Photo Challenge #27 “Milking the Moon”

Image: Christian Schloe

This tale is of a time when the oceans were unnamed, the Gods still walked on earth and the trees were a right talkative bunch. In the misty mountains lived a little girl, Aylin with her mother, Amaris. Amaris was no ordinary woman – she was the daughter of the sun and the moon, beautiful and immortal. Alas, she made a mistake of falling in love with a mortal and abandoned all laws of her kind. Enraged, her father condemned her to spend her days on Earth. Her mother, the moon, couldn’t bear to see her suffering and visited one pale night. She handed Amaris a golden chalice and said, “This elixir will ease your agony. You must replenish it every night, at the ledge of the mountain.”

Every night, Aylin went listening to the songs of birds, whispers of sleepy trees and muttering of crickets. The elixir bloomed into the chalice at midnight and she skipped back bursting with stories. On full moon nights, always she would race thinking there will be more to collect and strolled on nights when the moon was bow-like, thinking there will be less. Yet, there was never any difference. Mystified, she often wondered out loud to the trees but received no answer.

Now, there were rumors of an eclipse – a time when the wrath of the Gods singed and the moon concealed herself. Aylin took restless steps to the ledge, her hands clasped tight as moonlight muted and the heavy night air was filled with creaks and rasps. As she placed the chalice on the ledge, a bright glow engulfed her. A luminous goddess adorned in silks and stardust held out a welcoming hand to the dazed child. With a smile that mirrored her mother’s, she filled the golden chalice with the promised elixir.

“They said you wouldn’t be here tonight!” Aylin whispered

“My dear child, when have I not been here? At my brightest, more people seek the promises of a beam. As I rescind the next night, few come. But even at my faintest, I will always bless those who need it.”

“But…You get smaller. You even disappear!”

“A part of me is cloaked but never detached. Aylin, even if you cannot see someone it does not mean they are not with you. They hold you close in their heart. Love is magical. It cannot be seen or heard or touched. It can only be felt. Make that love a part of your soul. You will be beautiful inside and outside, my child”

---

An attempt to write a story for children inspired by the beautiful prompt at mindlovemisery’s menagerie. This is also a thank you to those who were always there, inspite of the time, speed and distance issues! 🙂