America the Mysterious (United States of America #1.5)

Sun and Moon

The morning in Casper, Wyoming was the definition of chaotic, though Wyoming saw no problem with that. He too was excited for what was about to come, as well as the rest of his family.

They were on top one of the tallest buildings in the city, their eclipse glasses on as they watched the moon's progress in the sky. It truly was amazing how, thanks to the sun's rays, they would be unable to see the progress of the moon unless they had their eclipse glasses on. Eventually the sun appeared to look like Pacman, and it surely won't be long before the sun will be barely visible and the moon's appearance would take hold.

It had been a couple of centuries since Wyoming had seen an eclipse in his state, and he still remembers that day like it only happened yesterday. Even though they had no eclipse glasses back then, Wyoming and his family had used the shade of a tree to predict the moon's path across the sun, which at the time was the safest thing they could do without getting their eyes fried.

And even now, this eclipse was exactly like the last one in his state.

"Wow!" cried Hawaii, jumping up and down next to a smiling Alaska. "Pacman's there, Pacman's there!"

"Da!" chimed in Alaska, throwing her arms into the air and jumping up and down beside Hawaii. Wyoming smiled at his younger sisters; it was always one of the moments he treasured the most, when they can forget what's currently happening with the world and their home.

Everyone had been on edge and very, very angry for the past few months, and their mother wasn't in the best of moods either. But who would be after what happened in Charlottesville, Virginia?

Wyoming had never been more disappointed in anyone until now. He couldn't believe just how blind people could be, and their mother looked angry enough to kill someone, more specifically Trump.

Wyoming would've pitied the poor fool if he actually felt more sympathetic, but too bad he had none. In fact, he and his family were eagerly awaiting him to be removed from office after he proved how unreliable he was after the protest aftermath. Of course, Wyoming didn't hate the man, he just didn't find him suitable for the seat of President.

But enough of that. After Wyoming checked the progress of the moon, he felt the air get cooler and cooler, and although he was used to the cold, his siblings were not, so they put on jackets.

It was strange too, how the light was changing. It was like the sun and been replaced with a full moon during daytime, giving everything a blue florescent lighted look.

"We're almost there now!" one of his siblings announced excitedly, clapping their hands together. Looking upwards again with his glasses on, Wyoming saw that the sun was barely peaking through, and a smile burst from his lips. It was almost time.

Then it happened.

First came the cheers of the citizens as the eclipse finally reached totality, and the U.S. siblings took off their glasses to see it themselves. They cheered when they saw the beauty that was a total solar eclipse.

The black moon overtook the entire sun, and the scene around it looked like something out of a painting, with the dark blue sky and clouds and the way the sunlight shone from behind the moon, giving off some red light in the process. The people's cheers could be heard even from where they all were, and then they heard the fireworks. Wyoming glanced down, finding the fireworks exploding in various and vibrant colors.

Many of his siblings though didn't see this, as they were still staring at the eclipse, many of them clapping in delight. Nearby, from the college, a hot-air balloon was released into the sky, but Wyoming didn't look at it for long as the eclipse began to come to an end.

The first parts of sunlight began to peak through as the moon slowly moved, and by then everyone had to look away so their eyes wouldn't get fried. But even as the eclipse ended, the cheers would continue for a couple more minutes before going silent.

The U.S. siblings, however, kept smiling like there was no tomorrow, Wyoming being one of them.

"Wait, where'd Mama go?" asked Alaska in confusion, and Wyoming looked around, realizing their mother was nowhere to be found.

Oh, right, the Spirit Kings of the Sun and Moon come around this time.

Maybe Wyoming should go check on Winter in a little bit once the chaos has died down.

Man everyone, the solar eclipse in Casper was so cool! I never expected the way it would appear at all, and it really looked like something you would see in a painting, and when it got darker and a little cooler, it was like we were in blue fluorescent light. I wished that lasted for a while longer though, but that still was an amazing sight to behold!