The Moon Spirit [NOV2013]

Once upon a time, when the Earth was still young, and the forest was still green, Spirits were ruling and revered by all things. There was one for every thing; a Sun Spirit, a Sea Spirit, a Forest Spirit, and etc.

But the fairest of them all was the Moon Spirit. Her steps were lighter than those of a bluebirds, and her skin was paler than the winter shade of the hermin. Her eyes were more blue than the purest river, and their gleam was more gleaming than the most precious stones. Her long black hair was darker than the raven's feathers, and her crown was made of the finest silver and bore three swan feathers. And finally, her dress was shining like the full Moon, and her wings were more white and softer than a swan.
All animals loved her, for she was kindest than a dove, and was always there for any of them; and contrary to beliefs, even with her beauty, no Spirits ever envied her, for as the Moon is essential to humans and fauna, she was essential to the spirits.
She was a healer and governess of dreams; for whom didn't laid down on the ground during the Moon's passage, and haven't dreamed of better and beautiful days? And so would she give back life and hope to whoever she touched with her silver hands.
But what she loved the most, was to dance in the forest and under the moonlight, joined by the birds, and admired by whoever happened to be present.

Which that night, revealed to be an Angel named Saliel.

He was relatively young, according to angels's account, only 3112 years old. He had just recently his birthday, and his superiors granted him shore leave, in recompense for all his work. And since he once visited Earth and found it beautiful, he asked to live 100 years upon it; a wish granted. They opened one of the "bridges", tunnels which links Earth and all the other universes together, and he stepped foot on sand, near the shining sea.
And so, during that fateful sunset, he was wandering on the beach, admiring the waves's dances and listening to the dolphins's songs. Many times he seemed to caught the sight of the Ocean Spirit, but never completely. And finally, when the sun hid itself behind the horizon, and its Spirit went to sleep, he adventured himself in a nearby forest. The moonlight was shining through the canopy, filling the forest with silver light. Yet, no animals or birds greeted him; and the only squirrel he saw ran excitedly to a hidden trail.
Following the black squirrel, he tripped over a tree's root, and stumbled to the entrance of a clearing in the forest.
And there, he saw her. The Moon Spirit, gracefully dancing under the moonlight, her light and bare feet barely touching the ground, eyes closed and lost in her movements. Some birds were circling her, accompagning her in her twists and turns, while others were watching her from their nests, covering their eggs. Animals of all size were sitting at the extremeties of the clearing, admiring the dance.
Without one second of hesitation or doubt, our Angel fell deeply in love with her. He couldn't imagine passing one more night without seeing her dance. Resolve to let her know about his feelings, he watched for a few more minutes the Moon Spirit turn on herself, and finally stepped into the clearing.
Immediately silence fell upon the forest, all animals fled, and the Moon Spirit froze at his sight. Then, like a gazelle, she fled into the forest's heart. Desperate to apologize, our Angel ran after her with all his will; but her light steps soon outran him, and she disappeared into the silver glow filling the forest.

Feeling a stab of sadness, he returned to the clearing, and laid on the ground near it, crying till he fell asleep. Never did he thought that true love could have come so quickly and so deeply; and he resolved to approched the Moon Spirit every day, till she got used to him.

The next morning, he woke up at noon, with the sun's rays right in his face. While sitting up, he caught the movement of the Moon Spirit, who was walking/dancing to a small river. Keeping himself hidden, he followed her, and watched her swing her feet in the pure water and wash gracefully her black hair. Feeling absurd, our Angel retreated to a point situated on her way back, and waited there till she appeared.
"Hi! I'm Saliel. I'm very sorry if yesterday I..."
But before he could end his apology, the Moon Spirit was running away from him, again. But Saliel didn't gave up.

The next day, he bargained with the Flower Spirit to get the most beautiful bouquet, and in the evening, laid it where the Moon would dance. Hidden, he watched as she springinly entered the clearing, and watched as she noticed the bouquet, picked it up, inhaled profoundly, and smiled. In front of Saliel, unknowing that he was watching her,she picked from the bouquet a rose, and placed it in her hair.

After about a month of this routine, Saliel giving every day a different flower bouquet, and she picking it up, smiling, and placing one of its flowers in her hair, our angel was walking down the usual forest corridor, when a woman's scream was heard. He ran to it, and arrived silently in the forest's clearing, where the Moon Spirit was encircled by four demons, with their wings made of fire creating a barrier forbidding the Spirit to flee.
"She would make a rather fine bride for The One, right?" one of the demon asked to his friends.
"Yeah... If only she would be less flashy... It hurts my eyes!" complained another demon.
The demon who spoke first made a snort, and picked the Spirit by her arm, forcefully lifting her on her feet.
Of course, that was another day at the office for Saliel, whose entire job was to take out demons. He concentrated very hard, imagining himself as a big white and shining light, and stepped into the clearing, towards the four demons. Which made the demons see a big blinding spot of light, and they shielded their eyes from the extreme brightness. Demons are adapted to underground life, so any intense source of light is feared by them. Which explain why the demons left hurriedly the clearing, with no fight, leaving the Moon Spirit shaking on the middle of it.
Saliel returned his exterior appearance to normality, and softly approached the sobbering Spirit.
"Hey, are you allright?" he asked her softly, stopping a couple of feet before her.
The Moon Spirit lifted her head, and her blue eyes met his for the first time, and recognizing the kindness in their stare, she smiled weakly.
"Yes, I think..."
She started to cry again, realising how close she had been of being kidnapped by demons, against which she had no defense.
"Hey, hey, it's allright, they're gone for a long time," Saliel comforted her, taking her hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze.
She smiled again, this time a bit more happily, and she jumpes to her feet.
"Sariel, you said?" she asked him.
"Yes. And you are?"
"Lúthien; the Moon Spirit"
"Lúthien," Sariel began, bowing before her, "you are the most beautiful woman I have ever set eyes upon in all my existence; and I would be honored if you would grant me a walk on the beach."
Lúthien smiled broadly, and wiped her tears.
"So you're the one who gave me these beautiful flowers," she smiles to him, touching a dahlia in her hair.
"Yes, my lady." Sariel answered shyly.
She took his hand and lifted him up.
"So, a walk on the beach, you said?" she teased him, taking his two hands, and beating her wings, lifting both of them above the forest.
And that sunset, they walked for hours on the beach, talking, laughing, and eventually, kissing. The Moon Spirit had fell in love since a long time with the stranger who always gave her flowers, and she was even more in love with Sariel once she finally met him.

Almost a century passed since their first night, and Lúthien the Moon Spirit and Sariel the Angel were still more in love than ever. Each full moon she would dance for him under the moonlight, and they lived happily.
Only, Sariel couldn't stay.

99 years after his vacation, Sariel was woke up at the deepest of the night. A red glow was coming from behind a tree to his left. He stood softly to his feet, making sure not to wake Lúthien, and walked to the river, putting distance between both of them. The red glow followed him discretly, and when they were out of earshot, it dissolved to reveal another angel, this one with wings of fire.
"Loskiel, what are you doing here?" Sariel asked his friend.
"We know you still have a year left before the end of your vacation, but the army need you", Loskiel announced. "Demons are more and more numerous, and we need everyone to contain them, especially you."
"Me? But I'm just an angel; you guys are cherubims and seraphs."
Suspicion entered his mind, and he realised what Loskiel was hiding.
"You have to shut down the bridges!"
"Yes", Loskiel sighed. "I'm sorry; that's why I came to take you back up there. The One wants all his subjects in safety. The demons are too numerous to allow functional bridges; the damage they could cause is too unpredictable to let it loose."
"But... what about Lúthien? Would I still be able to visit her?" Sariel asked, in panic of losing the only love of his life.
Loskiel knew that too, and he hesitated before answering.
"No."
Sariel looked up, in alarm.
"I'm sorry, Sariel. The bridges stay closed for one thousand year; that is, if the demons are gone in a thousand years. It may be more than that"
Our angel dropped his head in his hands, desperately trying to find a way out. Angels can survive away from Heaven for only 150 years; after that, they slowly fade away in less than fifty years. If Sariel didn't left Earth, he wouldn't survive a thousand year; he would barely live beyond the coming hundred years.
"There's no othet way", Loskiel told him, trying to lessen the blow. "Either you stay here and die, or come with me without ever setting foot on Earth."
Sariel stood up sharply, making a hundred pace, and wringling his hands in despair.
Just when he was about to speak, a soft hand settled around his left arm, and another on his shoulder.
"Sariel, my love, what is wrong?" Lúthien asked, full of concern, glancing occasionally at Loskiel.
"It's... Oh, Lúthien, I don't want to leave you!" Sariel sobbed, hugging her tightly.
"What do you mean? Why do you have to leave me?"
"It's the demons! They're growing in numbers. Because of that, we have to shut down the bridges connecting Earth to the other universes, and that includes Heaven!"
"For how long?" she asked, hopeful.
"A thousand years! Perhaps even more!!" Sariel cried, hugging even more tightly the Moon Spirit.
Lúthien gasped, knowing full well what that meant, and she looked up to Loskiel. He shook his head, signaling that there was no other way, then looked away again, leaving the two lovers in privacy.
"I can't!" Sariel decided, freeing Lúthien from his arms, and gazing sadly at the sea. "I can't go; I won't leave you all alone for ever."
"What?!" Lúthien gasped. "No, Sariel, no, please!! You know what will happen to you if you stay with me!"
"I don't care", replied Sariel, taking softly her head in his hands. "I will willingly die if it means I will still see you."
"No, my love. I will live forever, and I cannot bear see you fade and die. I would rather wait for you, and know that up there, you're still thinking about me."
Sariel started to dismiss, but Lúthien put her fingers on his lips, and smiled lovingly.
"Please, my love. Go back to your world, and I will wait for you, no matter what happens."
Sariel started to waver, and looked back and forth between the Moon Spirit and Loskiel, who was now staring at him, waiting his decision.
"Ummm... you're sure?" he asked hesistantly.
Lúthien smiled broadly, relieved to see that her love was going to live.
"Yes. It will be a long wait; but then, you will have the proof that I love you!"
Sariel laughed a bit, and looked longingly in her clear eyes, seeing her devotion and her desire to see him live.
"Fine!" he exageratly sighed, making her giggle. "I'll go."
"Very well," Loskiel acknowledged, standing up. "Let's go."
"Hey, hey, wait a bit so I can, you know..."
Loskiel understood, and put some distance between him and the lovers.
"Goodbye, Lúthien the Moon Spirit", Sariel said softly, holding her lovingly, and meeting her forehead with his.
"Goodbye, Sariel the Angel", she answered, ending with a passionate kiss.
They broke the hug, and after one last snug, Sariel joined Loskiel. Lúthien waved goodbye, and after an air kiss from Sariel, the latter and Loskiel vanished from the forest, in a wave of heat.
Only then did the Moon Spirit finally laid curled on the ground, and cried for her absent love, her tears raining down her pale cheek to her raven hair. A white hare jumped up to her, and kindly squeezed herself against Lúthien, to comfort her.

Back in Heaven, Sariel stood with a stone face as the seraphs closed all bridges; but when they left, he too laid down to cry.
But he soon sat up again, and now he had nothing but hope for the day he would finally be with the Moon Spirit forever. Well, that and a bit of anger against the demons who catapulted the closing of the bridges. Which meant that some (okay, alot) of demons's behind were kicked by Sariel.


Years passed, and the bridges still stayed closed. But it didn't stopped true love. For every full moon, Sariel would sit above the spot where the clearing in the forest were, and there, he would see the Moon Spirit dance under the moonlight as she did the night they first met. And after each dance, the Moon Spirit would look up at the sky, and blow a kiss; and Sariel would look down to his shining lover, and return the kiss.

Two thousands and seventy-five years passed before the bridges were re-opened. And it is said that the world witnessed the biggest hug and the most loving kiss ever, as Sariel and Lúthien finally met again. Their love never faltered but grew stronger, and Sariel never passed six months away from her. And when the world slowly faded into darkness, they faded with it in each other's arms.

That, my friends, is true love.

..............


you are beautiful....


I wish I had some one like you.

reply to post by buddha


Thank you for the compliment.