she comes for me
[WP] The moon is beautiful tonight, casting a wonderful glow upon the ocean. And far out in the water, you notice, just faintly, the outline of a tall, two-legged creature - taller than any human - wading towards the shore.
*****
loved the moon, and a small part of me liked to think she loved me back. When I could, I would whisk myself, canvas and paints in hand, off to a secluded part of the beach, known only to me. Towering crags and jagged rocks sheltered this small stretch of shore from sun and visitors alike, doubling as a deterrent for any surfers and especially brave swimmers. This was my hideaway, my home away from home, where all the noise and frivolity of life gave way to the ocean's song, and where I and the moon could open our hearts to each other unassailed by judging eyes and minds.
Tonight was no different from any night prior. It was dark, as night often is. Coat gently flapping in the wind, I strode towards the shore with the vulnerable confidence of one who was truly alone. My bare feet relished the sand underneath, finding warmth, comfort, and a fleeting sense of safety in each step that buried them in the soft earth before uncovering them just as quickly in my march to the sea. The occasional bite of a pebble or shell occasionally broke my trance long enough for me to steal a glance at my surroundings, but my devotion never wavered.
And there she was, my moon, my love. Diana, my betrothed. Far from civilization, she was my only source of light, my only guide, the only one who could look into this calmly beating heart and see the red waves of frenzy and passion that flowed through my being, waiting silently for her permission to manifest. She hid half of herself tonight, out of modesty or timidity I could not tell. It couldn't have been easy for her to be confronted with the totality of my affection, still, I was sure she loved me just the same. The night that covered her added to her beauty, her dark blue robe glinting at me from across the sky. She was everything to me. My light, my love, my heart's keeper, my singular object of affection. And I, her devotee. Everything was as it should have been.
I lowered my gaze, feeling some shyness myself, and turned my eyes toward the ocean. What kept her from reaching out to me, or giving me a sign? Some string of hope that I could fix my entire being into and leap out into the ether for her to catch. Perhaps my confidence from earlier was misplaced, perhaps the string I was hoping for would come not in the form of a harness, but rather a noose. Perhaps this was for the best, that I may rid the world of myself and my folly sooner, and put my foolish ambitions to rest.
The water remained calm, in stark contrast to my mental state, as did the sands. Lonely shore and rocks were being caressed and kissed by an ocean that was lonelier still for all its vastness. Each wave gleamed with the moon's light as if individually blessed by her, before kissing the shore and subsiding. So singularly focused was the ocean in its yearning for the land's affection that it could not appreciate the moon's gift as I would have. Any other night, the gentle rhythm of the ocean's deep blue hues would have lulled me into a meditative trance, but tonight they mocked me.
***
Desperation creeping into madness, I fell back into the sand, squeezing my eyes shut and urging myself to calm down. Just as my weary mind started to drift, I heard something breakwater, causing me to shoot back up and tear my eyes back open, my mind now fully alert and wrenched back from the calmer seas within.
I saw a head poking out of the water. Some late-night swimmer had found my alcove. They'd probably also seen my weak pleas for the moon's affection as well as the ensuing breakdown. In a fury half born of shame, I grabbed a pebble and prepared to launch it at the voyeur, only to see them swimming, no, walking, at me. The head I had seen was accompanied by an impossibly long neck, maybe two feet in length, before revealing slender shoulders that framed a longer body still. Any discernible features were obscured by the moon's weak glow and darkness that enshrouded everything else. Just then, I realized who it was.
To say I was happy would be an understatement, I was elated. I wept openly. The moon, she had come for me. Finally, all my longing had made itself manifest. She continued to walk towards me, by now towering over me at what must have been over 10 feet tall. I fell to my knees, prostrating myself to her and thanking her over and over for blessing her purest, most devout lover. Silent and dark, the figure continued towards me, moving with an otherworldly grace that left the water undisturbed. It was just then that I noticed the waves had stopped moving altogether, it was as if the moon had come for me through a mirror lit by her light. She was perfect, and she was mine.
Her feet finally touched land and I gazed at her in awe, everything about her was beautiful. I cried out to her as she made her way towards me, making out the sound of a low rumbling coming from her in between my tears and gasps for air. After what had been years of nights spent alone professing my love to her, my moon and I were together at last.
***
It sees me. It sees who I am. I longed to say the words that kindled my burning question. Does it know the answer? It must. It's here for me.
The figure waded closer.
As it did, I saw more of it: an all-knowing iris that shone like the moon in the sky, its reflection rippling in the lapping water. Its moon eye rose above the water as it continued its steady pace toward me.
I’ve been coming here since I was a little girl. My sisters always teased me after school, so I walked the beach and sat on the sand for hours until they fell asleep. They never knew I came here.
The waves lapped around its feet if you can call them that. It had 3 black, featureless toes. The moon-eye is looking down at me now, nestled upon its tall, pillar-like legs that repelled the water. Its legs bent backward, a reverse crouch. It wanted a closer look at me. Its abyssal pupil gazed into me. And I gazed back.
But my mind lay blank, dormant. The kindling for the burning questions; is gone.
It looked up and kept walking.
Bewilderment and confusion struck me. Was it not here for me? It didn’t look back, and I looked out at the ocean one last time, before following it. Its steps made no sound, not on sand or grass. I jogged to keep pace with it, and soon we walked as one. We walked the fields, back along the well-trodden path that led back to my home. No one had found us yet. The creature’s eye would have been a beacon for any passers-by.
And then it stopped. It squatted backward again and stared deep into me.
This time, a question came to me:
“Who am I?” I said.
A window opened up in my vision, and I saw myself as a baby. The glowing warmth of the hospital’s bedside lamps lit my mother’s smiling face as she cradled me. Time seemed to speed up as it searched my memories for an answer. The school days came too soon. The other girls laughed when I tripped, spilling the contents of my bag everywhere. I flinched, and the creature skimmed ahead.
This time, I swung from a swing set. I felt the wind on my face and the speed I propelled myself at. I sat on this beach as a child, crying into my knees, alone. I watched as I grew older, into the teenager I had become. The creature saw everything, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. It could fix me. I knew it.
I expected it to stop when it came to the present, but it showed me waking up with the biggest smile on my face the morning after. I went out seeing the world in a new light. I graduated as the dux of my final school year. I went on to graduate from university in a subject I could not quite see. I saw myself giving speeches, and people cheering. I saw a man watching me from the crowd. We drank coffee together. We kissed in the rain.
I saw the face of a baby in the glowing warmth of the hospital bedside lamps. And I smiled as I cradled him. I grew old and traveled the world.
Then the window to my future faded, and I awoke back in the present, with the moon eye.
“Who are you?” It breathed.
Tears stung my eyes. It reached up with one of its black feet and wiped them away.
“You are enough. You needn’t worry about being more than that.”
