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Moon Fairy
"22! 23! 16! Hut! Hut! Hut!"
I rushed back with the football in my hand as she yelled out for a blitz and come rushing towards me. In the car light beaming from my '86 chevrolet, we play football here in the park before Mindy goes to work. Just the two of us most every night. I cut to my right and tried to go around her and past her, but she met my footwork and BAM! I find myself laying on the ground with a few yards lost. I shouldn't have rushed back too far.
"Whew," she exclaimed. "Enough exercise for one night for me. Let just lay on our back. Look at the stars."
That was fine with me I thought as I laid on my back to gaze up at the sky. The stars were out and so was the moon. The moon was like a big ball of shining pearl shining down on to the earth.
"So," she said. "How do you like your new day job?"
"I love it just fine. I can wake up in the morning and go to work then come home and have the night to do whatever I wanted. That old graveyard shift can suck major ass."
"Ha ha, don't rub it in," she smiled. "Most of us are not that fortunate."
Then we just laid there seeming to wait until it was time for her to take off for work. We always talked a little bit just to help pass away the time and, I felt, as if she's always trying to figure me out. I try to be spontaneous every now and then. Keep them guessing was my motto.
"If you can have anything in the world that you want, what would it be?" she asked the question softly. So softly that I could almost feel the wind brushing across my face but it was her breath. She was now propped on a shoulder on that grass looking into my eyes when I turn my head to look at her face.
"I'm not so sure yet. I guess I just want to find that one thing that I am looking for but the trouble of it is, I have no idea what it is yet. What would you go for?"
At this, she laid back down on her back again and smiled. "I'll have that moon. That one big giant rock up there."
I laughed at this notion. "And exactly what would you do with it?"
"I don't know. I guess I could place it on my shelf somewhere in my house. Maybe put it inside a box and pass it on down to my grandchildren when they graduate school. Be like 'Here's a moon that's been missing for years.' And maybe watch my children freak out when they realized that the reason the moon's been missing for so long was because I have it. There's a story for the family."
"Why would you take the moon away from the people?"
"I don't know. Maybe because I am so cynical about the notion of falling in love. Just no right guys for me you know?"
"Maybe he didn't come along yet. Maybe it just ain't your time yet. Of course, there's a bunch of clich? for that sort of thing."
"Yeah," she sighed. "Maybe." She laid there quiet for a moment then she got on her elbow again as to place her head on her hand. "Did I ever tell you about this dream I had about the moon?"
"No, you never did."
"Well, I had a dream that the one man that was meant for me was able to take that moon and place it in his pocket. That would be my husband right there. There's this sort of a faceless figure that just walks up to me on a very very dark, moonless night, and why it was moonless was soon to be revealed, and he took out this little white ball then the sky just lit up sorta aqua white. The little ball he had was the moon and then there was an image of the heart then I woke up."
"Weird dream," I replied. "Your unconscious seems to be more romantic than your conscious mind."
"Yeah," she smiled. "It is ain't it?" She glanced at her watch then said that she had better get off to work. She leaned over to kiss me on my forehead before she got up and walked to her car. I was still laying there, looking at the moon when she drove away.
"So Mindy wants the moon," I mused to myself still laying there on that cold grass. "I hope she finds the guy who can put the moon in her pocket because" -I chuckled softly- "she sure deserve such a man. But won't it be sweet to be just that man to put a moon in a pocket? Nah, it's just a dream."
I fianally sat up hugging my knees and looked across the field glistening in the moonlight.
Then I heard a voice behind me. "I want you to have the moon!"
Startled, I look back to see a figure of a woman in white with long blond hair.
"Who are you?" I demanded.
"My name is Claudette," she answered. "I think I am what they call a fairy but I'm not sure."
"But, you're too big to be a fairy."
"No Ben," she shook her head. "I suppose that you don't believe in fairies. Like the fairy godmother in Snow White?"
"How'd you know my name?"
"I'm a fairy. I know all. Now, I'm here to tell you that you are just the guy to put a moon in your pocket for Mindy. Or otherwise it would just break her heart. Do you ever wonder why she wouldn't marry anyone in these past years?"
"Nah," I replied. "I always assumed it's because she wasn't interested in getting married."
Just as soon as I have said that, I felt something that felt like a brick hitting me in my nose. When I touched the spot just above my lips, there was blood. Meanwhile, Claudette was happily dancing.
"Oh I just knew I can still punch hard." Then she stopped just long enough to tell me sweet dreams and she called me darling just before I felt myself passing out.
I found myself in the hallway in the apartment where I lived. Naturally, I strolled into the kitchen and Claudette was there along with Mindy over the stove.
"Good morning Ben," Mindy said. "I got scrambled eggs ready for you just before I turn in for the night. Here have a taste."
Mindy was also my roommate and we lived together to help cut the costs of living. Helping each other with the rent, having someone to talk to whenever one of us gets home, someone to spend time on days off. It's good to have company when the world outside gets to be a drag.
It's the sight of Claudette in this all so familiar scene that bothered me.
"What are you doing here?" I asked her.
Claudette smiled. "Oh you'd better be quiet. See, Mindy cannot see me see?"
"Who are you talking to?" Mindy asked and I could see a little concern in her eyes.
"Nobody," I said looking at Claudette. "My mind just seems to go haywire."
"Ain't this sweet Ben?" Claudette remarked. "She stayed up after getting off work just to cook you breakfast. What a very very sweet girl. Why she's just the type of girl I'd take home to meet my mother, if only I have a mother. Fairies don't have mother you see?"
"Uh huh," I mumbled. "Nice, just nice."
"Thank you," Mindy smiled. "Now I'm tired and I'm going to bed." She kissed me on the cheek. "Good night."
"Now Ben," Claudette said. "I want you to listen and listen really hard. You'll never know what you might just hear."
I thought I heard, just as soon as Mindy closed the door, that she said, "I love you Ben. Good night sweetheart."
I turned to look at Claudette who seemed to be caressing my black motorcycle jacket laid on the chair. "Do you like what you've heard?" She picked up the leather jacket. "Can you reciprocate that?" Here, she put on the leather jacket. "Nice jacket. I think I'll keep it. Ain't this mucho coolness?" Then she started walking. "You know I told James Dean that he should be in that movie A Rebel Without a Cause. Yep, I was the one who started the idea of coolness, or helped it along I think. I'm not sure. But what a fun ruckus."
"I think I'd better go in that room."
"Oh sure go ahead," Claudette said.
I opened up the door and found myself in an open field in the middle of the night.
"Oh welcome Ben! About time you showed up!" Claudette was off in a not very far distance, and she was still wearing my leather jacket. "Come here!"
I walked up to her.
"Look over there. A moon just laying on that hill. Why don't you go for it?"
"Are you sure I'm the one?"
"Well, look inside your heart. Why did you wanted to go in that room after hearing what Mindy said about you?"
"I'm not sure if I heard her right."
"Ah, curious are you? I love this jacket. You know? I was always envious of anybody who owns this jacket. Mucho coolness ain't I?"
"yeah yeah," I said with my arms crossed. "Whatever works."
"So curious if you had heard her right hmmm?"
"Maybe, maybe not."
"Why do they all have to say maybe, maybe not?"
"Because I'm not sure."
"Well, she's in your heart. You really appreciate what she's done for you, making you breakfast. Ok. Tell me about a certain memory that you have about her."
"Well, there was this one Valentine's Day."
Claudette pleads that I tell her all about it and I did. I told her that this one particular Valentine's Day not too long ago, we both had no one to really look forward to. I was more or less looking forward to eating Death By Chocolate specialty ice cream that night when there was a knock at the door. Mindy was there reading a book and she had looked up and told me I'd better go see who it was. When I answered the door, a flower delivery guy handed over a dozen roses which had, quite frankly, left me stunned. Then right away, I had assumed it was for Mindy but the envelope revealed that it was for me. Mindy was jumping off the couch getting all excited and had told me to read the card. The message was simply this: "Hope you have a Happy Valentine Day, Love, your roomate Mindy." There was no further question as to who I was going to take out to dinner that night. Just a few nights before that, I was telling her that I was not looking forward to Valentine's Day and she came through just for me.
"Well, there you go. Ain't that a great memory? How much did this jacket set you back?"
"Probably about a hundred dollars or so. So you think I can catch that moon and put it in my pocket?"
"Why of course. She loves you and when she told you about her dream, she was secretly hoping you would do that for her. All you got to do is walk up there and put it in your pocket. It will be small, almost likle a little shining pearl. That and let me keep this jacket. Ok I lied, you don't have to let me keep this jacket. But I gotta have this jacket!"
I gnored her request and started walking towards the moon that seems to be resting on the top of this hill not far away. I was pretty sure it was an illusion and that as soon as I reach the top of that hill, the moon would still be way up in the sky. The event had seemed weird to me what with the fairy hanging around and I felt for sure, that I was still alying in the park in the headlight of my chevrolet just waiting to wake up or for some police officer to be driving by and getting suspicious. "Get up," he would say while shining the flashlight down into my face. I would mumble something about how I supposed I must've fallen asleep and then just get in the car and drive on home. But I was still feeling the earth under me walking towards that moon shining like a beacon from the hill. Aren't dreams supposed to feel lightless, I wondered. Then I found myself standing a few feet from the moon. It seemed to be smaller than ever, growing smaller each time I get closer to it. I took a few step closer and it was like a little shining marble that I used to play jacks with. I bent over and picked it up and put it in my pocket.
I looked back to look for Claudette but she was no longer there.
I woke up in the dewy grass of the morning with the sun beaming down on me. It was morning and I had slept in the park all night. I looked at my watch and realized that I'd better get back to the apartment before Mindy starts worrying about why I was not in bed.
When I came through the door at the apartment, Mindy was watching the news. Then she got up from the chair with a start and gave me the tightest hug I had ever felt in a long time.
"Where were you? I was so worried," she claimed. "I was hoping you wouldn't have shown up on the news. Coriously though, there seems to be something about the moon disappearing leaving the scientists everywhere all puzzled like and going 'Oh no, there's no moon!'" She started laughing. "I find it funny that it was what I was talking about last night at the park. But anyway, where were you?"
"I fell asleep in the park. They said the moon just disapeared from the sky?"
"Oh yes," Mindy said. "Oh here's the segment again. Come watch this."
I sat down on the couch next to her and looked into the television screen. The segment announced that it wasn't the week for new moon and that there was no cloud in the sky. However, the moon was nowhere to be found. It showed a white haired astronomer at the local observatory excitedly exclaiming that this was some sort of a paranoma that needs to be looked into. Then they showed some normal guy on the street saying it was some space alien taking the moon because the little people up on the moon was not taking good care of it. "After all," he stated. "They let us land on it in 1969 and space aliens don't seem to be comfortable with that notion."
I laid my head back on the couch and rubbed my eyes. "I had this weird dream last night."
Mindy laughed. "A lot of dreams lately Ben."
"Yeah," I agreed. It was then that I remembered. I felt in my pocket and pulled out the moon.
Mindy looked at it with astonished eyes. "You're the one who stole the moon."
"Yeah, I figured that it would be pointless to steal the stars because you already got two and they're sparkling in your eyes."
"Lame-o line!" She got up taking the moon and started laughing. "But that's why I love you, you know?"
"Well, yeah, about that. I love you too."
"Strange that all this had to happen just so that I can know exactly for sure. I would've told my best girlfriend about that dream but it seemed pointless to you know?" She sighed looking at this shining marble in her hand. "Tonight, we'll put it back up in the sky somehow. Maybe I can get my fairy to do that."
"By any chance is her name Claudette?"
"How'd you know?"
I got up and looked in the closet everywhere for my leather jacket as Mindy followed me around. No matter where I looked or how hard I've looked, I couldn't find my leather jacket.
I looked at Mindy.
"Everything will be all right. Come let's go to bed and sleep."
We laid there in our bed that, for the first time, we were sharing together. I'm at work when she sleeps in it. She's at work when I sleep in it. This was Saturday now and I had cancelled everything else that I usually do on a Saturday, just to watch her sleep. I hadn't noticed how beautiful she actually was before that morning.
Claudette appeared by the bedside. "I came to return this jacket," she said.
I glanced up at her and averted my eyes back to Mindy. "Why don't you go ahead and keep it?" I said. "Thanks for showing me that I had the whole world in my hands. Strange I didn't realized that until now."
"Sure, no problem just doing my job."
With that, Claudette was gone with my jacket. Laying on the dresser of our room was the moon, shining the light eternally.
The End
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I love it.
(and you say yer not a romantic. http://www.hostboard.com/ubb/biggrin.gif)
"Ok, I lied, you don't have to give me this jacket. But I've got to have this jacket!" http://www.hostboard.com/ubb/biggrin.gif
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I am not a romantic... just a cynical romantic http://www.hostboard.com/ubb/biggrin.gif
That was just a short story practice. SOmething I'm going to try to do a little more from now on as well as poetry. Always poetry.
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I try to be humble but this guy threw my greatness in my face! I'm trying to deny my greatness!
"Everything belongs to me because I am poor." - Jack Kerouac Visions of Cody
"my mind put you (dwim) in a graphic novel. or a cybernovel... something gibson-esque with a gaiman twist... paul mcauley - virtual elves and chain-smoking demons on the internet, that sort of thing" - chilimuffin
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I like it, I like it, I like it. http://www.hostboard.com/ubb/smile.gif Very cool story, dwim.
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The original ninja lesbian milk getter.
The one called "brain" and "brandiflakes" and....
I'm tired of the silent majority. Silence equals death.
Life is what you make it.
"I believe you can't control or choose your sexuality"-Savage Garden
You're going to have to deal with my ego at some point.
Become beautiful on the inside and it will show on the outside.
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