The Girl and the Empty Moon

There was once a Girl who loved the Sun with all her heart.  And she loved the Moon with all her soul.  She loved the Skies with their twin faces, whom in the background watched over all.

The Sun shone her rays when she was happy and warmed the Girl, the Moon, and the Skies.  But when she was sad or angry, she withdrew her warmth and all felt it’s loss.

The Moon could coax the Sun out of her wrath with his charm and light.  His laughter was contagious; his need for adoration so great that he produced a magnetic pull.  The Sun, Girl, and Skies were waves drawn to the Moon.

The Girl lost herself to the Sun’s warmth, the Moons pull, and the Skies’ embrace.  For their love and power felt greater than she, or so she thought.  The Girl was content to be just the girl.  She was content to praise the Sun, attend and worship the Moon, and be humbled by the Skies.

Then one day something new began to grow!  Little pops of color began to spread through the Girl’s world.  They were small and fragile and absolutely stunning.  The Girl could not believe her heart could be so full by the New.

The Sun was at first cautious and unsure, not knowing whether to shine or hide.  The Skies watched with a wary eye but their embrace remained open as always.  

However, the Moon, forever mischievous, confided in the ever-attending Girl that the creation of the New was his.  He rejoiced in the New’s beauty and named them Flowers.  

Eventually seeing that the Moon was joyous and accepting, the Sun came to welcome the Flowers.  Their color brought her joy.  She was generous with her warmth and continually shined.  Upon seeing the Moon’s draw to the Flowers, the Skies became less wary and watched the Flowers with an appreciative eye.  The Moon was proud of himself and congratulated himself on the creation. And so, the Girl’s world was full of harmony which filled her heart with even more love.

The Girl continued to praise the Sun, worship the Moon, and be humbled by the Skies.  But now the Flowers gave her something else to do for they were fragile and needed tending.  The Girl felt a kinship to the Flowers’ small delicacy for she was small and delicate too in comparison to the Sun, Moon, and Skies.  She admired the Flowers’ resilience to grow in the big world.

So, the Girl made sure the Sun stayed happy so the Flowers could bask in the Sun’s warmth.  She made sure the Moon was attended so he would continue to create the Flowers.  She made sure the Skies were content so they would embrace all.

However, the Moon began to feel less worshipped for the Girl was busy nurturing the Flowers and spent less time with the Moon.  He felt less of the Sun’s attention for she needed no coaxing to shine knowing her warmth helped the Flowers thrive.  The Moon felt annoyed for the Skies shed tears of joy watching the Flowers grow.  The tears nurished the Flowers but left the Moon cold and damp.  The Moon felt ignored by the Flowers too.  He wanted them to worship as the Girl did.  He wanted their attention and adoration in honor of their creation.  

What the Moon did not know was that because the Flowers were created from his light, they recognized what was behind the charm, the contagious laughter, the shine.  Emptiness.  They did not feel his magnetic pull unlike the Girl, Sun, and Skies.  The Flowers were immune to the magnetism and were able to stand on their own with support from the Girl.

The Moon’s emptiness grew.  It grew and grew more.  It grew until it was the only thing he felt.  He became desperate for the Girl’s worshipping.  Desperate for the Sun’s attention.  Desperate to feel the Skies’ dry embrace.  He finally realized he would never receive the Flowers’ adoration, so he ignored them and set out to regain what he felt he lost by their creation. 

The Moon’s emptiness became tangible. Instead of creating more beautiful Flowers, his creations became prickly and prolific smothering everything they touched.  The girl realized the New-New creation wasn’t something delicate or resilient or full of life.  It was the Moon’s emptiness incarnate.  She pulled the prickly things desperate to save her beloved Flowers and her world of harmony.  She loved the Moon despite his emptiness.  She loved the Flowers.  She loved the Sun.  She loved the Skies.  But all were in danger of the emptiness.

As the Girl worked, the Moon worked too.  He began to feed the Sun, Skies and even the Girl stories of the Flowers’ haughtiness to the prickly things.  He said the flowers thought themselves superior to not only the New-New but also to the Sun, Skies, and Girl.  The Girl knew this not to be true.  She knew the Flowers were fighting for survival from the Moon’s emptiness, not declaring themselves better than all.  The Girl tried to convince the Sun and Skies that the Moon was truly empty and the emptiness was destroying the world but the Moon’s pool on the Sun and Skies was too strong.  

The Sun shouted, “Girl you must worship the moon!  What will happen to the moon if he is not adored?  Flowers, you must acknowledge the pull of the Moon for he is your creator!” 

The Skies softly pleaded, “Girl, the Moon is wanting of your attending.  If you do not attend him, this life will end.  Why can you not think of the us, the Skies, or of the Sun?  The Flowers will learn to live with the prickly things.”

The Girl was too stunned to sing the Sun’s praises for she could not believe the Sun could not see the Moon’s emptiness taking over the land. The bright colored flowers no longer had the same effect on the Sun, so she withdrew her rays.  The Sun hoped the New and the New-New would cease without her warmth and she could return to the world of Girl, Skies, and Moon.

The Skies were wrong about the Flowers.  The Flowers could not live with the empty prickly things and they were afraid the Sun would forever withhold her warmth.  The Girl tried with all her might to protect them but the Flowers knew something needed to change in order for their survival.  So, they shed their petals and let their seeds drift in the wind to transform into their own creation.  The Girl drifted with them, available to nurture if needed.  

No matter where the Flowers drifted or how they transformed, the Moon always found them again and again.  In turns the Moon shouted the Flowers’ malicious indifference at the Sun and Skies, then begged the Flowers for attention.  He even tried to entice the Flowers with moon dust.  The Flowers were not fooled and relied on their own resilience and the Girl’s nurturing. But it was not enough and the Flowers began to wither, suffocated by the empty New-New.

Finally, the Girl could not take the heart ache any longer.  She wanted the Sun to shine, she wanted the Moon to have at least some of his emptiness filled, she wanted the Skies to once again embrace all, and she wanted the Flowers to flourish without the threat of the prickly things.  So, she called on the Skies.  She asked the Skies to take the Sun and Moon forever in their embrace high into the world where the Sun could shine always and the Moon could not create. The Girl knew she may not be able to feel the all-encompassing warmth of the Sun as she once did.  She would never be able to worship the Moon again.  And the embrace of the Skies would be more like a light caress rather than an inundation of feeling.  She endured for she found her own resilience.  

Seeing that the world no longer held the harmony it once did, the Skies agreed with the Girl.  In their embrace they convinced the Sun and Moon that high in the world was best for the three to be.  First the Sun was distraught as she did not want to be away from the Girl but, in the end, the Moon’s pool was too great and the Sun agreed to go.  The Moon was, by this time, too empty to argue.  So, the three traveled high into the world.

With the Moon so high in the world, he could no longer create the prickly things.  They withered and died without the Moon’s emptiness to feed them.

But oh, how the Flowers flourished!  They no longer needed a creator for they already had transformed into their own being.  They also no longer needed nourishment from the Girl and realized the Girl also needed to transform into her own being.  This was something the Flowers knew the Girl needed to do on her own.  The strong, resilient, and beautiful Flowers told the Girl goodbye and wished the Girl happiness. 

So, the Girl left to find a new land in the world.  As she traveled, she felt the light warmth of the sun, the gentle caress of the skies, and when she glanced at the moon high in the world, she hoped he found a way to fill his emptiness and be worthy of worship.  But never by her.  When the girl was no longer a girl but a lady, she grew tired of traveling.  She came upon a land with a smiling Sea.  The water called to her, so she told him her story.  When she cried, his salty warm breeze mingled with her tears until they felt as one.  His gentle waves helped her keep her bearings whenever she felt lost or alone.  She told the smiling Sea of the Flowers and he encouraged her, with his help, to create her own.  Within this new content, harmonious place the Lady and the Sea began to cultivate a garden with love in their hearts.