Celestial

They are the sun and the moon, eternally in dance, always reaching, never touching.

When the world was new, they were both born from the great mother. The sun came first. Dark of skin and hair, bright eyes and radiant beauty flowing from her like light. She could be kind, but she could also be harsh, for the world was her land, and she danced upon it as she willed.

The moon, by contrast, was pale as the rivers of milk in the heavens, pale eyes and skin. The only bright part of her was her hair, spun from the light the sun gifted the great mother as she created the child.

Set in motion around the earth, they ran and played, always moving, never still. The sun illuminated the moon, making her glow despite having no light of her own.

It was in this way the world worked for years. Sun and moon, young women, happily running after the other as they played, the great mother watching from the distance in the stars.

But one day the moon tired. She was less in body than the sun, and after millennia of play, she had grown weary. The sun, always facing forward, turned to smile at her distant companion.

But the moon was nowhere to be seen, hiding in the shadow of the earth in order to rest.

The sun came to a halt, time freezing as she did. She called out to the moon.

No response came.

The sun resumed her path, looking for the moon as she did, and horrified when she could not find her. She cried out to the great mother, but the great mother heard not her cries.

The sun, having lost her only friend, tore her garments and wailed. The earth felt her anguish, beginning to grow cold as the distance increased between them, the sun retreating further into the heavens to mourn.

The moon awoke, chilled, and rose, gathering her great white coats about her. The earth was wrong, cold and growing barren, and she cried out for the sun, trying to find her. But when she could not, she resumed her lonely vigil around the cold planet. But she knew the sun still remained in the heavens, for even at a distance, her light cast a faint glow upon the earth.

The moon drew her knees to her head, shivering and quiet, hoping for her friend to return.

The great mother heard the cries of the earth, and sought out the sun, asking her to return. The sun did as asked, weeping for her lost friend.

The moon, shivering, lifted her head as the sun's light grew brighter, and then as the sun returned.

The heavens froze as they saw each other once more, the sun frozen in shock at the sight of the moon in her heavenly garb, and then moon, lost in ecstasy, ran forward, her coats trailing.

They embraced, and as they did, the world fell dark, for the moon, although small, was a being of heaven. In the sun's embrace, the chill faded from her body, and the sun held her friend close, memorizing the feeling of her skin, which she had never felt before.

In this moment, the golden brown eyes of the sun met those ice blue eyes of the moon, and some emotion they had never before known surged through their bodies. But before they could question it, the great mother pulled them apart to restore the world before all was lost.

Soon, the moon required rest again. Gone were the days of youth, where her energy was boundless. As her body grew heavier with adulthood, she had grown exhausted. She told the sun of her intentions this time, and the sun nodded.

The sun had also left behind the days of youth, but had instead grown taller, muscles lean and strong making her journey through the heavens easier. She waited the moon's return, her cloak of wings allowing her to travel as she willed, but the earth moved to keep the moon in rest, and prevent the sun from drawing near.