The Moon

A gush of wind entered the room through the slight opening of the window of Mariam’s room. The night was relatively cooler compared to others. Winter was drawing near and this was the prime example of it. Mariam covered her body with the blanket, more tightly than ever in a hope to perish the coldness that lay in her room. Her body became icy as the wind picked up the speed. Blood running through her veins froze. She could not feel her fingers, her hands so dry, her lips crisp and her eyes wide open. Clicking on the lamp beside her she steadily sat up on the bed and removed her blanket. It was 2 at night…

Walking up to the window she slowly pushed it open. “Oww… it’s very cold!” she shrieked. It was the middle of November and the panic-stricken days were ahead. Giving off a sign of relief she looked up to the heavens. The beauty, it held. What a mesmerizing appearance. The moon seemed so big. So close it was perhaps a ladder might have made me the second person to visit the moon and walk on it after Neil Armstrong. The lazy clouds played hide and seek as it at times covered the gleam of shine that spread across the dark night. It was as if she (the moon) wanted to tell us about the agonizing pains one might go through but never to lose hope because light shines back someday or the other. In short, every cloud has a silver lining.

The scars on the moon’s surface depicted the clear sting it goes through but how still many keep on fighting along to survive. She never learns to give up. Up there even in the taciturn space above where meteoroids are her only visitors she still has learned to shine bright, covering up the whole of earth as if saying, “I’m here for you my son!”

Mariam thought; how powerful is the moon that it controls the waves of the sea. What supremacy it has, that it controls the bodies of secrecy, of the planet that gives life to the greatest creations. One day who knows the soils that give us food, the soils that we are destroying might be under these bodies and earth will be lost. Cities will be destroyed. People will be killed. Alas! It might just be a story for aliens to write, “The once Earth!”

Similarly, like many others moon also might have secrets. Mariam gaped at the beauty that stood. Then she asked, “What’s your dark side?” Certainly you would not expect the moon to answer that but she replied, in her whimsical way. Hiding behind the clouds she left the earth for a moment. A throb hit her hard. She loved to keep her riddles to herself. Possibly we are not still old and trained enough to understand what she speaks. What she signals. Then again she is a mystery that will be difficult to solve. It is part of everyday life right? We do not know everything about our neighbors! Well, the moon is such a neighbor that tells us much as we need to know about her, but not too much.

Someday tough will still come, when missions might be set to understand our neighbor better. That day feasibly we may get to know her better. For now, she is an enigma and she likes it that way. Up from the sky who knows, smiling at us, at the brave efforts we take and sobbing for the mistakes we make!

The light breeze made Mariam close her eyes, as a smile of gratitude and satisfaction spread over her tired face which had now given up to the silent lullaby which was sang by the mother of our planet earth.

One of the best quotes I like about the moon:

Shoot for the moon, even if you miss it you will land among the stars.