The Moon Could Speak a Thousand Words But We All Decide to Ignore It

Short piece of fiction I wrote. Hope you all like ittt

I stared out the window on a hushed, Friday evening and sitting atop a portion of the dark sky like a lonely child was a full moon. The supermoon was today and it's not coming back until August of next year. Its white, spherical shape, shining brightly from above, watching the majority of us all in our deep sleeps. The clock read 4 am. The hour where the early birds got up from bed and the insomniacs remained awake. Now was I an insomniac? No. I got my sleep no matter what. I've pulled a couple all-nighters but it wasn't pleasant and I didn't want to even think about doing them consecutively. Now can I sleep right now? Yeah. I just didn't feel like sleeping just yet. Instead, I thought about the girl from college.

'Promise me you'll be like the moon. To be close, even if you are far away.'

I never went out of my way to contact her since we had our conversation at the campus deli back in May and now I realized that I missed seeing her. Hell she wouldn't be awake on a 4am, but I figured why not. She did have those moments where she stayed up all night. I thought I would give it a shot. Better than nothing, I told myself.

I called her. Took about 10 rings before she picked up her phone.

"Mhm, hullo~?"
Impressive.
"Hellooo?"
"It's me."
"... Ah, Sean," she mumbled something in between, words that I could not decipher. Possibly grunts, I couldn't tell.
"Calling me in the hushed AM hours... What gives. Cat got your tongue?" she said.
"Sleeping?"
"... Hell yes. What gives!"
"I never thought you'd pick up."
"... It's gotten into a habit. A bad habit don't you think?"
"At least it means people can rely on you when it comes to phone calls."
"Plus someone calling me on... 4:32 am... there's gotta be some urgent reason."
"Look out the window."
"Why what is there?"
"You'll see."
"... Making me open my blinds and shit. You're lucky my bed is right next to my window."

I gave a little smile but, seeing that emotions were unreadable through phone, I gave up.

Through the receiver I heard her raising the blinds. She let out a long yawn.

"All I see is darkness. Typical view, nothing changed."
"No moon?"
"Ah, is that the reason why you called?"
"It's beautiful."
"I bet it is."
I imagined her looking at the skies trying to find it.
"Wish you were able to see it."
"Hmm... Well I do live some miles away from you," she said. "I can't always see the things you see."
"The moon this weekend is closer to the earth so it's mo--"
"Hence the name super moon, I know, Sean. I've heard all about it," she laughed.
"I thought you'd know."
"I know things," she said. "Sucks that I haven't seen it yet. I want to see how super this moon really is."
I tried taking it from my camera but the quality turned out blurry. Looked more like a white, fuzzy flying saucer floating in a dark background.

"Say, how about we stare at the full moon together again sometime?" I suggested.
"Sounds like a plan. But we aren't night owls," she snickered. "I'd like for us to meet up during the daytime as well. We deserve to get some daylight too."
"And try to find the moon camouflaged amidst the clouds?"
"You lunatic."
I laughed. "Girl got the jokes."
"I'll be here all weekend. Not."
I was staring at the moon. A cloud ran over it for a brief second.
She sighed. "Listen, I appreciate you calling me, but I feel like I need to get back and get some sleep. Call me tomorrow."
"Alright. Sorry for disturbing your sleep. Sweet dreams."
"Litto Seanie also better hit the sack soon."
"I'm a grown man."
She laughed, then hung up. Silence enveloping me.

I jumped into bed but sleep wouldn't consume me. I closed my eyes, only opening them a few minutes later. I looked at the moon and there it still was. Hoping to get some fresh air and a better view of the moon, I changed into some chino shorts and the first tee I could find, and headed outside. I went to the nearest Family Mart to get a pack of cigarettes and a bottle of water, and plopped myself down the bench in the local playground. I lit a cigarette with the lighter and just as I was breathing out the smoke, I realized that something was missing. I looked everywhere, even walked a few blocks but nothing. I scoured the skies but all that was visible were the scattered stars. Just like that, the moon disappeared.

The streets were deserted, the shutters in the stores were long shut, and the resident's windows were all dark. All that resumed as normal as ever was the Family Mart and the drug store across the street. LED lights beaming the stores along with the high-tech surveillance cameras, not even the most sneakiest of burglars could get away with stealing something there. Cigarette still in hand, I froze in the middle of the street, perplexed at the fact that the moon had absolutely, undoubtedly vanished.


I went back to my room only to catch my eyes on something full, bright, and spherical. It was there. Just the way I saw it before. I rubbed my eyes and looked at it with more focus. Yep, that was the moon. Nothing but the moon. Couldn't be anything else. How odd. It was in that same exact position from where I was standing outside. I don't live that very high up so the angle wasn't the deal. I remained in my room, both of my eyes fixated on the moon like a security guard keeping a look out for something suspicious. Perhaps a cloud was covering the moon while I was outside.

Time passed, the clock struck 5:15, but the moon had not changed except its position. It very subtlety sunk but it was not impossible at all to be able to see this outside. 

I went back down and searched the skies. But no good. A blank sheet of darkness with stars here and there. I walked ten blocks but no moon. All the while I was the only one in the streets. Early morning joggers and dog walkers would occasionally pass by, but that was all. Perhaps my mind was playing tricks on me and all I needed was some sleep, but the thought would always linger. Just where was the moon? It's there when I'm home. But how is it that it's not up there in space when I'm here in the sidewalk, outside? A garbage truck pulled over to the intersection as the handler chucked the pile of black bags full of trash littered on the edge of the sidewalk in the loading hopper. Seconds later, it took off. Everyone seemed to go about their normal routine schedules. Only I was probably the one noticing the oddity of the moon's behavior.

Giving up, I headed back home. The skies slowly grew brighter as the break of dawn started to arrive. I figured that all I needed was some sleep. I wanted to call her, but I held it until the next day. Right then I thought of something:

The moon could speak a thousand words but we all decide to ignore it.

It's something we see most of the time, and in fact, we see it so frequently that its presence is oftentimes nothing special. We'd just realize its bright appearance and continue to go about doing our duties. But sometimes, things that are ignored need some moments to stand out. Where its bright, shiny, spherical appearance just won't do. It could play tricks with you. Disappear in certain cases. Even seem closer than they really are. It could speak a thousand words. But we all decide to ignore it.