132 comments

Speculative

Astronauts say that the moon is made of rock, but do you believe that?Β 


The moon is really made of tears: of regret, sorrow and grief. Surprised it hasn’t fallen out of space yet: tumbling through the endless void of stars and gas, because the moon is the one that carries all our burdens, and they can be immensely heavy.


Who might collect these tears, you ask?


There is a butterfly, made of silky light, one that softly shines through the darkness. It is the moon’s messenger, and flies down to Earth every night to gather the newly-scraped-out tears.


The butterfly has been there for all eternity, flying back and forth between Earth and the moon with its transparent, glowing wings. Does it have a name? I wouldn’t be sure if it could have a name, for it is much too ethereal to think of having one.


Tonight, the butterfly, with it’s beautiful grace and elegance, floated down to Earth to collect the new tears. It visited a little cottage first, nestled in the middle of the countryside, and heard something. Music, notes drifting up like leaves on a breeze, blew across the wind to the butterfly. It paused for a second, listening.


Through the open panes of a window, there sat a girl, singing and strumming her ukulele gently. Her short blonde hair drifted slightly in the wind, blowing around her neck while she sang.


Take me to the rooftop,

I wanna see the world when I stop breathing,

Turning blue…


The butterfly sat on a piece of wheat as the girl sang β€˜Listen Before I Go’, and not before long, a tear slid down the girl's cheek halfway through.


If you need me,

Wanna see me,

You better hurry,

I'm leaving soon…


Creeks flowed down, down and stained her instrument as the butterfly flew closer. The girl closed her eyes, immersed in the song, and the butterfly landed on her face. The wings glowed a touch brighter, and the tears soaked into the wings, making them radiate stronger. Once her cheeks were dry, the butterfly flew out the window as the girl ended.


Call my friends and tell them I love them,

And I’ll miss them…


❀~❀


The moon doesn’t really have phases because its position changes, does it?


It wanes when the tears fade away, when our minds are forgetting about all our regrets. The new moon is a time of hope: when we’ve forgotten, even for a moment, that our lives are perfect.


Every new moon is when the butterfly rests, for it’s the only day of the month that everyone is happy.


Next, the butterfly flitted off to a mansion nestled in the bustling city, but, as it was in the middle of the night, it was silent. The mansion was made of glass and gold ornaments decorated everything, crying out wealth. Inside, there were twelve floors, and the elevator was like a virtual reality game, the walls reflecting a different world. A boy sat on the seventh floor, in the room labeled 398. The butterfly flew through his open window, perched on the windowsill, and listened.


The boy had shaggy hair dyed green at the edges, beaming energy, but the colour did not match the boy’s face at all. He looked like a scraped out bowl of ice cream: insides all gone, but a few leftovers abandoned.Β 


A song called β€˜Sweater Weather’ started playing out of his Echo, and he whispered, β€œBiscuit…” He buried his face in his hands. β€œDon’t listen to strangers, Biscuit.” He sighed again and curled into a ball while the song played amongst his sobs, trailing down his hazel-coloured cheeks.


Cause it’s too cold,

For you here...


The butterfly watched as the boy sighed again and again, muttering to himself about his puppy, gone. The butterfly fluttered up to him, and rested on his knee as he muttered.


β€œDon’t listen to strangers…”


His tears raced down his face, as if fighting for first place. The butterfly glowed again as it soaked in his grief, and after collecting everything, the boy looked up with dry cheeks as the song finished.


And it’s too cold,

It’s too cold…


❀~❀


Are stars really made of bubbling gas, suspended in the sky?


They are actually made of your regrets: twinkling in the distance after you’ve forgotten about them, but they are still there, lingering.


People stargaze to peer at the far away constellations, to view something beautiful but tragic. Many people don’t realize that by the time they see those stars, they might be gone: exploded in the vastness of space. Many people also uncover many memories while stargazing, because searching for past regrets does open up a chest inside of you.


The butterfly swooped across dark meadows, speckled with little mountain flowers along the way. There sat two women: both lying on a picnic blanket with a woven basket next to them, gazing up at the stars.


β€œYou wish,” said one with inky hair, punching the other one who had platinum curls.


β€œOw!” The second one shouted out playfully, and their laughs were light but heavy at once. A silence nestled in between them, like a bird in its nest.


β€œI hope my grandma is doing okay,” said the first.


β€œDid anything happen?” asked the second.


β€œShe has lung cancer, and she was admitted into the hospital a few days ago. I really hope she’s okay.”

Buzz

The first woman’s phone rang, and she picked it up immediately.

β€œHello?”

β€œGrandma?”

β€œNo, you’ve got to be kidding me.”

β€œNo.”

β€œActually?”

The woman’s eyes fogged up with worry and tears, but kept talking.

β€œGrandma?”

β€œThis is Jade.”

β€œOkay, I will.”

β€œI love you Grandma, and I wanted to tell you that I still have that frog you crocheted for me when I was four.”

Jade smiled, tears flowing down, down.

β€œI love you.”

She tapped the phone screen, hung up and turned around to the other girl.


β€œI’m so sorry Kaela, but I gotta go, it’s an emergency, I’m so sorry,” said Jade hastily, and rushed down the hill, leaving Kaela alone.


Wondering about hearing Jade’s conversation, a pond that had formed in Kaela’s eyes started to drip down her cheeks as she imagined all the β€œwhat-ifs” that could’ve happened to Jade’s grandma. She also wondered about Jade, and what Jade would say if she knew...


Let’s just say that Kaela has a vast imagination.


Perched amongst the grass, the butterfly flitted up to Kaela’s face while her eyes were squeezed shut, dashing around under her eyelids. Standing on her freckled nose, the gossamer wings glowed brighter as it basked in Kaela’s tears. After drying her face, the now vibrant butterfly flew out and back into the sky.


The song β€˜Drivers License’ hung in the back of her head, like the cobweb in the corner of a house. It was Jade’s favourite song.


Gazing into space and not noticing her now dry face, Kaela twirled her golden hair around her finger and thought back to a part spiraling over and over in her mind:


β€˜Cause how could I ever love someone else?


❀~❀


While the butterfly soared through the sky of forgotten regrets and the orb of the moon, far down below sat a little girl on a swing. Looking at the stars as she swung back and forth, no old memories were unearthed, for she was young and hadn’t contributed much to the growth of the tear-doused moon.


As the butterfly neared the moon in the distance, the girl thought she spotted something aglow, far away, but later when she told her parents, they assured her that she had just been dreaming.

August 22, 2021 20:57

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132 comments

Graham Kinross
13:05 Apr 14, 2022

The start of this really grabbed me, it sounds like a fairy tale turned dark. Poetic but with sad undertones. I like it. It felt like the story version of a good Radiohead song.

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Crows_ Garden
18:54 Apr 12, 2022

I like this idea. Story too.

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18:35 Mar 29, 2022

help ame remember reedsy? 😭 REMEMBER THIS

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AHHHH ASODFGJAOJSGF;OAJGLOIKJASFJ;S

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00:39 Mar 26, 2023

STWRPGOJWRGPOOPGKOPK bro what would darla and melanie think if they saw this.... πŸ’€ also i just found out that half the people on here still don't know that we're friends irl LMAOO

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LMAOOOOOOOOOOO IF THEY DID REALLY ahhaha

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01:40 Mar 28, 2023

IKR "so how's melanie?"

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TIME TO SPREAD POSITIVITY (from Abi) WHEN I SAY "I AM" YOU SAY "LOVED" THEN COPY/PASTE THIS TO SOMEONE ON REEDSY AND CONTINUE THE CHAIN LETS SPREAD SOME POSITIVITY READY??? I AM-

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Victor .
17:11 Nov 29, 2021

Hello, my name is Nightmare Phantom, but you can call me Night or Mare or any other name you see fit. I am reaching out on reedsy to find more friends and meet more amazing people. If you are interested in getting to know me more, feel free to respond, if not, that's completely fine. I may seem stiff and emotionless at first but I'm a great person once you get to know me, at least I'd hope I am. ~Nightmare Phantom

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Dhwani Jain
12:37 Nov 15, 2021

Hello all! https://wp.me/pd3y1A-fD Please check out my latest post, THE VIRUS, YOU AND ME, a podcast. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did writing it! Dhwani Jain Dream DJ {https://djdhwanijain.wordpress.com/}

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hi! I'll check it out as soon as I can :)

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Dhwani Jain
02:49 Dec 22, 2021

Thanks Please do leave a comment there

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Michael Regan
19:17 Oct 19, 2021

Wow - Love it ❀~❀

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Dhwani Jain
08:30 Oct 02, 2021

The post is out guys! I can’t believe it the number of views it has gotten! Please do check it out! I am really happy with the response and would love it if you guys too check the post out!!! ~ Dhwani Jain {02-10-2021}

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Eren Yeagar
05:28 Sep 01, 2021

😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 wow I loved the concept!!!!😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 wOwZeEeEe πŸ‘‘

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17:09 Aug 28, 2021

Hi.

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12:30 Aug 29, 2021

How are you?

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I'm...still on the train tracks lol, hbu?

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13:37 Aug 31, 2021

I'm still trying to write my Reedsycast, but Ivy Carter introduced me to fantasy versions of those fashion games and I'm making all the characters instead of writing it...

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ooh XD that sounds really cool! :D

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Danny -
09:14 Aug 26, 2021

HAPPY 40th STORY, AMEEE!!!!!!!!!! Wowww :o I think probably most of the comments already said wow but alsjkhgdals this is seriouslyy amazing! I just love the concept of the butterfly, the moon, stars, and everything. Your words described everything so nicely. As you get deeper into the story, it felt like finding something new from a box of treasures (if that makes sense). Listening to the songs was a nice touch too :) Now I'll be thinking of this story whenever I look at the sky at night~

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THANK YOU DANNY <33 ahhh tysmmmm <3333 <33 :D

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Danny -
09:13 Aug 27, 2021

OF COURSEE <33 :D no problemmm~~~ c:

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Sia S
16:19 Aug 24, 2021

I do not have words for this Amethystttt So etheral! So mystical. Wow. This should get a shortlist at least!

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aksdjfksdjkf thank you siaaaaaaa <333

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Sia S
08:54 Aug 27, 2021

<333

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Philia S
08:56 Aug 23, 2021

Wow. No seriously, wow. I love this! Just a lil thing I noticed before I jump into singing praises of this story: "....with a woven basket next to him...." shouldn't it be 'them' instead of 'him'? XD Anyways, I'm off to tell scientist that they were wrong all along about moons and stars and that they should read your story because it's abso-blooming-lutely wonderful.

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thank you!!! oop yes XDD thank you for finding that <3 ahhh tyyy <3

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TJ Squared
22:23 Aug 22, 2021

Wowwwwwwwwwwww HAPPY 40 STORIES!!!!!!! But seriously, wow. This was touching really. I’m not sure if I can ever look at the moon or stars the same again. Tons of emotions flowed throughout, and it really really spoke well. I really like this one, so heartfelt and creative!

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Thank you <: asdfsdfjkjsdasdf thank you Tiff :D <3

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TJ Squared
23:24 Aug 22, 2021

:>>>> Np wdgyrfbokvfukbx :D

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TJ Squared
20:38 Aug 24, 2021

<3333

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hello!! doesn't really fit the prompt XD woohoo 40th story :DDD I would recommend listening to the songs as you read the corresponding parts, just to fit the vibe :) but you don't have to, of course. songs + artists: Listen Before I Go ~ Billie Eilish Sweater Weather ~ The Neighbourhood Drivers License ~ Olivia Rodrigo credits to Saph for helping come up with one of the songs!!! <33 Hope you like it!! :) ~ Amethyst

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Unknown User
08:11 Mar 18, 2022

<removed by user>

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