A Solar Eclipse

The Sun And The Moon

A young girl sat in a flower field, soaking in the sunlight yet she was dressed in an array of winter clothes: heavy, furry uggs adorning her tiny feet, an ankle-length, blue dress covering almost every inch of her pale skin and a thick, warm shawl hugging her narrow shoulders. Her long, white hair fell to the grass surrounding her as she leaned closer to study the white flower she had learnt in the day's lesson with her mother.

"Now, Selene, this is a very important flower – the white morning-glory – white just like your hair," her mother's smooth voice sang out as she brushed her fingers through Selene's locks. Selene giggled as her mother held up a handful of her white hair and lightly brushed the tips against her nose as if it were a makeup brush.
"Why is it so important, mother? Aren't the flowers supposed to be the Sol's responsibilities?" Selene questioned.
"Well, that is why this little one is so special. Do you know it has another name?" she received a quiet 'no' in response. "Moonflower. It is the Luna's flower. It is your flower. To grow, nurture and love."
As her mother continued to explain the importance of forming a bond with nature, Selene couldn't help but keep her awed eyes trained on the flower.

"My very own flower," Selene whispered to herself.
"Whose very own flower?" a loud, bright voice suddenly rang next to her ear. Selene jolted away, careful not to crush any flowers under her hands. She blinked unabashedly at the golden-skinned girl in front of her who looked roughly the same age. She was wearing a short dress that flowed slightly in the wind, leaving her golden skin exposed to the sun shining above. What caught Selene's attention the most though, was the stranger's bright red hair tied up in a high ponytail, the wild colour reminding her of flames. It was then that it finally clicked in Selene's mind.

"Sol..." Selene's meek voice drifted off shyly, wishing her mother had not left earlier. She had not had a lesson on how to socialise so she was nervous to interact without her mother's guidance.
"Please, I'm not the Sol yet. Just call me Arinna," the girl dropped herself onto the field next to Selene and grinned widely, "Nice to meet you, Luna. Or should I call you..?"
There was a silent pause and the delayed response finally came, "...Selene."
Arinna bumped her shoulders against Selene playfully and laughed, "You sound unsure of your own name. So, this is your flower?"
Selene nodded hesitantly; it was her first time talking to someone her own age but she was proud to talk about her flower. She reached over and gently caressed the white petals, "It's the moonflower."
"Oh, cool! I have one too. The sunflower!"
Selene giggled, "That's different, you have all the other flowers too."
"Well, the sunflower has 'sun' in it and I will help guide it when I get older. I have to be a good role model because my mother says the sunflowers look up to me. What else do you do?"
Selene, excited to recall the information she learnt from her lessons with her mother, recounted her responsibility to pull the tides and Arinna mentioned she had to help a little with the tides as well. Their conversation started to flow naturally from sharing what they've learnt, their future duties, their hobbies, their joys, their concerns and their fears. They talked and talked, disregarding when the sun fell and the moon took its place. They continued until their exasperated mothers came to collect them and brought them back to their own beds. Their mothers shared a knowing look when the girls refused to leave without a promise to meet up again the next day.

It was easy for them to become best friends after that day, being so similar yet exact opposites. Their mothers warned them of what the future held for their friendship, of the inevitable separation that would come their way. But they felt it deep down that their friendship was destined. They were soulmates.

The Sun and the Moon.

Sol and Luna.

Arinna and Selene.

☀︎   ☾ 

It was the early hours before the Enlightenment Ceremony was to take place, the auspicious day that Arinna and Selene had been preparing for since they were born. It was the day where they would assume the roles of the Sol and the Luna. Where they would be confined far away from each other in order to fulfil their intended duties.

"I'll be so lonely without you, Selene," Arinna sobbed, clutching onto Selene's hands in sheer desperation.
"You promised not to cry," Selene whispered with tears running uncontrollably down her own face which seemed to make Arinna let out another choked cry. They were older now, wiser now, wise enough that blissful ignorance could no longer hide the impending loneliness that they had years to ready themselves for, but never knew how.
"I'm so scared... What happens if I can't do anything I've been taught? What happens if I forget everything? You won't be there to catch me if I fall," Arinna shut her eyes tight, hoping for another few millennia before the Ceremony would come. Time seemed too fast when faced with the span of forever.
Selene used her long sleeves to wipe away Arinna's tears as much as she could, "Arinna, you've been practising since you were born. Even if your mind forgot, your body won't, your soul will know what to do. You are the Sol and I am the Luna. We must do what we were born to do, for the people, for the Earth, for the universe to be in balance."
"When did you get so brave?" teased Arinna as her cries calmed down to an occasional sniffle.
"When you showed me how to be," Selene grinned, matching Arinna's radiant smile. It was quite a scene, the Sol and Luna huddled together and hidden away with dried tear tracks and foolish grins on their faces, but Selene extended her palm out for Arinna to take and intertwined their fingers anyway, "You won't forget me though, will you?"
"I could never."
"Then, let's go, Sol."
"Lead the way, Luna."

Arinna and Selene walked hand-in-hand towards their mothers where a crowd waited to initiate the Enlightenment Ceremony, ready to become who they were meant to be.

Sol and Luna.

☀︎   ☾ 

The Sol smiled over the single, white morning-glory perched next to her as does the Luna with a bright yellow sunflower, a constant reminder of the other's comforting presence. A reassurance that they were working in tandem to keep the Earth in balance, working harder so that the other could rest, even for just a second. They were together closer now than ever before despite the far distance between them.

However, fate had witnessed the strength of the friendship and granted an impermanent moment in time for them to meet again approximately every 18 months. When their journeys coincide, the Sun and the Moon align to meet for fleeting touches and swift greetings in complete darkness; the huge Sun being covered by her beloved Moon. They exchange knowing smiles and resume their path in orbit.

Waiting until they meet again for that brief moment.