'Til Our Next Eclipse

Prologue

'TIL OUR NEXT ECLIPSE
written by:
thatpaintedmind

Copyright © 2019, thatpaintedmind.
All Rights Reserved.

⚜ P R O L O G U E ⚜

THE MOON gleams in its brightest glory. Its luminescence kisses half of the world's surface, not minding if the people are even worthy of receiving its magnificence or not.

"Alora, anak? Bakit gising ka pa?"

From the moon, her gaze switched to her mother. Her little arms remained around the teddy bear she's hugging.

"I can't sleep, mama." Fret registered on the little girl's eyes as her lips slightly pouted.

Napangiti naman ang ginang. Nilapitan siya ng ina at inalalayang bumaba sa upuang kanyang tinutuntungan para kanina'y malayang mapagmasdan ang buwan.

"Do you want me to tell you a story so my baby could sleep?"

Sa suhestiyon ng ina ay kaagad nagningning ang mata ng bata. Tumango ito ng maraming beses. Muling napangiti ang ginang. Dinala siya ng ina sa kama at kinumutan.

"Once upon a time, in the vast Empire of Magic, there lived a boy named Jack," her mother started narrating. Nasa kabilang gilid ito ng kama kung saan perpektong natatamaan ng sinag ng buwan ang mukha nito. "He is a pure-hearted man, a child of good intentions. One day, as Jack strolls along the forest, he encountered a beast. A wild beast as big as a hundred-year old tree! There was already a rumor around their kingdom that a beast has been living somewhere in the forest who is at fault for the loss of so many villagers and travelers. So, when Jack happened to accidentally found this beast, he already knew what to do... He has to eliminate and kill this merciless monster."

Her mother's tone of voice shifts according to the mood of her narration, no wonder why little Alora is so engrossed with her story.

"The humongous creature attacked Jack but Jack was fast enough to dodge. He took out his mighty sword to strike the creature and he succeeded. The beast winced in pain. It was still crying out loud when Jack took that chance to aim for its chest, specifically for its heart. The beast fell on the ground, lifeless. Jack came home with the beast's head in his hand. And so, he was praised and rewarded by the king for his courageous act. Until then, he was known as a hero."

Nanatiling nakatitig ang bata sa ina, akala nito ay may katuloy pa, hindi nito alam na iyon na ang hangganan ng storya. Nang mapagtanto na wala nang karugtong ang kinuwento ng ina ay bigla itong napasimangot.

"How is that a courageous act? That's cruelty! Hindi ba mama ay rumor lang naman na ang beast ang pumapatay? Paano kung hindi po pala iyon totoo? Paano po kung wala naman pala siyang kinalaman sa pagkamatay ng mga residente? Then they killed an innocent being who was just merely judged by its huge appearance. If Jack really is a pure-hearted man and a child of good intentions, then he should have taught of that. Sa ginawa niyang pagpatay, iyong halimaw po ba talaga ang tunay na walang awa?" Alora defended.

Bumaha ang pagkagulat sa mukha ng ina. She didn't expect her daughter's reaction. She wasn't even expecting for a reaction.

The moon's beam glimmered in the eyes of her mother, her eyes were glistening at the words of her daughter. She smiled softly before gently stroking the little girl's hair.

"Don't worry baby, I just made that up. It was just supposed to make you sleep, pero mukhang mas nagising ka pa dahil do'n." Mahinang napatawa ang ina.