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MOONSHAME
It was a particularly beautiful moonlit night. Winds of winter had carried off the clouds far away, leaving behind a clear winter sky for the moon to show off his shine.
A spirit, a god of unparalleled beauty, he liked to show off his fair parts while also trying to hide his dark spots, of which he was ashamed. Always alone in the nightly sky, for the stars despised him for dimming their presence and the clouds only ever came close to cover him up. Thus he always looked to the earth for consolation.
A symbol of youth and romantic love, he had always found company in the midst of lovers, to whom he was a guide, a muse, a mirror for their beloved. They would shower him with praise and poetry, and in return he would do his best to please his followers. Sometimes he would whisper aspirations and dreams of love in their ears, sometimes he would provide his beautiful light like a blessing on the lovemaking of a couple, and sometimes he would just be a muse, a model, for the artists and the poets. But the most common duty that he performed was to show the face of their beloved to the distant lovers in his own image so that their hearts remained content and love unchanged. Sometimes he would become a beautiful maiden, sometimes a chiseled man, ever changing, ever happy, filling his role as a guardian of love.
When he was not working, he would listen to the hearts of the lovesick. He loved to hear the thoughts of the men and women, who would stand in his light in a lonely full moon night. Sometimes alone, sometimes not, these people would look towards the moon with a lovesick heart and the moon god's eyes would find them, his ears would hear their thoughts and his heart would connect to theirs. Some would wish for the success of an unrequited love while some simply wished to find love, some remember their past while some think of their future.
The moon god loved to hear these stories and he loved to think up best ways to help them. And nights like these were his favourites, as he was free from any hindrance from the clouds. As the clear skied night passed on, the moon god looked to the mountains where he felt a lovesick heart beat. His eyes fell upon a woman of youth and considerable beauty. She was standing on the side of a fairly abandoned mountain road. Aside from headlights of vehicles that would pass her by in every fifteen to twenty minutes, she had no other source of light or company except the moon god himself.
The woman was standing near a moped she was wearing work clothes associated in this day and age with IT companies. With her hair tied back in a ponytail, the exhaustion in her face was clearly visible. But even in that state, the moon god only saw a beautiful flower when he saw her, a flower that had taken on a storm and as a result had been bent on its stem, tired and weak, yet defiantly unbroken and still blossoming with full confidence. The god was filled with admiration and hope, hope for a stirring romance. So he listened to her heart to do his work but was surprised to find it missing something.
She was missing a beloved. Having devoted herself to her duties to her poor ailing family and a determination to succeed to make her future circumstances better than her past, she had made herself ever distant from love. Slowly and steadily, since her childhood, she had shut of that part of herself that expected a prince charming and a pony. Her heart had been hardened by the harsh world around her. Although her heart at the moment, was simply confused, as it would seem she had been arranged for marriage by her family to a wealthy prosperous man.
As hard as he looked in her heart, the moon god could not find any malice, contempt or even anger against this arrangement. She was not unhappy, she would finally have a prosperous future that she had worked hard for. At this night, she was simply looking at the moon with a confused heart. The moon god could not understand why his gaze fell on this woman while he was looking for the lovesick, so he decided to look deeper into her heart. As his gaze reached the very depths of her heart, out of reach from her own understanding he found a glimmer of love, which was almost an infatuation. He found her to be in love with him, the moon.
He wasn't shocked or afraid, after all it wasn't the first time someone had fallen in love with the moon himself. But he did feel pity, he thought, "what a lovely lonely woman she is." She had buried her own feelings deep inside the very depths of her heart yet she was still human, she was still a woman. Having had to face a sudden forced change in her life with the arranged marriage some of her buried emotions were rising to the surface. Unable to understand these emotions and unwilling to share them with others due to an uneasiness caused by years of locking these feelings away. She found peace in her solitude with the moon as her audience. And passing by it everyday on her way home she would stop somewhere she could see it shining brightly. And like a confessors relief, her heart began to feel lighter, but she also developed a confusion in the depths of her heart. She had begun to cherish her times with the moon as her audience. On nights without the moon on the sky she would simply ride on without stopping, bit saddened. This feeling had begun to manifest itself as love. And it seems the moon god's gaze for lovesickness had spotted just this.
On realizing this the moon god didn't particularly feel any indication towards her. He simply started thinking of ways of helping her, as was his nature. Since he was ever unable to feel love. For he was a spirit, an immortal god, and due to his immortal nature he was unable to feel a mortal emotion like passionate love. His only emotions came from the joy of helping his worshipers. The woman's problem was rare but nothing new to the god who had seen ages and ages and many forms of love. He resolved to make her find passion by giving flame to her subconscious love for the moon. He would teach her to open up her heart and become a muse and a guide to her, that's what he thought.
All this while, the woman had been staring at the moon, with an ever melancholic look on her face, although in contrast actually enjoying the brief moment of passion in her heart, however unaware of her own feelings.
The moon god reached out to her with his invisible arms of dim light and embraced her and suddenly she felt a ray of warmth. For the first time in a long time, she smiled, shocking herself in the moment. To her it felt like the sudden realization of something she couldn't comprehend, like having moved to tears while listening to music or being inexplicably captivated by a painting. A tear rolled down her right cheek, with simple acceptance of the unknown she put her arms around herself, closed her eyes and hugged tightly, giving a most peaceful smile. The moon god became so smitten by that smile that the duration of the smile marked the brightest moments of the night.
With the embrace of the unseen and unknown spirit, the woman had realised her passion, her love for the moon. She accepted it without fear, contempt or regret. The moon god's plan seemed to have worked, moreover very easily too. He thought how in that embrace they were both like lovers themselves, meeting in secret in a beautiful night and giving their love a physical form in their embrace. He was starting to fancy this woman, even if unable to love, he was still capable of affection, same of what he felt for his followers, but for her he was feeling a bit more.
Releasing her from his embrace, but not yet letting go, the god looked at her heart again. While she was more open to herself now, she still had the same ambitions of worldly prosperity. The moon god knew he could never completely change her heart but he had hoped to inspire her to have a passionate love with someone one day. For that is all he knew, that was all he was, a spirit, and she a human, they could never be one. The moon god knew that her ambition as a human was not wrong, its just that as a god of youth and love, he had hoped for more.
He knew he had to let go of her soon and that he had held her long enough. Longer possession of her by him would result in him being punished by the forces of restoration and order. But he found himself unable to, he wanted to hold on to her, just a bit longer, just a bit more. He, a god, a spirit found himself fancying this creature of poor circumstances. He knows it isn't love, for he is an immortal spirit, incapable of love. He knows its just fancy, an interest to know her more, to feel her more. But time is up, the strong hands of the wind yanks him from her side and throws him in his place covering him with clouds as punishment for his offense.
The woman finally opens her eyes and feels a sad relief. As if she had let go of a heavy burden that she didn't want to let go of. Unaware of the supernatural events that took place around her she takes a deep breath, feeling lighter in the heart than she was before she got there, she starts up her moped. As she sits on the moped she looks up at the moon again unable to see it due to the clouds, she anyways says "goodbye", feeling an inexplicable drive to. The moon god unable to see her, hears this, and his light seems to become dimmer than before.
During the next full moon people notice that there is a new dark spot in the moon, not too big but clear enough to see. The moon god tries to hide it but is unable to, due to his round frame.
© Kai1992
A spirit, a god of unparalleled beauty, he liked to show off his fair parts while also trying to hide his dark spots, of which he was ashamed. Always alone in the nightly sky, for the stars despised him for dimming their presence and the clouds only ever came close to cover him up. Thus he always looked to the earth for consolation.
A symbol of youth and romantic love, he had always found company in the midst of lovers, to whom he was a guide, a muse, a mirror for their beloved. They would shower him with praise and poetry, and in return he would do his best to please his followers. Sometimes he would whisper aspirations and dreams of love in their ears, sometimes he would provide his beautiful light like a blessing on the lovemaking of a couple, and sometimes he would just be a muse, a model, for the artists and the poets. But the most common duty that he performed was to show the face of their beloved to the distant lovers in his own image so that their hearts remained content and love unchanged. Sometimes he would become a beautiful maiden, sometimes a chiseled man, ever changing, ever happy, filling his role as a guardian of love.
When he was not working, he would listen to the hearts of the lovesick. He loved to hear the thoughts of the men and women, who would stand in his light in a lonely full moon night. Sometimes alone, sometimes not, these people would look towards the moon with a lovesick heart and the moon god's eyes would find them, his ears would hear their thoughts and his heart would connect to theirs. Some would wish for the success of an unrequited love while some simply wished to find love, some remember their past while some think of their future.
The moon god loved to hear these stories and he loved to think up best ways to help them. And nights like these were his favourites, as he was free from any hindrance from the clouds. As the clear skied night passed on, the moon god looked to the mountains where he felt a lovesick heart beat. His eyes fell upon a woman of youth and considerable beauty. She was standing on the side of a fairly abandoned mountain road. Aside from headlights of vehicles that would pass her by in every fifteen to twenty minutes, she had no other source of light or company except the moon god himself.
The woman was standing near a moped she was wearing work clothes associated in this day and age with IT companies. With her hair tied back in a ponytail, the exhaustion in her face was clearly visible. But even in that state, the moon god only saw a beautiful flower when he saw her, a flower that had taken on a storm and as a result had been bent on its stem, tired and weak, yet defiantly unbroken and still blossoming with full confidence. The god was filled with admiration and hope, hope for a stirring romance. So he listened to her heart to do his work but was surprised to find it missing something.
She was missing a beloved. Having devoted herself to her duties to her poor ailing family and a determination to succeed to make her future circumstances better than her past, she had made herself ever distant from love. Slowly and steadily, since her childhood, she had shut of that part of herself that expected a prince charming and a pony. Her heart had been hardened by the harsh world around her. Although her heart at the moment, was simply confused, as it would seem she had been arranged for marriage by her family to a wealthy prosperous man.
As hard as he looked in her heart, the moon god could not find any malice, contempt or even anger against this arrangement. She was not unhappy, she would finally have a prosperous future that she had worked hard for. At this night, she was simply looking at the moon with a confused heart. The moon god could not understand why his gaze fell on this woman while he was looking for the lovesick, so he decided to look deeper into her heart. As his gaze reached the very depths of her heart, out of reach from her own understanding he found a glimmer of love, which was almost an infatuation. He found her to be in love with him, the moon.
He wasn't shocked or afraid, after all it wasn't the first time someone had fallen in love with the moon himself. But he did feel pity, he thought, "what a lovely lonely woman she is." She had buried her own feelings deep inside the very depths of her heart yet she was still human, she was still a woman. Having had to face a sudden forced change in her life with the arranged marriage some of her buried emotions were rising to the surface. Unable to understand these emotions and unwilling to share them with others due to an uneasiness caused by years of locking these feelings away. She found peace in her solitude with the moon as her audience. And passing by it everyday on her way home she would stop somewhere she could see it shining brightly. And like a confessors relief, her heart began to feel lighter, but she also developed a confusion in the depths of her heart. She had begun to cherish her times with the moon as her audience. On nights without the moon on the sky she would simply ride on without stopping, bit saddened. This feeling had begun to manifest itself as love. And it seems the moon god's gaze for lovesickness had spotted just this.
On realizing this the moon god didn't particularly feel any indication towards her. He simply started thinking of ways of helping her, as was his nature. Since he was ever unable to feel love. For he was a spirit, an immortal god, and due to his immortal nature he was unable to feel a mortal emotion like passionate love. His only emotions came from the joy of helping his worshipers. The woman's problem was rare but nothing new to the god who had seen ages and ages and many forms of love. He resolved to make her find passion by giving flame to her subconscious love for the moon. He would teach her to open up her heart and become a muse and a guide to her, that's what he thought.
All this while, the woman had been staring at the moon, with an ever melancholic look on her face, although in contrast actually enjoying the brief moment of passion in her heart, however unaware of her own feelings.
The moon god reached out to her with his invisible arms of dim light and embraced her and suddenly she felt a ray of warmth. For the first time in a long time, she smiled, shocking herself in the moment. To her it felt like the sudden realization of something she couldn't comprehend, like having moved to tears while listening to music or being inexplicably captivated by a painting. A tear rolled down her right cheek, with simple acceptance of the unknown she put her arms around herself, closed her eyes and hugged tightly, giving a most peaceful smile. The moon god became so smitten by that smile that the duration of the smile marked the brightest moments of the night.
With the embrace of the unseen and unknown spirit, the woman had realised her passion, her love for the moon. She accepted it without fear, contempt or regret. The moon god's plan seemed to have worked, moreover very easily too. He thought how in that embrace they were both like lovers themselves, meeting in secret in a beautiful night and giving their love a physical form in their embrace. He was starting to fancy this woman, even if unable to love, he was still capable of affection, same of what he felt for his followers, but for her he was feeling a bit more.
Releasing her from his embrace, but not yet letting go, the god looked at her heart again. While she was more open to herself now, she still had the same ambitions of worldly prosperity. The moon god knew he could never completely change her heart but he had hoped to inspire her to have a passionate love with someone one day. For that is all he knew, that was all he was, a spirit, and she a human, they could never be one. The moon god knew that her ambition as a human was not wrong, its just that as a god of youth and love, he had hoped for more.
He knew he had to let go of her soon and that he had held her long enough. Longer possession of her by him would result in him being punished by the forces of restoration and order. But he found himself unable to, he wanted to hold on to her, just a bit longer, just a bit more. He, a god, a spirit found himself fancying this creature of poor circumstances. He knows it isn't love, for he is an immortal spirit, incapable of love. He knows its just fancy, an interest to know her more, to feel her more. But time is up, the strong hands of the wind yanks him from her side and throws him in his place covering him with clouds as punishment for his offense.
The woman finally opens her eyes and feels a sad relief. As if she had let go of a heavy burden that she didn't want to let go of. Unaware of the supernatural events that took place around her she takes a deep breath, feeling lighter in the heart than she was before she got there, she starts up her moped. As she sits on the moped she looks up at the moon again unable to see it due to the clouds, she anyways says "goodbye", feeling an inexplicable drive to. The moon god unable to see her, hears this, and his light seems to become dimmer than before.
During the next full moon people notice that there is a new dark spot in the moon, not too big but clear enough to see. The moon god tries to hide it but is unable to, due to his round frame.
© Kai1992
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