When I jolted awake, I immediately noticed that it was mooncrown.
This isn’t normal. I thought as I turned, gazing at the stars through the window. I’d never slept this late before. The full moon peeked out from the clouds as I leapt off of my bed and padded over to the cold sheet of glass. Pressing my hand to the window, I can recall the dream as clear as day. Not that I’d ever seen one before.
Dream 24. The same as before. I put down my pencil and leaned back in my chair. The twenty fourth time I’d had the same dream. The girl calling me to do something. To save someone, or something. Every time, the dream ended with the same words. You have to remember.
Shivering, I pulled on my coat and tapped the wall. It vanished almost instantly, sliding to reveal the flower garden planted outside my door. The cold seeped through my feet as I step out into the moonlit grass. What was I supposed to remember? I ran my finger over a petal of a nearby flower, and it vanished, pulling into itself. I moved on, walking amongst the flowers as I pondered the dream. I’d never heard of someone having the same dream twice, much less 24 times. The eerie light of the sun blossom brightened my face as I stopped at the end of the garden. The sun blossom had always been my favorite flower to care for. It reminded me of those days, back when my mother could still tell me the stories of things such as the sun, sunrises and sunsets. I stroked the stem lovingly, and it seemed to pulse with light in response. The sun blossom had always seemed to sense my presence. My mother’s mother had also been recognized by the blossom, but my mother called it nonsense, back when she had told me stories from starsight to mooncall. A slight creaking noise sends me spinning on my heels, away from the sun blossom, but it was only Ethan.
“Hey.” I said, relieved that it wasn’t an assassin like in Mother’s stories. He grinned at me and sat down beside me. “Look, if you’re going to go out on excursions without me, I’m going to stop being your friend.” he said, nudging me. His gaze landed on the sun blossom. “Visiting it again?” he asked, though he already knew. “Yes.” I said, tracing my name in the rich soil. “It’s amazing, is it not?”
“Mhm.” Ethan murmured. I shot a glance at him, but his gaze seemed dreamy and far away. I snapped my fingers in front of him, and he shot a glare at me. “The moon is beautiful tonight.” he said, looking upwards. I followed his gaze, laying backwards to get a better view. I nodded slightly, then turned, the warmth of his body relaxing me. “Tell me a story.” I pleaded, and his mouth curved in a crooked smile. “Another?” he poked me, and I shot him a glare twin to the one he had sent at me.
“Legend has it that the moon believes it is bigger, so it is better. That is why it spends all of its time glowing brightly, trying to drown out the stars.” Ethan waved his hand up at the night sky, where the moon was shining. “But the stars have allies, Gloria. When there is one, there is hope. So the stars gather, even though their leader has disappeared. They wait for the day they can overthrow the tyranny of the darkness, and finally know the true meaning of freedom.” His eyes reflected the light as he looked at me, his eyes wide and solemn. As always, his enigmatic stories seemed to hold more than one meaning. I sighed, closing my eyes. “That’s all we see, Ethan. Stars, night, moon, darkness. Aren’t you sick of it?” I said, a little angrily. “The sun has died, Gloria. But there are other places of beauty in this world.” His voice was a little amused, “Learning the ways of Esthida is the only way we will survive and grow to become better than our predecessors.” He lay a hand across my back and the tension inside of me released itself slightly.
“One day, we will live again.”
ns 15.158.61.5da2
