When you are entering the store, tell her it is sunlight you are buying. Not the kind you are able to spot glaring lazy over suburban homesteads and through open windows of steamy bedspaces, nor the kind bouncing easy off the young morning’s shore-scape or hidden within a rocky alcove of amorous lovers’ escapes. Sunlight is always there, after all; in the palms of your hands and the palms of the sand. Things begin in sunlight and are ended in sunlight―but no one is born possessing sunlight; it is a thing to be earned. You, due to your long history of abstinence, have learned to abandon the need for it. Your eyes have adjusted to the darkness of the seaside caverns; the shadows stalagmites cast make you strong. You have yet to lay skin upon direct sunlight, even as it bares daily its scintillating rays―even as you strut about in the sun, wrapped in your layer of dark-hued protective garments. It’s never too late to gain your sunlight, and I assure you that it is possible, for why must you be reading this? But a word of caveat: it must come at a price. That is why you chose to enter the Sunlight Store, is it not?
Go ahead, ask for sunlight. The storeowner will turn her head at your query. She will be standing behind the counter, unmoving as her selection of wares. Assorted doodads and questionable thingies decorate the dingy walls and tables, leaving slight elbow room for movement straight from the entrance to the counter. It’s no wonder this enterprise is often ridiculed. Sunlight is thought to be earned naturally, through constant nurturing, of course. You are aware of this, and ask without falter.
She replies: What kind? We have various sorts of those. 100% pure sunlight is our bestseller; distilled sunlights are currently out of stock but our mini-sunlights are a sufficient alternative. They also come in citrus and menthol for extra pleasure. Pick your poison, good sir.
Ask her if they have the Lightlight in stock. She will ask: Do you require it for any special occasion?
Do not look into her eyes. Say it’s for something personal, after which she will step into the stock room behind her. Her inquisition is protocol but largely avoidable.
You will wait a while, tapping your sandals upon the sandwood, long enough to notice something brilliant flow from the store’s entrance. A glistening mademoiselle, swathed in lunar white―as though she had risen from the surface of the moon and left a crater in her wake. But there was something peculiar about her radiance, ever so minutely an off-color white. Try not to make eye contact―but you will fail regardless. She is so beautiful, you discern, that you nearly forget your business in this establishment. She will make a request, addressing you as part of the staff:
She: The lightest you have, please.
Do not fret, for this was meant to happen. Follow this line of dialog carefully: (she will always have to reply accordingly)
You: It appears we have identical quests.
She: That is irrelevant. Is the storetender unavailable?
You: I have spoken with her; we will soon possess what we yearn.
She: You can’t be certain we seek the same thing.
You: The same means always leads to the same end.
She: Debatable, but we delay; the storetender has returned.
Returning via the backroom door, the storeowner regrettably announces that they are out of stock on Lightlights.
The off-white moongirl will rotate on her heels and exit the store with as much grace as she entered. You will have no other choice but to run after her.
You exit the store, a meager hut amongst a hundred similar huts huddled together in a large patch of sand by the sea. The sun has long set but streaks of orange and purple are splashed overhead.
The off-white moongirl stands with her back turned to the store, as if pondering her next destination. Her silken hair tosses, turns and ends in a curl by her waist. Her sarong hangs like a white bellflower, sweeping upon the sandy earth. Go on, have a bit of courage. You can’t fail.
You: Karimlan.
She: That is not my name.
You: Of course not. It is mine.
She: The dwellers of this town have called me Buwan.
You: Are you nomadic? For you seem not to have a permanent name.
She: I stay wherever there is sunlight to be sought.
You: Then you must know of what I seek.
She: I only know that I seek the elusive Last Light. I have traversed this world in search of it but to no avail.
You have heard of this myth before. It is a myth shared amongst dwellers of the dim such as yourself.
You: Certainly, you’re radiant enough not to want it so.
She: Never question a woman’s desire.
You: You are no more woman than you are a thrall to sunlight.
Buwan eyes you with a scathing gaze.
She: You have no idea what it is like to hold true sunlight; your shadowy apparel proves it. I have tasted every ray of light that has ever existed―all but one. This Last Light is all I need for me to be complete. Likewise, the Last Light is exactly what you need to get started on your quest for sunlight. Am I wrong? Since you have never tasted sunlight, it would be most healthy to start with something not too powerful. But alas, I do not know where to begin searching.
You: You are in luck for I know the myth.
She: To rely on a myth―isn’t that an attribute of desperation?
You: Myths become reality when they’re the only explanation available.
The Last Light is a very specific kind of light: a short burst of sunlight you’d never have thought to exist in the dead of dark. There a numerous variations, but all of them boil down to the same pattern: it will only appear where there is least light, in a place farthest from the sun, in the darkest hollow of the highest mountain during the deepest second of the most lightless night. This place, named the Wet Walls, is a sanctuary that houses a simple ritual: Bring a special person with you―someone who deems you especially significant. Someone you believe has a yearning for sunlight tantamount to yours. When all conditions are met, an infinitesimal spark will then light up a radius spanning the life of a heartbeat, and it has to be absorbed before it dies.
What causes the spark? A mistake, probably. An anomaly. Magic? Maybe even love. This was never an option for you to take, but now that you have a willing companion, it becomes clear to you that you require Buwan for this journey. No matter what you do, do not say you need her. Explain the procedure and nothing else. Her face will beam with excitement.
She: This will be beneficial for both of us. The Last Light is all-natural, unlike the tainted garbage you find in Sunlight Stores like that one we were just in.
Ironic that she was in the same dingy store looking for the same class of questionable product. You ask her why, to which she replies:
She: I was hoping that a cheap substitute would quench me, but I realize I delude myself.
You: It appears we are enemies then, out for the same treasure.
She: Nothing worth killing over, I dream. We may share the booty.
You: I hope you are correct.
She: That we don’t have to kill each other?
You: No; that this thing between us can be shared.
~
To access the Wet Walls, you must first fall in love. Play it well, and you will be fullway to attaining your first taste of sunlight. You conveniently left out part of the myth; the one which explains the cause of the spark. You need the Last Light more than she does. She is essential to this quest without her knowing it.
From here at Shoretown, it will take at least a month of traveling northward on foot to arrive at the Boondocks and scale the tallest Boondock Mountain. For the following few weeks of your interaction with Buwan, you must accomplish these side-quests to heighten her fancy for you: (After all, what is love but a series of correct dialog choices?)
1. At the onset of your journey, ask her if she would want to be carried on your back. She will hesitantly decline, fearing the consequences of proximity. Her inner adventurist will be insulted.
2. Raise the option that you will arrive sooner if she straddles on your back while you run. Her reply will be disdainful, mentioning how she would rather see you eye to eye on level ground, and that she is not ready to be on top of someone else.
3. As you leave the shoretown, ask her if she’s certain she wants you to be her partner, since she seems so distrustful of you. She will reply with it not having anything to do with distrust. She won’t expound any further and will keep on moving.
4. Hours of travel will tire her. As you march along the northward path, slowly shifting from sand to grassland, wait for her to stumble a few times, and offer your hand at the right moment. She will urge you to back off.
5. Repeat steps 1 to 4 as many times as necessary. Days will have to go by before she shows any signs of uncertainty.
6. Move along from the mainland path and into the northern rainforest. The way can get very troublesome. Now that she is completely exhausted and militant, stay silent for a day or two. Keep your distance. Do not help her when you hike up the roots of elder trees. Do not turn your head when she trips over local wildlife. When you finally exit the rainforest, head for the nearby village and find good lodging. Sleep in separate rooms.
7. She will begin to have doubts when you are halfway through the moors. Ask her if she wants to turn back. She will say she’s already too far in. Trudge on through grass and mud for a great deal of the way
8. Give her a flower. Or a stalk of rice, once you exit the moors and enter the rice fields. She won’t take the stalk of rice. Forcefully attach it to her dress. Call her a mooncake.
9. Take time off from the journey. Have a break. Talk to the locals. She will get jealous. She will scream you, at herself, at anything that has made her like this. She will attack your kindness and question her self-worth. She will question what you really want out of her, implying you’re using her for an end.
10. Pretend to get mad. Why would you have gotten this far with her in the first place. Make it clear that it was her who rejected you initially. Call out all her faults. Hit her. She will cry.
11. Reconcile. Apologize for being rash. State that this journey will go nowhere if both of you remain uncertain about each other. Rocky hills will ascertain your closeness to the Boondocks.
12. Talk to her. About her origins, her lineage and life story. She will go on and on about the Moonpeople and their customs. She once had a partner who reminds her of you. He made her unhappy. She will say you’re different. Whatever information you wish to retain is up to you. None of it is necessary for the completion of the quest.
13. There will be a private home on the base of the mountain. Ask for lodging. Sleep in the same room. Converse until she falls asleep. Wake her up with a kiss. She will smile.
14. Continue your journey. You’re almost there. Scale the winding path up the mountain. Hold her hand. She won’t resist.
15. Lo and behold; you have reached your destination. Abandon hope all ye who enter here. But you know better than to stop now. Buwan strengthens her grip on you and leads the way.
~
When you are entering the Wet Walls, leave all psychic powers in silent mode, for fear of startling the rock formations. You have done this many times before but only in your mind. You are not certain if it will turn out as you had planned. Step into the engulfing mouth of the cave and move forward without hesitation.
The opening of the cave closes in behind you. In the dark, you can only see Buwan. You look at her and you notice that being so close together in the dark seems to make her glow brighter than anything in the night. As you make you way, the both of you begin to grope around, fondling blindly. She will trip and stumble and injure herself initially. She will wince in pain. Double back and comfort her. Look into her eyes. Wipe the sweat off her brow. Kiss her, reassure her.
The cave’s walls begin to moist the further you go in. Its layout is straightforward. There is nothing that could stop you. You run faster. She heaves and gasps as she tries to keep up. Excitement is swelling up inside of you. You both know that sunlight is near. The anticipation compels you into euphoric trance. She is running with every ounce of energy she has left. Don’t let go of her hand. She screams your name:
Darkness; but for only a while. What is the sound of love and how long would it take for it to reach the end of the universe? Approximately thus:
Behind you, and it happens as you turn around to witness it, Buwan explodes in a prism of tremendous iridescent Lights of various hues and emotions and vocalizations.
This is your only chance. Absorb the Last Light before it is gone, for if you miss it, you can never get back your Sunlight.