Short Stories

The Winter Solstice

    Days were long and nights were short. The sun would stride through the sky with his fiery ego. Any complaint or prayer from the humans that groveled on the ground would be pushed away. This angered the sun's twin sister, the moon. Unlike her brother the moon loved the humans down below. She would listen to their worries and doings as the days grew cold. The animals wanted a long and undisturbed sleep while the humans wanted a nice way for them to relax and store their food without worrying about it spoiling. The Moon heard the concern and worries of her people so she was angry on their behalf. One day the Moon approached her brother who was resting in his favorite spot.

    "Brother Sun! Stop being so lazy and look at me. I want to speak to you about letting our people have a winter they can celebrate for the rest of their short lives. They are growing tired and weary. It is nearly winter and they need to experience the bliss of snow and warm food." Moon said, scolding her twin brother who merely rolled his eyes and scoffed.

    "My sweet and dear sister Moon, you should know I provide the very light these people need to survive. They don't need long and weary nights to eat away at their hard work. They are gone. Sun said mockingly, his fiery gaze locked behind his sunglasses as he finally took the time to look at his sister. In an exasperated sigh with an outreached arm to her side, a spear materialized. Decorated with stars, the Moon pointed this spear at her brother the Sun. The Moon looked at her brother with a piercing cold glare, if she were to get her way this was the only possible reason to do so. With a lazy hand, the Sun propped his sunglasses on his forehead to get a good look at the threatening spear that was just inches away from his face. Eyeing his sister from the spear point to her cold expression, the Sun scoffed as he placed his pointer finger on the spearpoint, pushing it away as he stood up to face his sister.

    "You really think you can get away with threatening me sister? Have you lost your mind?" The Sun said scornfully as he looked his sister up and down with distaste.

    "You are as ignorant as the day you were born, brother.You believe you are without flaws. This is our kingdom brother and I will not let you forget that." the Moon said, bringing her star studded spear to her side. "If you do not give in then I challenge you to a duel of the gods. We will battle until we either agree or one of us comes out as a victor."

    "Moon, you forget who you are next to me. I am the sun, the light to these peoples' day. I provide them with near everything. I accept your challenge to a battle, but it will not be easy. I promise you that my sweet and dear sister." The sun said condescendingly. As he spoke a sword burning with the light of a thousand Suns appeared in his outstretched fist.

    "If that is what you wish then brother. I will make sure you understand the true meaning of being human." The Moon cautioned her twin brother.

    In but a moment's notice, their battle broke out amongst the sky. The sky would light up with scattered stars and beautiful explosions of gas that formed more cosmos. During which time neither gave up their ideals. The incessant fighting broke the sky. The tears let the colors of the cosmos flow like a river through the cracks. It was a battle for many centuries that caused the humans discomfort and awe as they watched all these events unfold. Over these centuries, the Moon and the Sun caused magical things to happen both in space and on Earth. Fallen stardust would turn into a magical layer that covered the ground in a sparkly white cover. This quickly became something known as "Snow''. Cold to the touch and lighter than air. This very event caused the people to cheer happily when they finally got to experience something new and magical.

    From the stars above, both the Sun and the Moon could hear these mysterious cheers and they slowed their fight to a complete halt as they looked down to Earth. What greeted the twins was nothing short of beautiful. Adults, teens, and children played in the soft snow beneath their feet. This sight caught the Sun off guard as he admired the scene. Turning to his sister, the Sun had a look of defeat as he realized how his ways were wrong.

    "Sister...I must apologize for my behavior. It was uncalled for. We must set aside these trivial disputes and talk this out as gods, as siblings." The Sun said, giving his sister the Moon a small bow. Returning the gesture with a proud grin, the Moon agreed. The celestial beings approached each other, their weapons being cast aside in flashes of light. The Sun and the Moon decided to come to terms with each other. One night a year during the winter would be the longest night of the year. As the year progressed and restarted, the nights would become shorter and allow the crops to flourish in the light of the sun. But as the days became colder and the trees lost their leaves the days would shorten giving way to longer nights to let the people sleep and relish in the snow.