* * *
Stars greeted her eyes when she woke up. Luna pushed her body into a seated position and felt the aches in her muscles from the long journey. She didn’t feel so tired now, but she was thirstier and hungrier than ever.
She wondered where her people were. She hoped that her parents were safe. They must be grief-stricken, believing her dead from the sand dragon’s attack. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have traveled so far ahead of her. If they knew that she was still alive, wouldn’t they have waited? Wouldn’t they have stopped to look for her?
Luna pictured her mother praying to the moon goddess. There’s no need to pray for my soul, Mama. I’m still alive.
She lay back down and stared at the bright orb in the night sky. If there were a moon goddess, would she listen to Luna? What could the moon goddess do to help her? Bring her rain? Bring her food? Help her find her tribe?
Luna couldn’t fathom how a light in the sky could help in any of those respects. Still, she prayed to any goddess who would listen to her. She asked for a way back to her parents, for water, for food, for a few more days of life.
Then she saw it.
It started as a faint streak just below the moon. A white line, like a cut in the night sky. It wasn’t just a line, though.
Luna saw it move.
She had seen shooting stars before, but this one crawled overhead slower than any she’d seen. It was as if the star waited for her, beckoning her to watch its progress.
The moon goddess was showing Luna the way to her people!
Luna leaped to her feet, any remnants of fatigue exorcised from her body. She traced a line from the tail of the shooting star – no, it was a comet, she decided from its sluggish movement -- to its head and then onward in the direction it pointed her. It led her to the mountain.
She didn’t question how the tribe could already be up on the mountain without her seeing them. She only followed the instructions of the light in the sky. Luna climbed higher, momentarily forgetting her thirst and hunger. Her feet slipped, but she stood back up and continued her upward march.
The comet led her along a path that wasn’t too steep to climb. As she walked, excitement flooded her and pushed her faster.
Farther and farther she scrambled up the base of the mountain. It wasn’t until she reached the wall of rock that she hesitated. The face of the cliff before her rose up as high as she could see. It was almost vertical, with a surface too smooth to scale.
Luna looked up at the sign in the sky again. It was directly overhead and still pointed in front of her, leading her to the cliff.
She grasped an outcropping that jutted from the face of the mountainside and pulled her body up. However, she soon as she lifted her feet, the rock in her hand broke off. Luna tumbled to the ground, grimacing in pain.
Overhead, the comet flared out of sight behind the top of the cliff.
She was foolish for following it, thinking it offered salvation. It was just another light in the sky like all of the ones she had seen before. Ordinary. Meaningless.
Luna examined the cut on her leg from the fall. She could make out the redness of the blood in the moonlight, but the color was darker than she was used to seeing, not as frightening as it appeared in the light of day.
Her eyes slid from her leg along the ground to the cliff again. There was a shadow that she hadn’t seen before. Luna stood up gingerly and walked toward the shadow. It was a crevice in the face of the mountain. She couldn’t see where it led, but renewed optimism rose inside her.
Luna slid into the crack. It was just wide enough for her to walk through. After a few steps, the gap grew dark, and she debated whether to continue. If the comet was indeed a sign from the moon goddess, then there must be an exit on the other end. She placed a hand in front of her to guide her way and continued forward.
A few more steps brought faint light into view ahead. Luna let out a breath of joy. She rushed toward the light and soon saw an opening. Thank you, moon goddess.
Luna expected the other end of the crevice to resemble the end that she had entered. Instead, what she saw caused her to fall back in wonder.
Under the brilliance of the full moon, Luna saw a valley full of grass and trees. A lake shimmered below her like glass under a candle. Even the air smelled different, fresh and vibrant rather than dusty and dry. Mountains surrounded the valley on all sides, protecting it from trespassers. Luna felt like she was the first human to stumble upon a new world.
Forgetting her physical ailments, Luna rushed down the slope to the lake. The grass felt luxurious under her feet. She splashed at the edge of the water and then dove under the cool surface. She drank a mouthful of the clean liquid, letting it soothe her tongue and throat. When she had drunk her fill, Luna waded to the bank of the lake and sat down.
She looked up at the nearest tree and saw oval fruits on its branches. Her hunger immediately returned, and she plucked a handful of fruits. She devoured them as quickly as she picked them. Then she picked some more.
Finally satiated, Luna’s face drew into a smile. Thank you, moon goddess, she repeated. Thank you for sending me a sign.
Celestial Page 43
