottage not far from the dock.

As she exited the carriage, the change in temperature near the water was unsettling. But, she was acclimated to the cool chill of the chapel. The streets smoothed from cobbled stones to hard-packed earth. The grass around the cottage was verdant and speckled with patches of wildflowers.

"Ms. Crystalline," Her escort stated as he returned from the door.

"Yes,"

"This is Charissa Darling. She will be taking care of you until you find somewhere more permanent, remember, f this life is not to your liking, you are always welcome to return to the chapel. They are more than willing to find work for you as a cleric or priestess."

"Thank you, but I will love it here."

He nodded, "God's will be done," He replied, getting back into the carriage and urging the horses forward.

Turning to Charissa, she smiled awkwardly. Charissa was a plump matronly woman with a round face. She looked kind enough; her hands were on her hips as she took Crystalline in. However, Charissa must have seen something pinched and slight about Crystalline because her first words were to offer Crystalline food. The woman looked at her almost pityingly when she declined, making Crystalline self-conscious.

Entering the cottage, Crystalline kissed her three fingers and touched them to the frame just above the door, "So, this will be my new home?"

"For as long as you need," Charissa confirmed, "Did the priests tell you that you would be earning your keep?"

"I did not expect it to be any different from the church. I did chores for my upkeep."

Charissa nodded, "Here, we thresh wheat, grind it into meal, and bake bread into loaves. Then, we take the loaves into town and sell them for coins. That coin pays for your upkeep and the farm's."

"How many wards have you taken in?"

"A fair few, but never mind about that," She muttered, bustling around the little stove, gathering a couple of bowls and ladling something hearty smelling from a kettle above it.

Placing the bowl before Crystalline, she prayed to bless their meal, tucking in. Once she got a couple of spoons into eating it, Crystalline realized she was ravenously hungry. She was surprised by the end, using a roll to dab up the remaining broth. Charissa seemed satisfied.

The seasons passed swiftly once Charissa and Crystalline got into a routine. It was full of arduous labor and pain, but every bit of perseverance was worth it. Charissa was the kindest woman Crystalline had ever known. But then, another letter came from the chapel announcing that another ward would be coming to live with Charissa. This time, it was a boy; he was younger than Crystalline had been when she came to live with Charissa, but by their measure, he should not have been old enough to age from the system.

The boy had mouse-colored hair, shaggy, and a glint in his pale green eyes. Everywhere Charissa and Crystalline could see, he had ruddy welts and looked like someone had beaten him on many occasions. His feet were bare and bleeding from the sharper rocks on the road, and he wore little clothes tattered in holes. Chains wrapped around his emaciated waist, looking so thin and scruffy that the wind could blow him away.

"End of the line," His escort muttered, producing a key from one of his pockets, "This is your last chance; I hope you understand."

***

The bright light and amber grain made Ezra’s eyes hurt. He could not help but feel the priests had purchased him from his owner to pass him to a new one. He had never stopped trying to run, and he was startled as two women exited the house. One was an overly plump matronly-looking woman, and the other was tall and thin. Her hair was silver, like an old woman with a young face. Her eyes shimmered like polished steel. He felt his jaw slack, momentarily captivated by her beauty.

"Easy, son," His escort encouraged him, putting his hand on the young man's shoulder, "I assure you, they are nothing like your last mistress." Then, he turned to address the older of the women, "Charissa, this is the new ward I wrote you about, the one in desperate need of care."

Charissa nodded, looking the boy up and down, understanding, "Are you hungry?" she asked, and Crystalline could not help but smile, "Crystal, take him in and get him some food while I speak with his escort."

Crystalline stepped forward and held her hand to the boy, who refused to take it. He looked at it as if he were confused. Then, turning toward the cottage, he did follow her. She loaded a double portion of stew into a bowl and handed it to the boy. He ate it as greedily, not using the spoon she offered. Then, Crystalline moved to pour him some water. As she tipped the gourd to his cup, his hand shot like lightning, catching her wrist. Locking eyes with her, he did not let go. He was like a street dog, repeatedly beaten. Finally, when he learned that Crystalline had meant him no harm, he let her go returning to his stew.

When Charissa returned, she made a small bed for him not far from hers and promised he could move further from them once settled. Bedding down for the night, it was not just Ezra that caused their unease. It was the night of the new moon. No one ever rested well during these nights.

Ezra had been feigning sleep when he heard footsteps and the door opening and closing. Usually, his common sense would have told him to stay away from anyone bold enough to go out during the black night, but his curiosity got the better of him. He stepped across the floor and peered out the crack in the shutters. Ezra's eyes strained to find a figure as it moved up the roadways and to the river's left.

Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Charissa peacefully slumbering near him. That just left Crystalline. Cautiously, he moved to the door. She had left it slightly ajar. Opening the door and stepping out into the darkness, he saw her waded waist-deep in the inky lake water. She was singing to the glassy surface a tune he did not recognize. As he approached, she stopped abruptly. Turning to face him with strange milky eyes, she said, "I see you there, do not be afraid, but you should not be out here this night."

Ezra stumbled backward before rushing back toward the door. Then, closing it behind him, he bolted the door lock, heart thundering in his chest. Crawling back into bed, he covered his head with a blanket and pretended he had not seen what he had seen. Then, repeating to himself that it was nothing more than a bad dream, he prayed to the God that had released him from slavery and attempted to go back to sleep. There was no way for Crystalline to get back into the cottage without waking Charissa. Everything would make more sense at dawn.

***

Ezra woke with the first light in the morning, noticing that the door was still bolted shut. Charissa was still in her bed, but so was Crystalline. Had he imagined the events of the night before? He shook his head and lay back down, wiping sleep from his eyes. A dream was the only thing that made sense. Unless he had wandered outside, finding some dark entity that used her face and voice. He shuddered, laying still and refusing to get out of bed. Finally, Charissa got out of bed, unbolted the door, and wandered outside to relieve herself. She found Ezra sitting at the table full of questions when she returned.

“Before Crystalline wakes up, I wondered if she is prone to sleepwalking.” He casually questioned, fiddling with a scratch upon the table's edge from years of paring meat and vegetables upon its surface.

“From time to time,” Charissa answered, putting a kettle on the stove for tea, “Why did she trip over you?”

“No,” He pondered the best way to broach the subject, “I saw her go outside, but I couldn’t have. So I bolted the door before I returned to bed.”

Charissa did not say anything as she pulled out a pot for porridge, weighing how much to tell him carefully, “Crystalline is a strange girl but harmless. Thank you for letting me know she was outside. I will have to be more careful.” Charissa measured out some grain powder and began toasting it at the bottom of the pot. Once the aroma permeated the room, she added water, goat’s milk, and butter.

“You have to be more careful? She was down by the water, singing something I could not make out.” His fingers grasped the table's edge firmly to keep himself from shaking.

“It gets worse near the devil’s night,” Charissa shook her head, stirring the pot with a wooden spoon as the liquid heated.

“Is the devil in her?” He found himself questioning, wanting to run.

“Not that I or any of the priests can tell; during her stay at the chapel, she was restrained on the black nights.”

“Her eyes did something strange down by the water. Despite the darkness, I could see them as white as milk.”

Charissa stopped stirring the pot, placed a lid on it, put down the wooden spoon, and took up a basket, “Quiet, or you will wake her,” she beaconed him out the front door into the garden. Then, plucking some herbs, she bundled them and put them into her basket. As she gathered, Charissa told him a story she never thought she would have to tell anyone; the circumstances surrounding Crystalline’s birth.

Ezra looked up at her when she finished with wide pale green eyes. He did not get rescued from slavery to fall into the hands of a madwoman and her cursed child. Shaking his head, he had half a mind to gather what he had and start walking, but Charissa discouraged him. She needed an extra pair of eyes on Crystalline, and he required gold to create a new life. Finally, they came to a tenuous agreement. Ezra agreed to stay only as long as it took for him to recover and get enough money to start a life of his own life. Charissa accepts that it is all she asks and that he says nothing of Crystalline’s existence to anyone else. Ezra swears by the only thing he has in his life.

***

As the months and nights of the dark moon passed, Ezra became more accustomed to Crystalline’s strange ways. Her mood and attentions seem to wax and wane like the moon's phases. He was surprised to find a fondness growing within him for the strange woman. They learned, early on, that he was not much younger than she was. One night Ezra sat admiring the play of firelight in the fluttering of her silver hair, and he realized how beautiful she was. Charissa had already gone to bed, knowing they would start early in the morning. The elderly woman’s discerning eye saw what Ezra was coming to know. As Ezra sat beside Crystalline, he reached for her hand, surprised and delighted when she did not pull away. So they sat beneath the starlight and waning moonlight.

“Ezra,” Crystalline said quietly.

“Yeah?”

“Tomorrow is the next moonless night. Would you come with me?”

“What do you mean? What do you do on moonless nights?”

“I walk out into the water, sing to the moon.” She replied, the rose-colored firelight hiding the flush of her cheeks, “I want you to hear me sing.”

Smiling, he looked at her, “I have heard you sing.”

“When?”

“You don’t remember telling me to leave, that I should not be there?”

“I’m afraid, but the knowledge that I am singing is fuzzy.” She shrugged, feeling a loadstone weight of embarrassment slip into her stomach.

“Yeah, when I first arrived,” He explained, “I was alarmed, but Charissa explained what was going on; to the best of her ability.”

“And you stayed?”

“I had nowhere else to go; I promised to stay until I had enough money to embark on my own.” But, he shrugged, ’Times have been pretty lean, so I stay.”

“We both know that’s a lie.”

“True, but it sounded good.” He chuckled, “I’ve had enough to get a place of my own, join a mining party, or start sailing, but how do I figure it.” He smiled at her, weaving his fingers between hers, “I want to see how this played out.”

Her smile widened as she lay back upon the grass in the yard, staring up at the stars, unsure what to say, she did not want to encourage him to stay with someone who was cursed, but she too wanted to know how this played out. He made her heart beat so fast. She felt him lay down beside her. As she gathered her thoughts, he began pointing out stars and constellations to her. He discovered his love for them in one of Charissa’s old books. She had spent a month teaching him how to read, he was still slow, but he took to it like a fish in water.

Crystalline loved hearing him talk about the moon and the stars and what modern science knew about the celestial bodies' dance. Content, she closed her eyes and was asleep before she knew it. When she awoke, she was sticky with morning dew. Her fingers were still twined with Ezra’s. Smiling, she turned to face him and screamed. His lips were pale, and his eyes were wide and surprised. She could not wrench her hand from his. Charissa rushed from the cottage to find Crystalline trying to pry her hands from Ezra’s corpse.

“Crystal, calm down. It’s alright.” Charissa cooed softly, “You’re alright, come here.” She consoled, clutching her daughter to her chest, “I did not think this was coming so soon.”

“What do you mean?” Crystalline shrieked, her heartbreaking. Had she done this to him?

“Look at me,” Charissa said, putting both hands on the side of Crystalline’s face, “Do not worry. If anyone asks, we will say he has run away. You did not do this on purpose. It is your curse. I’m sorry I did not explain it sooner.”

“Cursed?”

“You were born beneath the black moon on the darkest night of the month,”

“How do you know?”

“Because I am your mother, I was here the night you were born.”

Crystalline scrambled away from Charissa, putting as much distance between herself and the woman as possible, “No, this is crazy, please, you’re scaring me.”

“Don’t be afraid. I have books about you, daughter of the dark moon.”

“Daughter of the what?” Crystalline stood and ran; this was too much for her to bear.

Running as far as her legs would carry her toward the field, she vomited and shook. What had she done to deserve such a curse? Would this happen every time she began to fall in love or expressed affection? Is this why they kept her in the sterile room and housed her with her mother? Did the priesthood know? They could not have. They would have branded her as a monster, never allowing her out of their sight. She spent all day fleeing Charissa’s calls, and that night, she found herself in the forest close to the southern edge of the lake.

She felt it overcome her, the need to go to the water, to sing to the stars, and this night she could taste the lament. Losing Ezra by her hand, she did not understand who or what she was. The world did not blur around her this time as she sang the old lullaby. Instead, her mind saw his face, not as she had this morning but full of life and light. She felt the waters churn as someone waded with her into the shallows, wrapping their arms around her from behind, an embrace. She closed her eyes and thought of Ezra. She began to step forward, moving out into the water.

Crystalline sank from her waist to her torso, shoulders, and finally to her neck in the water, still feeling his presence there. As her head ducked beneath the surface, she thought whoever it was released her from behind. Then, she opened her eyes in the inky water, and she saw Ezra there, becoming her beneath the surface. Finally, her lungs filled with water, and she could breathe, dancing with him below the depths.

“Crystal, you did not kill me,” He whispered in her ear soothingly.

She pulled away to look at him, swimming beside her in the depths, pressing the palm of her hand to his cheek.

“Your mother poisoned me with the herbs from her garden; the lightless moon revealed the truth. She is responsible for the disappearances, not you. Your father disappeared beneath the black moon because of your grandmother.”

“I don’t understand,”

“I know you don’t, but you will in time. I have been blessed to guide and show you what you need to know.” He replied, “I have not abandoned you. I have remained with you beneath the moonlight and lack thereof.”

“How do I know it is you?”

“Because I have remained.” He shrugged, dancing with her below the depths, “Be careful of the old woman; she wishes to keep you for herself. Escape, Crystal.”

“I will. Can I not stay with you?”

He gave her a sad smile, “Not now, but someday. So rest easy that you are not cursed; you have been blessed by the stars.” He replied, kissing her on the brow, “For now, I must give you back to the surface.”

Returning to the shore, she coughed up the black lake water in the gray of dawn. Then, sitting on the back until the light was far past, she stared at the reflective surface of the water, deciding what to do. If she returned to the cottage, her mother would trap her there; if Ezra’s specter spoke true. But, if she did not return, she had nothing. She had no way to keep herself fed or even warm. She knew of the coins Ezra had squirreled away, but she would risk everything to retrieve them. She could return to the church and risk everything for some security measure. The idea did not sit well with her while Crystalline was still discovering herself. Walking along the bank of the lake, she avoided apparent paths. No one would find her if she did not wish to be found.

When Charissa had taken her in, Crystalline had been no one. She supposed she was still no one. But, to Ezra, Crystal had been his first real connection since being freed. Shaking her head, she found herself drawn back to the water. She wished to submerge herself again and forget the world that had treated them so harshly. But Ezra had assured her that day was coming. Crystal needed to discover what to do with herself in the interim. After a few more moments of walking, it was decided. First, she would risk returning to the cottage; she would retrieve the gold she and Ezra had saved. Then, she would take every precaution to avoid Charissa. After that, she would go into the city where she was not so easily manipulated.

After the city, she had no idea what to do, but she would do it.

***

At the cabin, Charissa packed heavy stones into the boy’s pocket. People drown in the lake all the time. Pushing him in, she wiped her hands on her skirt. Finding Crystalline would take some time, but she would return sooner or later. The girl had nowhere else to go. All Charissa would have to do was sit back and wait, cleaning up any remnant proof the boy had been here. Then, she would write the priest, telling him the boy had run away to become a seafarer in the east. Finally, Crystalline’s silence would be purchased with the threat of the curse and motherly care. Knowing there was little hope of finding Crystalline in the night, Charissa went back to bed, leaving the door unbolted in case she wandered in.

In the gray morning, Charissa rose and began walking along the shore of the lake. In one night, Crystalline could not have gone far. She spent all day looking for the girl, calling for her sometimes, and listening for her others. Then, the darkest night and her superstition over it drove her back to the cottage, spoiling any headway she had. Crystalline did not return that night either. But, across the lake, she could hear the girl’s lament in the stillness of the night. The loss of love, a pain she had hoped to spare her daughter before it bloomed.

In the night, Charissa did regret what she had done to Ezra. She had nightmares of his bloated corpse floating upon the lake water. Charissa woke in a cold sweat, feeling like his apparition sat upon her; realizing it was only a dream, she quickly rolled over and returned to sleep. The boy would probably haunt her for the rest of his life. This was the first time Charissa had intentionally taken a life.

***

Whatever blessing she had was with Crystalline, she crossed Charissa’s path as she walked upon the bank of the lake. Taking care to avoid her, Crystalline picked her way back toward the cottage. But, as she approached, she began to tremble. Would his body still lay in the yard? No, and it filled her with more rage than sorrow. What had she done with him? Crystalline felt like a void opened in her chest where her heart should be. She quickly entered the cottage; she gathered everything she needed, stuffing them inside her pack. She found Ezra’s coins and added them to her little stash. Then, her eyes fell upon Charissa’s strongbox.

Was she a thief? No, but she felt entitled to something for her loss. Her eyes lighted upon the little stove, placing its contents into her bag. Why stop robbing her? The temptation to light the cottage on fire was great. Opening the grate of the little stove, she used the iron tongs to carefully remove partially burnt coals from its belly. Placing a lump of red-hot coal on each of the straw beds, Crystalline watched as the flames took. Then, stepping out into the bright sunlight with her back upon her back, she took one last breath of fresh air to make her way to the city.

Inside Half-Moon, she wandered the streets for a bit as smoke rose in the distance. Finally, she stopped and dropped everything she had pilfered from the strongbox into the alms box outside the church wanting nothing more to do with it other than Charissa could not have it. Then, she used her coins to purchase passage on the next ship leaving port. As the smell of sea spray entered her nose, she breathed it in deep, and it smelled like home. As the white sails unfurled, she felt Ezra by her side.

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