On Luna Time

by Amber Crawley

  I stood up watching as she dashed down the wooden pier, her long yellow dress whipping around her in the wind. I wanted to see where she was going, forget jumping, and watch the sunrise over the sea. “Hey! What's your name?” I called out. She turned her head to look back at me before turning the corner, but didn’t answer. Whoever she was, she lived like the weather. She was mysterious, wild, and free.

  I pulled out the pink envelope.

  3. Live like the weather.

  4. Buy a yellow dress.

  j

  Luna, the name I’d called her ever since I was five, appeared massive and wore a golden glow I hadn’t seen before. On bad days when I missed my mother most, I’d sneak out of bed to sit by the nearest window and look to the sky for Luna just like Gina had told me to do. Every time, without fail, the moon was there and I knew I wasn’t alone.

  I sat down beside the butterfly, tracing it with my finger just like the girl had done earlier.

  The bright lights of the pier made it easy to see a little ways down the shoreline. I kept a sharp eye out for signs of late night beach walkers hoping Gina might be amongst them, but I never saw any. I didn’t have a watch or a cell phone but most of the fisherman had cleared out with the exception of one who lingered at the very end, so I knew it had to be getting close to midnight.

  “Do you think she’s down there?” I whispered to the butterfly. I got nothing but silence in return. “Yeah, me neither.”

  The wind, stronger than it had been when I first arrived, encircled me with itself as each blast of cold air was sent up from the waves. The lights flickered twice as to what I guessed was a reminder that it was closing time. I looked toward the fisherman who had started to pack his things, then back down to the butterfly. “I’ll die if I jump.”

  Through the chill of the night air, my hands began to sweat. Fidgeting, I picked the skin around my thumb with my teeth. “Who jumps off a pier? How can I even be considering this?”

  I looked to the butterfly for what I knew would be nothing more than a silent response. “I’m taking your silence as a sign.” I huffed. “Oh my God, I’m talking to a freaking wooden butterfly, I must be insane.”

  I stood up, pacing back and forth with my hands gripping the straps of my backpack. The fisherman walked past me with his arms full of supplies. He nodded as he said in a deep, rough voice, “closing time.”

  “Yes sir,” I said, nodding back.

  He kept walking, looking back at me every few seconds to see if I had moved. I started to pace faster and speak aloud to the butterfly. “Why midnight? Why did she ask me to do this?” The pier lights flashed again, on and off, on and off, off. I ran my fingers through my hair, pulling as I eyed the pier exit.

  The clock tower sang out a song of midnight that flew right past me and out to sea. My chest began to heave up and down. I moved toward the railing, grabbing the wood tight. The clock’s song kept ringing.I had less than a minute to decide. I looked at the reflection of Luna on the water; her huge round circle highlighted the waves like a spotlight. “She promised she wouldn’t lie to me. She promised I wouldn’t die.”

  My heart was beating so loudly in my ears the waves seemed distant. With shaking hands, I began to climb the railing. I heard the voice of the deep fisherman shouting out for me to stop as he ran toward me, but I couldn’t. As the clock tower rang its final chords, I decided that I had no other choice. I stood at the top of the railing looking out at Luna, the only friend I’d ever known and jumped.

  j

  The water tumbled over me with force, pounding me down deep into its massive cold body. I held on tight to my backpack trying to snap the clasp across my chest, to stop it from flying off. Every time I came up for air, the shore looked further away. I turned around looking for the next wave and took a deep breath, just before the next white cap pinned me down. I flung my arms out to the front, attempting to let the relentless water shoot me forward. Warm salt drops poured out of me, mixing themselves with the ever traveling salty drops of the sea.

  My lungs were tight from holding my breath for so long, and my nose was stinging from the salt that kept filling it. The pressure in my ears was nearly unbearable and my body hurt from fighting against the kidnapping current.

  I shot down like a pencil deep into the water, keeping myself as straight as I could. I wanted to touch the bottom. I needed to know that I was getting closer to shore. I pointed my toes like they were freshly sharpened as I sliced my body through the strong waves.

  The feeling of squishing sand hit against the toes of my shoes as I ricocheted myself off the ocean floor, flinging my top half back into the night air. My lungs filled with instant hope as I allowed the ocean to roll me up into its white bubbles. I pounded my hands into the water as I swam, hardly taking the time to breathe.

  Finally, I was waist deep, with both feet flat on the shallow ocean floor. I had drifted so far from the pier that I felt large compared to its silhouette shining in front of the moon.

  The small but mighty waves were crashing against the back of me, pushing like they wanted me out. I had won the fight, and now the sea was done with me. My ears were filled with so much fluid I could hardly hear the water or find my balance. I attempted to walk out, but I was too weak. Without warning my legs gave out, forcing me to crawl out on my hands and knees. The waves kept rolling me forward like I was nothing but another broken shell.

  I collapsed as I laid my head down on the crunchy shell deposit not caring how many were sticking to me, as I waited for my lungs to refill. A dull orange glow consumed the air, mixing itself with the salty haze that surrounded me.

  Three

  n

  Hazy-eyed, I gazed into the distant shoreline. I was alone, except for Luna and the rotating light of the distant lighthouse. My throat stung as my shortened breath attempted to come in and out. Everything hurt, my head most of all. I turned to the sky staring at the large round face that appeared to be staring back at me. I had never known it to change within a single night, let alone minutes, but it had. Before I jumped it was yellow. After, it was ominous and pumpkin-like.

  I let me eyes close for a minute of sleep, so tired I forgot why I was lying there in the first place. The air floated over my wet skin like silk, warmer than it had been up on the pier. Unable to stop it, my body drifted to a place of near sleep where dreams of the pink envelope, the check, the bus, the pier, and Gina climbed into my mind. Gina.

  I forced my eyes back open, shaking my head to wake myself back up. I turned to look down the beach and noticed a silhouette of a couple linked by the hand coming toward me. My muscles tensed as I leaned up on my elbows to get a closer look. I couldn’t imagine that Gina would be walking that slow if she were looking for me. I began to panic; I had nothing to protect myself from thieves.

  I ripped the long metal zipper of my backpack from one side to the other cringing as the zip echoed through the air. I dove in yanking out the ziploc bags one by one, all five were there. I yanked open the thickest of the bags and plunged my hand into the wad of cash. A whispered sigh escaped me, it was all there. I pushed everything back inside, and with legs like jello, I stood up.

  Everything looked different; there was more sand and less houses. My thoughts began to scramble themselves. I looked back at the pier then back to the homes in front of me, which were few and far between. Looking down at them from the pier, the colorful row of pastel houses appeared to be so packed in they were nearly touching one another. I touched my wrinkled forehead, shutting my eyes and taking in a deep breath. I blamed the confusion on my pounding head.

  My tight jeans were saturated with water and so heavy with sand I feared they would slide off. I bumped up and down on the miniature sand hills toward the lighthouse, which inevitably meant I was walking toward the couple. I had two options, run or face my fears of late night strangers head on. I decided to go with the latter.

  The girl’s dress blew in the breeze. It was broad at
the shoulders, tight on her waist, and came down just below her knees. I couldn’t tell what color it was, but it was darker than her hair, which was when I knew that she wasn’t Gina.

  “Everything okay, miss?” The boy asked once they were close enough that I could see their faces in the moonlight. He looked to be around my age, but it was hard to tell. To match his proper speech, he was wearing a dress suit. A nervous laugh escaped my throat as the question of what year it was entered my thoughts. I pushed it away, remembering how much salt water I swallowed and how fuzzy my brain was because of it.

  “What time is it?” I sputtered, crossing my arms in front of my chest to cover up Hogwarts. I hoped that asking a simple question would distract them from my disheveled appearance.

  “Has to be around midnight.” The boy answered looking at the girl for reassurance.

  I couldn’t place where I’d heard his voice before - not his voice exactly, but a voice like it. He sounded like he lived in an old black and white movie, like George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life.

  “Probably a little after now,” the girl said in an equally old fashioned voice, looking at me instead of him. With deep brows. she scanned me from top to bottom, and I did the same to her. In the hand that wasn’t wrapped around the boy’s arm, she was holding a pair of black heels - the polar opposite of the beat up black converse on my feet. She had dark blonde hair framing her face in perfect, stiff curls that only blew a little in the wind.

  “Thank you,” I said, tucking my tangled hair behind my ear with one hand.

  “What are you doing out here all alone?” The boy asked, moving his head a little as if he were looking at a strange creature.

  “Same as you,” I mumbled with a polite laugh.

  “Surely you weren’t swimming?” The girl asked with a judgemental tone.

  “No, of course not... I fell in.” I said, biting my lip.

  They looked toward each other confused, talking with their eyes as they decided what they should do. I didn't want pity, and I didn’t want help. I walked past them making their decision easy, “thanks again.”

  “Bye now,” the boy called out. I stuck my hand in the air in a quick wave and began to run toward the lighthouse not looking back.

  j

  I stood at the bottom of the tall brick cylinder topped with a swirling light that bled into the salty night air with each turn. In the roots of my bones, I remembered watching the same bright light shine across the sound during the thirteen nights I spent in Port Swan thirteen years ago. It was as if it the lighthouse had been frozen in time waiting for me to return.

  I looked around timidly puffing out a stream of soft air as I scanned the nearby trees for lurkers. Most of the houses were far enough away that if someone was sitting outside in the dark, it was doubtful they could see me trespassing. I’d never broken in to anywhere before, and if I was caught breaking into state property I was sure I would be taken back to the foster home for twenty two long days until I turned 18. I popped my fingers and rang them together as I walked up the pathway to the front of the rounded building admiring its height and feeling small. I squatted down by the front steps hoping to hide myself once more as I pulled out the pink envelope to refresh my memory.

  Go to the window on the right of the front door and count three bricks down - take the loose brick out and remove the key, use it to open the lighthouse. Once you’re inside, find the library.

  Surely enough on the right side of the front door there was a single rounded window. I crawled over to it and began to count three bricks down. Everything else Gina had said so far was true, and her words I will never lie to you rang through in my ears, almost as if I could hear her. My heart jumped as I pushed the edge of the brick to see if it was loose, which to no surprise, it was.

  I shimmied the dark red brick out of its spot and reached into the dark hole. A shiver ran through me as my finger grazed something cold and metal. I grabbed and pulled as if a spider might attack if I didn’t move fast enough. A golden skeleton key with a metal tag that read Love, Luna sat in my palm. I hadn’t realized I’d been holding my breath until my body started to fill itself back up again.

  My breathing was heavy as I pushed the brick back, ran up to the front door, and slipped the key in to the lock. A loud click came from the knob as I twisted and pushed the heavy wooden door into the dimly lit room. Inside, rounded windows were scattered around the walls allowing enough light from the moon in to see, but just barely. The room was bare with the exception of a spiral staircase, a door, and a desk. With nowhere to go but up, I moved toward the stairs that sat in the center of the room and began to climb.

  The closer I got to the top, the faster my legs moved. I envisioned Gina waiting to wrap her arms around me and invite me into her secret home. I popped into the top of the lighthouse at record speed, whipping my head around in every direction.

  Neither books nor Gina waited for me.

  The light above me swirled in circles, flashing a light out into the sea as it tried to reach out and touch the moon. I could see all of Port Swan, tiny houses sitting in front of canals of water, the pier, and the massive ocean.

  With no time to admire the view, I ran back down the stairs entering the main floor of the lighthouse at full speed. I walked over to the single door and whipped it open, blowing a wave of air across my face. A window lit hallway that wound a little to the left stood in front of me.

  I followed the thin walkway until the end when the smell of books, new and old, consumed me. My breath caught in my throat and chills covered me. I could barely see, but it was clear that I was standing in a library - she didn’t lie to me.

  In the middle of the dark room, a silhouette of a small lamp sat next to what looked like a couch. With a click, low light filled the small and cozy space that mimicked the shape of the lighthouse. Curved bookshelves filled the room from one side to the other. I wanted to curl up on the green couch and fall asleep to the sound of silent books as their words seeped into my dreams.

  I sat down and rested my head against the smooth velvet back as I looked around. There were swans everywhere. The lamp next to me was in the shape of a swan, and there was a sign by the doorway that read Swan Library engraved on a wooden swan. To the left of the door two full shelves were filled with swan figurines, above it was a number 15.

  I pulled out the pink envelope.

  On the second to bottom row of the fourth shelf there is a loose piece of wood, lift it up. Inside there will be a keyhole to which the lighthouse key will open. The shelf hides a secret room. Go in and lock it behind you. Once you get inside, read the journals.

  I glanced toward the right, landing my eyes on the shelf with a Four written on top. I walked over and began pulling out various hardback books from the second to bottom shelf until I could reach my hand in. I rubbed my palm against the wall of the shelf feeling for a sign of loose wood but I felt nothing. I shook my hand, coaxing it into staying still.

  With the pads of my fingers, I slowly moved from the top of the shelf to the bottom until I felt a tiny notch in the otherwise flat piece of wood. With my pointer finger, I lifted up and the piece of wood followed. A small metal keyhole was hidden inside, just like she promised there would be. I slipped in the golden skeleton key and twisted until I heard a click.

  Four

  n

  The shelf popped open welcoming me into a small, brick walled room. I haphazardly threw the pile of books back on the shelf and stepped inside. With my hands out, I inched forward, relying on the faint light coming from the library lamp to see. As I moved inward the room curved, growing wider and darker.

  “Shit,” I whispered as my knee slammed into something hard. Bouncing on one foot, I held my knee up to my stomach, face planted into the wall, and flailed backwards landing on something soft and bouncy. The scent of fresh laundry floated into the otherwise stuffy air making me wonder if I was in a storage room of some sort. I pulled my backpack off
with determination.

  One step at a time I inched around the room, occasionally whipping my hands out to the front in seek of any form of light I could find. On my third swat, I hit an umbrella shaped object. I ran my hands down the pleated fabric, reaching inward at the bottom until my fingers landed on a swinging ball chain.

  A dim, warm light poured into the tiny room showing off its crescent-shaped form. My backpack rested on a twin sized bed that sat in the widest part of the space. Toward the bottom of the crescent, where I had entered, the library light was shining in from the open shelf. I walked back over pulling the shelf shut to lock myself inside.

  For a brief moment, I let my eyes fill with water over the realization that Gina wasn’t there, but the tears only fell once I accepted it. Even if she wasn’t there in the flesh, her presence was. She had sent me to a safe haven.

  I haven’t been able to change our history thus far, so now I’m going to attempt changing your fate the only way I know how.

  Her words assured me that she had sent me on this insane adventure for a reason, even if I wasn’t sure what that reason was yet. I wiped my tears away knowing that no matter what the morning held, I could only tackle whatever was coming next with a rested body. I sat down on the bare mattress, shut my eyes, and leaned back on the pillow. My heavy head landed on a crinkling sheet of paper instead of the comfort of a cushion.

  Linens are in a basket under the bed. When you are done using this room, wash and return them for the next traveler. Leave this note on the bare pillow upon your departure. Please and thank you.

  Luna