Luna & Mr Moon

Luna is obsessed with the moon, but also escaping her world. An almost whimsical love story

 

Luna & Mr Moon

 

            Luna stared up at the full moon; she wondered why it had been decided, in her parent’s great wisdom, to name her after it? This was one of many thoughts that would travel through her brain as she stared at the moon, her friend, her kin.

          The answers, though, were harder to come by, but as she watched she became calmer, the need for answers seemed less important.

          People were the problem she decided, didn’t need them, and could easily do without. She only had to look round the school and see examples everywhere. Their little groups and cliques, plastics, jocks, geeks and freaks all being individuals, hiding in groups of individuals, rebelling against conformity, but all conforming to the strict rules of their pack.

          The moon made no such demands on Luna; it let her be, just watching, ever present.

          She wondered what it would be like to wander its dusty valleys. Would she look at earth in the same way? Would the moon welcome her with open arms? Would it feel like home?

          A cloud drifted by, momentarily obscuring the moon, but to Luna it was winking at her, reassuring her, an old friend that had been there all her life.

          She pulled her baggy jumper round her fragile frame as a shiver ran down her spine. The rooftop wasn’t exactly the most sensible place to be in the middle of the night, but sensible could be so boring.

          Voices came from the street below, Luna shrunk back, making sure she wasn’t seen, pulling her jumper tighter. The voices drifted away, Luna waited until she was sure they’d gone before she relinquished the safety of the shadows.

          Spits and spots hit her cheek, she hadn’t noticed it had gotten darker, she looked up, but the moon was completely obscured by a menacing dark cloud. The spits and spots became harder, Luna made a run for the stairwell, pushed through the wooden door and gasped for breath as she could hear the rain now thundering behind her.

          She shook her baggy jumper, droplets of water splashing the floor at her feet, they formed the pattern of a rare and unusual constellations, which made her laugh to herself.

          The lights in the stairwell flickered; it was as if the old building was sighing. Luna placed her hand against the flaky red paint on the wall and the lights stopped flickering, as if she had soothed its worries. Luna smiled brightly as she skipped down the stairs.

          Her smile faltered as she approached the door to her apartment, the number forty nine hung loosely from the door. She often hoped that if she turned the nine to a six then life would somehow be different, that her parents wouldn’t be her parents and smiling wouldn’t be considered a crime.

          She gently eased the door open, trying her best not to make a sound, even avoiding the creaky floorboards, made easy when she knew their exact position. In the half light she could make out the shapes of odd bits of furniture. By the sound of snoring she knew her father was asleep on the couch, probably another row had pushed them apart again, forcing them to seek refuge in isolation. Luna wasn’t surprised; she tiptoed over and gently pulled the rug over his heaving belly. She comforted herself in the fact that it looked as if her father had a smile on his face as he slept.

          Luna crept towards her room, holding her breath on the way, sanctuary but inches away.

          “You’ve been on that damn roof again.” Her mother’s hiss was like ice in her blood.

Luna froze, her hand caught inches above the door handle.

“You’re an evil little witch.” The hiss became filled with venom.

Luna felt a tear on her cheek, without giving her mother the satisfaction she pulled open the bedroom door and closed it behind her.

“Evil little witch.” A final hiss from the other side of the door.

Luna wondered if that was what she was destined to grow up like? A shiver ran down her spine at the thought.

Her room was sparsely decorated, not through choice, but her favourite part was the large window. She could look out at the world for hours, wishing she was a million miles away, leading a completely different life.

There was a parting kick at the door by her mother, then silence. Luna chose to ignore her, she just wanted attention, her mother craved attention, and the louder she shouted, the more she kicked and screamed, the more attention she thought she got. Luna, on the other hand, loathed attention. She would quite gladly become ghost, disappear from view and never be seen again.

She wondered if all parents were like hers, or if she had just been really really unlucky?

Her mother started to direct her anger at her father, Luna could hear the rage seeping through the door. She heard it so often it was now just background noise, a drone that she sometimes missed when it wasn’t there.

Luna missed the light of the moon coming through the window, the rain clouds blocking it out. All she could see was a constant stream flowing down the glass. The rain, though, seemed to suit her mood, grey and gloomy.

The sky flashed brilliant white, Luna jumped, the thunder rumbled shortly after. She buried herself under the covers and tried to sleep her way through it.

Morning came with such surprising speed; Luna groaned and wiped the sleep from her eyes. Mornings always came too early. With a reluctant heave she hauled herself out of bed. Her bones felt old and creaky as she moved across her bedroom. A glance out the window told her that the moon was nowhere to be seen, another reason to hate mornings.

She gathered up her stuff for school, if she was lucky she could be out before her parents woke.

But luck was something she didn’t possess much of.

Her mother was waiting for her as she opened the bedroom door, a face like last nights thunder.

“What are you smiling at?”

The biggest sin of all, god forbid you were having more fun than her.

“I’m not.” Luna mumbled and stared at the floor.

“Don’t you lie to me, its there, plain as day.” Her eyes were wild, the smell of some alcohol coming from her.

Luna continued to stare at the floor.

“Is that all you’ve got to say for yourself? You’re no daughter of mine.”

Inside Luna was laughing, if only that were true, she’d gladly have nothing more to do with her.

“Just… Just…” She shook with anger “Get out of my sight!”

Luna didn’t need a second invitation, she bolted for the door. Once outside it was as if a weight had been lifted, her heart felt lighter, almost floaty. She didn’t even notice as she bumped into somebody on the landing.

“Sorry.” The word drifted lazily through the air.

She was halfway down the stairs when she heard the word. She stopped. Went back a few steps, but there was nobody to be seen.

Had she imagined it?

Was she now hearing voices?

That was all she needed.

The noise of the school bus could be heard outside, Luna raced down the last of the stairs. She just managed to catch the bus before it pulled away, the driver’s eyes narrowed as she attempted to smile at him.

Now the diplomacy of where to sit, which group to avoid. Thankfully there was no space near the plastics, the jocks were busy trying to impress. Luna opted for no mans land, a safe distance from all groups and stared out at the world going by, oblivious to the politics and love triangles that raged on around her.

To some school was a hunting ground, a place to collect trophies and scalps, to gain a reputation, an image. To Luna it was just a big old concrete block, a cage that others used to stifle her. The only place she felt safe was the roof, she discovered it by accident while escaping a horde of plastics, the constant drone of the air condition fans soothing, calming like a meditative chant.

But first she had to survive a few lessons, a different drone, this one far from meditative.

She made sure she sat near the window, easier to let her mind drift off into fantasy worlds that were far safer than reality.

Another bell, another stampede, reality beckoned her back as everybody bolted for the door. Luna felt herself pushed and shoved, carried along by a powerful wave. The noise roared in her ears, she almost felt lifted off the ground.

She had to get out.

She had to escape.

An opportunity presented itself and she managed to work herself into the relative safety of a side corridor. A couple of stoners glared at her with bleary eyes, their brains so cut off and incapable of normal speech. Luna made for the stairs before their brains could find first gear, and up she headed, taking two at a time, already thinking of the wind wrapping round her and losing her thoughts in its roar.

Luna pushed open the door, her heart almost bursting with the prospect of solitude and peace.

“Hello again.” The voice floated towards her, making her heart sink.

Luna looked around her waiting for the jibes and laughter.

“Sorry ‘bout earlier, I was in a hurry.”

“Earlier?” Luna was confused; she’d never seen the figure standing on the edge of the roof before.

“We passed on the stairs, I bumped into you.”

“There was no one on the stairs?” Luna saw the owner of the voice for the first time.

“Not those stairs.” His smile was wide and his eyes sparkled, he had scruffy hair and no dress sense at all, his clothes were mismatched colours and several sizes too big.

Luna looked back to the door that hid the stairs in confusion.

“The ones back at our apartment block.” The words took their time to register.

“Our block?”

“Yeah, I live at number forty six, we just moved in.”

Luna let out a small gasp.

“Was it something I said?”

She turned and ran for the stairs; she could hear him shouting something but didn’t stop to hear. Taking the stairs two at a time she arrived breathlessly back in the hallway.

“If it isn’t Looney.” One of the plastics sneered, all blonde and pink.

Luna tried to push past them, her mind frantically trying to work out why she’d run away.

“Did I say you could use this corridor?” Another of the plastics blocked her way.

Why had she run away?

The first person in ages to talk to her as if she was a normal human being, and what does she do? She goes and runs away.

“We’re talking to you Looney.” The plastics mistook her silence.

The first shove pushed Luna against the wall, she felt her shoulder blades jar, the second shove caused her head to crack hard into the wall.

“You don’t ignore us.” One of them snarled, which almost made Luna laugh.

“You smiling?” Again they’d spotted that great sin.

Luna felt a hand reach into her hair and pull hard, jerking her head to one side. She found herself staring into soft blue eyes, round pink lips, perfect makeup.

“What’re we going to do with you Looney?” The voice that came from those round pink lips was cold; it reminded Luna of her mother. Maybe her mother was what the plastics were going to grow up like?

The thought made her forget herself and she laughed out loud.

Her hair was pulled hard.

Luna let a small yelp escape.

The round pink lips turned into a viscous smile.

“You hear me now?” The words formed a viperous hiss.

“Hey!” His voice cut through things like a knife, the guy from the roof loped over.

Luna felt the grip loosen and took her chance, bolting without a backwards glance.

She survived the rest of the day without significant incident, and decided to walk home rather than risk the bus.

The sun was starting to set, a gloomy dusk settling over everything. As she walked Luna searched the sky for signs if the moon, looking for reassurance and security. But it didn’t seem to want to be found, no matter how hard she looked.

“I missed you.” Luna jumped at the sound of the voice.

His hair was still scruffy, his clothes, even in this light, were horribly mismatched.

“You weren’t on the bus.” He sat cross legged at the top of the steps into the block.

“You following me?” Luna stared at him accusingly.

“I told you, I live here as well.”

She tried to stop the involuntary gasp that escaped.

“Do you always do that?” A smirk crossed his face “You did it first time I told you.”

“First time?”

“Yeah. Remember, on the roof, at school?”

Luna’s mind rattled, she worried that her mother might be watching and waiting to use it as an excuse for another tirade. She worried that this guy would be pestering her at every opportunity, now that he felt she owed him something. She worried that she hadn’t seen the moon because of heavy skies.

“This is earth calling, are you receiving me? Over.” His face floated in front of hers.

Luna felt like she was being teased. She put her head down and headed into the building.

“Was it something I said?” He shouted after her, a nervous laugh in his voice.

Luna couldn’t stop, she headed up the stairs. The lights were flickering again, but Luna couldn’t stop to sooth the buildings ills.

She slid her key as quietly as she could into the lock of number forty nine. She felt like crying, she didn’t know why. Even the creak of the door sounded like yet another burst of laughter.

“Is that you?” Her father’s slow drawl sounded.

“Yes.” The word came out meekly.

Her father was like a giant human sloth sprawled across the couch. His life support machine spewing silver light into the room. He stared at it, hypnotised, the gogglebox telling him of the wonders of the world that lay just the other side of his front door. But Luna hadn’t seen him wander much further than his couch for as long as she could remember.

Luna closed the door behind her, shutting herself inside this tiny claustrophobic universe.

“Where’s mum?” The silence made her nervous.

“Gloria’s.” Her father sighed.

Gloria was her mother’s drinking buddy, which would mean they would be in for a bumpy ride later.

Luna stared at her father, his belly rising gently, his efforts at conversation finished with. She wondered what it was that had drawn her parents together, animal magnetism, lust, a curious form of love or pregnancy? It would be just her luck that she was responsible for the unhappy union. Another thing she could add to the list.

She turned away and shut herself in her room. The same four walls again. As she sat on the bed she wondered if the boy was still downstairs.  She didn’t even know his name. If she saw him again she’d make a point of asking. That was if he ever spoke to her again.

The moon was still refusing to show itself. Luna hoped that it hadn’t fallen out with her as well. That would be more than she could bear.

The window started to rattle. More rain. Luna turned away, no chance of seeing the moon now.

The rattling became more insistent.

Again and again.

That wasn’t rain, couldn’t be hailstones.

She went to the window, it shook just as she got there causing her to jump and gasp in shock.

They were stones; someone was throwing stones at her window.

Luna heaved the window open, a small stone came whizzing passed her ear.

“Sorry.” A voice drifted up to her.

She stuck her head out and glared down.

It was him.

“I didn’t mean to…”

Luna started to pull herself back inside.

“Don’t go, I only want to talk.”

“How did you know which window was mine?” Luna stuck her head back out.

“Trial and error, yours was the fifth one I hit.”

Luna was surprised to hear herself laugh.

“One woman tried to throw a bucket of water over me; I don’t think she was very pleased.”

His hair fell away from his face as he laughed; even from her vantage point Luna could see his eyes shine like two small moons.

She caught herself.

What was she thinking?

She saw his smile falter and the moons faded.

What was she thinking?

“What do you want?” She found herself shouting.

“Just to talk.”

“What about?”

“Anything, everything.”

“Why me?”

“Why not?” He shouted back without a hint of sarcasm.

Luna laughed. It sounded like a noise that hadn’t been heard in years, the freest she’d ever sounded.

They talked for hours, but it felt like minutes. Luna perched on the window ledge, him leaning casually against a wall, craning his neck up, gesticulating wildly as he talked.

“Who the hell are you talking to?” Her mother had returned and was nearly knocking the bedroom door off its hinges.

“I gotta go.” Luna almost whispered down to him. She’d shut the window before she could hear a reply.

“Have you got someone in there?” Her mother bellowed, the door handle being turned frantically.

“It’s just me mum.” Luna spoke meekly.

“I heard voices.” She made it sound like a threat. The door rattled as if there was an earthquake.

As Luna finally opened the door the smell of alcohol that washed over her almost made her feel sick.

“So where are they?” She pushed passed Luna and started searching the room.

“It’s just me.”

Her mother gave her a look that could have stripped paint.

“I’m not allowed people in my room.”  Luna recited another of the rules with a sigh.

“Are you mocking me?” Her mother spat, her eyes bleary, her face contorted.

Luna quickly shook her head.

“I hear…” She fought back a belch of revulsion “…voices.”

“Might’ve been the radio.” Luna panicked slightly as her mother staggered and swayed towards the window.

“I wonder sometimes why I ever had you.” The statement was directed at the window.

“So do I.” Luna mumbled to herself, wishing she lived at forty six and not forty nine. Just turn the numbers, flip them round, everything could have been so different.

A single tear trickled down Luna’s cheek, not for herself though, for what could have been, for her mother.

A bleary eye fixed on her, then there was a snort of disgust and she pushed passed her, muttering something under her breath.

Luna wiped the tear away.

It would be the last one.

The last one her mother would make her shed.

The window rattled again, Luna rushed over. There he was, still there, throwing stones. He smiled up at her. Luna smiled back. No more tears. Nothing would be the same again.

“What’s your name?” Luna called, now not caring if her mother heard her.

“Charlie, Charlie Moon.”

 

Author's Note

I can do soppy as well, but still with a little bit of bite, tell me what you think

Reviews

[J. Hampton]

Alistair ...been a minute hope alls well
good story on several accounts
your dialog as always impeccable...a viable mix of terminology an tones

The content ~ any-school clique issues embeded with and compouned by all the crushing dynamics of a highly disfunctional family .

the characters ~ compelling an relatable

the ending... so well one left some of us satisfie of promise of the sanctuary of frienship for our abused/neglected heroine....or leaves some of us rooling for more wonering is Charlie a figment of her imagination pushed past her limit?

Blessssssssssssss

[Gary H]

thats wonderful. really, I'm lost for words to put a more viable review up. love the characterisation and am just jealous that I can never write as succintly as you do. your stories are excellent. thanks for sending.

[Dead Angel]

aww what a cute story!! i love it so much, i can kind of relate to Luna a little bit. not the whole my mother hating me thing but the love she has for the moon. i love the moon so much and it just so happens i met a guy with blue eyes, just like Charlie Moon ;) lol. this was very creative and the metaphors were fantastic, i enjoyed this story so very much. very well done here alistair, its so quaint and well thought out. :D

[Dan Bullock]

I absolutely love it sir! I think modern fairytale with a nice hit of reality....I'm a big fan of this piece!!

Good little linking of situations, flat/house number and of course, your finale...

I'm quite blown over actually, such awesome imagery, escaping from this vile...disagreeable world poor little Luna lives in and out into the big wide world, she made it, I know she did.

:)