This is what I pack:
One photo of dad and me.
My favourite dresses - 3 of them. (They're wrinkled but comfortable)
Two t-shirts.
Two pairs of trousers.
A water flask.
And a pendant, in which is stored 'the sacred water of the moon', gifted to me by Aunt Luna. (She did say it was from the moon, but I have my doubts.)
I heave a heavy sigh and toss the bag to the side of the room.
Dad suddenly enters the room.
"Hi."
I look at him. "Oh, hi."
"I just wanted to say-"
"Dad," I say softly. "I love you." I reach up and hug him. It's only then that I realise I'm nearly as tall as him. I smile to myself.
"I love you too."
I gaze at him intently, memorising every detail of his face- the laughter lines, the two dimples on the left side of his face, the quirky smile plastered over him, the things I love the most. Breathing in his scent, I store it in my mind for later.
Slowly, dad retracts his hands. "MG. I came here to tell you that today is your mother's birthday."
I gasp. "Why are you telling me this now? She's not even here. Why do we need to celebrate it?"
Dad looks torn. "I can't-"
He collapses into tears.
"Dad, it's fine, you don't have to."
My father scrunches his face into a ball. "But-"
"Relax."
"I can't-"
"DAD! STOP IT!"
He abruptly stops. "Sorry." His voice is small.
"Don't cry ever again," I say fiercely.
His quirky smile comes back. "If you promise that you'll never disappear from my life... as your mother did. I can't bear losing you too, MG."
I draw in a quick breath. Why now, why why why? I feel so guilty.
"MG, what's wrong?"
"Nothing," I hurriedly say.
"Why that face? It's all mournful and so..."
"What- what face?"
"That face like you did something wrong."
"Oh." I scramble through my brain.
Dad looks like he can hear my brain ticking.
Ticking.
Ticking.
Faster.
Faster.
Faster.
Until- I know what to say, something he can't reply to or accuse me of lying about.
Something personal.
"Artemis, she disappeared, and I never said goodbye to her before she left. The thing is, if she's gone, I'll never have a chance to say what I want to her...'
"Oh Selene," he says. He reaches out and wipes the single tear trickling down my face, the dead tear, the lifeless tear, off. "I feel the same way about your mother. Don't worry. I'll always be with you. I'll never leave. I'm here if you need me. Now... if only you could say the same to me..."
YOU ARE READING
Selene and the Moon
FantasyMy name is Selene and I have this special connection with water. Don't ask me, I don't know why. You see, when I was born, I was born on a full moon. I have no memory of who delivered me, but I remember this: when I came into this world, I held out...
