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Talking to the moon
Gregor is alone. The air is cold, and his breathing is the only sound. He watches his cloudy breath dissipate into the night air. It’s a welcome distraction from this gnawing feeling.
Today Gregor was let go. He knew he was not the best worker, but it was still unexpected. He had done his best. If he had cash, he would drink to chase away his shame. Instead he stands outside of his apartment, stares into an open space, and hopes the harsh street lights will illuminate an answer to the questions half formed in his mind.
When they don’t, he turns toward his apartment to escape the cold, but not before catching the eye of the sharp crescent moon. It’s beauty is haunting. In silence it tells him it knows things that he doesn't know. It holds the wisdom of the heavens, and watches cruelly as he scrambles to find his way on earth. If he could be like it, beautiful, commanding the seas and looking down on all, could he be satisfied? Or can not even the moon escape the loneliness of the soul?
He watches it for quite a long time, a strangely long time, lost in thought, before entering his apartment and shutting the door with a weak thud. He strips off his heavy clothing and rolls into bed. He lays on his side, but the refuge of sleep doesn’t come. The inescapable moon is a sadistic smile outside his window. It reminds him that his lack of sleep doesn’t matter, as there’s nothing tomorrow worth waking up for. Sleepless, he stares at it as if in a trance. Slowly, he starts to speak.
"Hey."
Silence.
"Hey you."
"You think you're better than me?"
"You're not better than me. You sit up in the sky, away from all this shit. If you were like me, you wouldn't know how to live either. If God had given me your place in this dump of a world, I would consider myself lucky, and I wouldn't look down on people just trying to get by."
A short while passed in silence.
"I'm sorry."
But how could he be forgiven?
The next day’s blue sky sears into him like a beam from a magnifying glass. He stays too long in bed and spends the day waiting for its end. When night finally comes, there is no moon. Gregor is alone once more.
© katiewrites
Today Gregor was let go. He knew he was not the best worker, but it was still unexpected. He had done his best. If he had cash, he would drink to chase away his shame. Instead he stands outside of his apartment, stares into an open space, and hopes the harsh street lights will illuminate an answer to the questions half formed in his mind.
When they don’t, he turns toward his apartment to escape the cold, but not before catching the eye of the sharp crescent moon. It’s beauty is haunting. In silence it tells him it knows things that he doesn't know. It holds the wisdom of the heavens, and watches cruelly as he scrambles to find his way on earth. If he could be like it, beautiful, commanding the seas and looking down on all, could he be satisfied? Or can not even the moon escape the loneliness of the soul?
He watches it for quite a long time, a strangely long time, lost in thought, before entering his apartment and shutting the door with a weak thud. He strips off his heavy clothing and rolls into bed. He lays on his side, but the refuge of sleep doesn’t come. The inescapable moon is a sadistic smile outside his window. It reminds him that his lack of sleep doesn’t matter, as there’s nothing tomorrow worth waking up for. Sleepless, he stares at it as if in a trance. Slowly, he starts to speak.
"Hey."
Silence.
"Hey you."
"You think you're better than me?"
"You're not better than me. You sit up in the sky, away from all this shit. If you were like me, you wouldn't know how to live either. If God had given me your place in this dump of a world, I would consider myself lucky, and I wouldn't look down on people just trying to get by."
A short while passed in silence.
"I'm sorry."
But how could he be forgiven?
The next day’s blue sky sears into him like a beam from a magnifying glass. He stays too long in bed and spends the day waiting for its end. When night finally comes, there is no moon. Gregor is alone once more.
© katiewrites
