Of Weeping

A small boy stumbled to the edge of the field and fell to his knees. His shoulders shuddered softly as he wept into his hands.

“Why do you weep, child?” asked the Moon as she peered down from the midnight sky.

“W-wh-what?” he stammered, attempting to stop the tears as they flowed from his eyes, praying they had gone unnoticed

“I asked, why do you you weep?”

“Because I am lost!” replied the child, succumbing to his tears again, abandoning any hope of modesty.

“Mmm... but you are not lost.”

Her words hung in the air as the child's blubbering abruptly paused. He wiped his snot-covered hands on his pants and stared back up at the Moon.

“Why, why, yes I am!” he defended, “I do not know where I am!” This revelation brought on a new wave of sorrow, but the boy's curiosity kept him from embracing the tears. He bit his lip, refusing its quiver, and glared back up at the Moon.

“Yes, you do not know exactly where you are,” she replied, “But you have the Ocean to guide you and the Wind to direct you. You have the Stars to show you and the Paths to lead you. You are not lost.” The boy sighed and surrendered his stare to the damp soil beneath his knees. He paused.

“But I am lonely,” he confessed hesitantly.

“Yes, but you are a child. You have not experienced true love nor true loss; you do not yet understand the meaning of these words. And you have the Sun to warm your heart, the Animals to comfort you, and Those Behind to encourage you. You are not alone.”

The child heard all of this, yet buried his head in his hands again.

“But I am scared,” he mumbled through the gaps in his fingers.

“Of what?” the Moon asked, with an air of loving innocence.

“Of Terror, of Pain, of... D-Death,” the boy whispered, barely audible to the seeds at his feet.

“Of Terror, you control, for only you can allow yourself to fear. Of Pain, he is a dreadful beast, but you have Time to help lessen the bite. And of Death,” and at this, the Moon glowed with a motherly pride. “Of Death, my son, you need not fear at all, for there is nothing beyond its passing but another adventure.” A twinkle sparked and a glimmer shon from her smile, like a proud mother unveiling a gift to her child.

“So I... I wi- will be ok?” stammered the small boy with a hopeful, mounting confidence. A tiny smile crept under his teary eyes.

“Yes, and through all of this, I will be watching you.” And a small, beautiful wink escaped from her eye.

“Thank you,” whispered the boy as he bowed his head. With that he cleared his eyes, returned to his feet, and headed back into the night, guided only by the light from the moon.