You Are the Moon (Nowell)

The prompt for this one involved the song "You Are the Moon" by the Hush Sound

Shadows all around you as you surface from the dark
Emerging from the gentle grip of night's unfolding arms
Darkness, darkness everywhere, do you feel all alone?
The subtle grace of gravity, the heavy weight of stone

You don't see what you possess, a beauty calm and clear
It floods the sky and blurs the darkness like a chandelier
All the light that you possess is skewed by lakes and seas
The shattered surface, so imperfect, is all that you believe

I will bring a mirror, so silver, so exact
So precise and so pristine, a perfect pane of glass
I will set the mirror up to face the blackened sky
You will see your beauty every moment that you rise

Title: You Are the Moon
Characters: Nowell (Volks MSD F-17)
Word Count: 486
Notes: Nowell is very close to his Aunt Azkadellia, who has no children of her own. This takes place when he was around eight years old.

You Are the Moon

“Aunt Az?”

“Yes Nowell?” Nowell looked up at his aunt from his seat on her lap. She smiled down at him, her soft brown eyes twinkling in the twilight.. He was suddenly shy, and buried his reddened face into her encircling arms. “Silly little boy,” she said affectionately kissing the top of his head. Nowell giggled and urged her to start the swing, forgetting for a moment his previous embarrassment.

They moved back and forth, catching brief glimpses of the calm Finaquan lake over the railing. Nowell loved the soft breeze that curled around his face, bringing him scents of the garden's flowers. The rush of swinging returned his bravery and he tried again.

“Aunt Az? Why was that man so mean today?” His aunt sighed and fell silent, giving Nowell time to revisit the event in question.

A man, big and scary to Nowell's eyes had stopped them in the market. There had been lots of yelling, and Cain had stepped in to diffuse the situation. Nowell had remained tucked behind his aunt's skirt, clutching at the soft fabric throughout the whole ordeal. He didn't understand why the man was so angry at his aunt.

“Nowell,” she began finally, “do you remember the stories about the wicked witch?” He nodded with a shudder and she continued. “I know your mom has told you a some of what happened to us when we were little girls, but I was...attacked by the witch. She made me do a lot of bad things to many people. Your mom came and freed me, but there are still a lot of people who are upset.”

“But you're not evil,” Nowell said insistently. Azkadellia smiled at him, her eyes touched with something Nowell couldn't quite identify.

“Not everyone thinks so...” They swung in silence for a few minutes, focusing instead on the OZian stars.

Nowell recognized a handful of constellations; the Great Light among them. Made up of several bright unusually stars,this constellation shone like one of the two sons. Legend said that it was the resting place of the First Light, one of the siblings present at the creation of the Outer Zone. The Great Light was a symbol of good for all.

“Aunt Az,” Nowell began, his eyes glowing with the light of the brightest constellation.

“Mmm?”

“I'll make sure they know.”

“Know what my little prince?” Azkadellia asked.

“That you're not evil. I'll keep you safe, no one will be mean to you anymore.” Nowell looked up at his aunt to find her eyes glistening. He nodded stoutly, certain in his promise.

“I love you Nowell,” was all she could say.

“I love you too aunt.” Azkadellia pushed off the gazebo floor with more gusto, sending them swinging up towards the Great Light. Nowell smiled and snuggled deeper into his aunt's lap.