Today'snight was different than before. I was on my way home, when I came toa bench near a lake, where I, surprised by all means, met a younggirl. She just laid there sleeping with her closed eyes towards thelake, in which the crescent moon mirrored itself. A gentle springbreeze blew quietly, moving a few strains of her fiery hair beforeher eyes. I approached her carefully, since I did not want to wakeher up. "Excuse me" I said, waiting for her to respond. Sheslowly opened her eyes, moving her body upright, and the strains ofher hair to the side. I just couldn't resist to smile at her, at thispoint. "Please excuse me for waking you up. Is everything alright?Can I help you somehow?"
"I'mjust a little bit tired" she answered. "I couldn't sleep well thelast few nights."
"MayI ask why?"
"Ihave many nightmares" she said, with a little yawn in between thewords. She laid her chin into her scarf, covering her upper and lowerlip piercing. "I got captured and chased while trying to escape..."I sat down next to her, asking if she would mind taking my jacket,but she denied it by shaking her head. "I couldn't sleep, so I wentoutside for a walk, trying to get my thoughts right."
"Anddid it work?" I asked with a slight undertone of irony in my voice.Her eyes closed slightly for a short moment.
"Iguess not" she replied sleepy, suppressing another yawn. My eyeswandered to the lake. The wind blew his cold breath, meanwhilecountless stars shimmered like diamonds on the surface, yet none ofthem were brighter than the shining moon.
"Ihave got an idea" I said smiling into her tired eyes. "Do you seethe lake?" She moved her head and performed a silent nod, yet Icouldn't reject the image of a smile beneath her scarf. "The moon,"I said to her thinking, "I want to give it to you." Her eyesmoved to the dark crystal night sky.
"That'simpossible," she said, "you know that."
Ithought about her words for a moment, while looking into herbeautiful blue eyes. "All I want for you is to wake up" Ireplied. "To forget your nightmares and live your dreams. Ash fadesin the wind, so don't waste your strength on bad times." It was thefirst time that I saw her loving smile. We have spoken a littlelonger that night, about tattoos, art and drawings. The time kept onpassing, and the air near the lake got colder, yet I couldn't wasteone thought over going home. Suddenly, I don't know when, the eartharound me stopped spinning, and it was good like that.
Idisliked the moment when she had to go. I have lost my sense of time,lost the desire to return home. I told her that I would be here moreoften now, waiting, and that I would fulfill my promise. Seeing herleave, I couldn't bear to see her colors fade, watching myselfbecoming more and more surrounded by a solitary black. The silvermoon glimmered on the dark surface with a faint light, emitting atouch of hope.
Thepromise I gave kept me busy over the next few nights. I used tocarefully climb the trees near the lake, trying to get closer to thesky. To reach the crown was impossible, yet I still reached out myhand as far as I could manage, trying to grasp the moon for her. Eventhe mirroring in the lake, which always kept reminding me of thenight we met, was impossible to capture. With every try, the createdwaves moved the image further away.
Thesecond time we met, again at night by the lake, I unfortunately hadto tell her that, under all odds, I couldn't give her the promisedgift. Yet she just smiled at me and said that "it's okay, becausethe moon is too far away."
"That'strue," I replied with my eyes facing the night sky, "but whyshouldn't I try?"
Sheread through some of my self written stories the same night, somewere darker than others. Still her pretty face smiled beautifully asshe finished reading the story, which I wrote for her eyes only. Inthe meantime I tried to draw a rose, which she continued with frozenhands, in her own unique art and style. Again the world had stoppedmoving for a brief second, a moment I wish would have lasted longer.
Thedark-blue water mirrored the fierce and fiery dawn, which clouds werespread across the sky, visualizing a golden crown on and above theburning surface. My eyes became attached to the image, as my thoughtsbegan to wander across the surface. I thought of writing a poem forher ears to hear, or a story for her eyes to read, yet the time keptpassing on until an idea began to flower, and thus I knew, how Icould give you the moon.
