( ekphrastic creation story )
Long ago, before the birth of humans, before the sky was too far to reach, the Earth and Sky laid close together like man and woman. They held each other closely, as if to become one being. The first lovers, the first bond.
He was robust, yet his surface smooth and clean like the fresh skin of a newborn. She was the first beauty, but the true source of her allurement was the beauty of her heart –the sun.
The Sky wore her heart on the outside. In this world, it was the most energy filled thing in existence and essential to everyone. The Sky’s heartbeat alone had the life of a thousand fires. She shared its radiance and energy with whoever it shined on, but her priority was always the Earth. Always entangled with one another, warmth absorbed onto the Earth like body heat. This is where they truly met and became embodied.
But there were dangers in the Sky wearing her heart out like a brooch. The brightness of it was so great it could easily be seen anywhere, and coveted. The lonesome Moon was an example.
The Moon was a god of water, and like water he was reflective. He was always mirroring the sun’s shape and light, which nourished his barren self with life and made him glow. His love for the scenic Sky morphed into an uncontrollable desire.
To the Earth and Sky, nothing else existed but the other and the narrow slit between them. The invisible Moon became filled with jealousy. He always dwelled close to the Sky, but he camouflaged against her blue and cloudy background. The same source that the Moon reflected and that ignited him made him transparent. He convinced himself that was why the Sky never noticed him.
To become known to her, the Moon draped a large blanket woven with night between the Sky and the Earth. The darkness blocked and blinded the star-crossed lovers, and the opposing dark and light made the once see through Moon visible.
The Moon held the Sky within his blanket and embraced her in the same manner the Earth did. He had successfully captured her, but his triumph was not long lasting. The Sky’s heart began to burst from the separation. Sunrays began to rip through the night. The sunlight that could be seen through the tattered blanket decorated it like a bejeweled sheet –the illusionary decor we now call stars.
Guilt crept up on the Moon as he observed the Sky’s attempts to breakaway. He looked at the countless peepholes created in the night, and he construed that the Sky’s heart was desperately trying to exhibit itself to the Earth again. He was still her priority. The Moon uncovered his captive. The night folded, only distance stood between the Earth and Sky. The Earth called out for the Sky to come to him. The Sky being light and weightless, however, was trapped hovering in the air.
The Earth’s surface changed, it began to wrinkle. The bitterness grew within him and took the form of green vegetation, trees, and hills. They sprouted upwards trying to reach the Sky, but they were unable to make the stretch, his efforts were utterly futile. The Sky began to change, too. She cried for the first time, her bright and aesthetic appearance turning an eerie ashen gray, her pulse becoming loud and rhythmic. The painful strikes in her heart manifested into thunder and lightning.
The Moon watched the Sky and Earth’s failed attempts at reaching each other. He knew he was the cause of this tragedy. The Moon then used his powers to manipulate the Sky’s tears. It was all he could do. Instead of rolling down her cheeks, her tears began to fall before her and onto the Earth. The first rain. The Earth bathed in the Sky’s tears, the cracks in his now wrinkled skin became pooled in salty water. Days of tears turned once dry land into oceans and seas.
But the Earth was no longer sad. Finally their bond was recreated with the rain –a link from the Sky to the Earth. The Sky’s tears finally began to fade into a drizzle upon seeing what looked like a colorful bridge materialize. The first rainbow. Just seeing this phenomenon, she had also come to realize what the Earth had.
And the rainbow was a reminder that bonds are strongest after the rain.
He was robust, yet his surface smooth and clean like the fresh skin of a newborn. She was the first beauty, but the true source of her allurement was the beauty of her heart –the sun.
The Sky wore her heart on the outside. In this world, it was the most energy filled thing in existence and essential to everyone. The Sky’s heartbeat alone had the life of a thousand fires. She shared its radiance and energy with whoever it shined on, but her priority was always the Earth. Always entangled with one another, warmth absorbed onto the Earth like body heat. This is where they truly met and became embodied.
But there were dangers in the Sky wearing her heart out like a brooch. The brightness of it was so great it could easily be seen anywhere, and coveted. The lonesome Moon was an example.
The Moon was a god of water, and like water he was reflective. He was always mirroring the sun’s shape and light, which nourished his barren self with life and made him glow. His love for the scenic Sky morphed into an uncontrollable desire.
To the Earth and Sky, nothing else existed but the other and the narrow slit between them. The invisible Moon became filled with jealousy. He always dwelled close to the Sky, but he camouflaged against her blue and cloudy background. The same source that the Moon reflected and that ignited him made him transparent. He convinced himself that was why the Sky never noticed him.
To become known to her, the Moon draped a large blanket woven with night between the Sky and the Earth. The darkness blocked and blinded the star-crossed lovers, and the opposing dark and light made the once see through Moon visible.
The Moon held the Sky within his blanket and embraced her in the same manner the Earth did. He had successfully captured her, but his triumph was not long lasting. The Sky’s heart began to burst from the separation. Sunrays began to rip through the night. The sunlight that could be seen through the tattered blanket decorated it like a bejeweled sheet –the illusionary decor we now call stars.
Guilt crept up on the Moon as he observed the Sky’s attempts to breakaway. He looked at the countless peepholes created in the night, and he construed that the Sky’s heart was desperately trying to exhibit itself to the Earth again. He was still her priority. The Moon uncovered his captive. The night folded, only distance stood between the Earth and Sky. The Earth called out for the Sky to come to him. The Sky being light and weightless, however, was trapped hovering in the air.
The Earth’s surface changed, it began to wrinkle. The bitterness grew within him and took the form of green vegetation, trees, and hills. They sprouted upwards trying to reach the Sky, but they were unable to make the stretch, his efforts were utterly futile. The Sky began to change, too. She cried for the first time, her bright and aesthetic appearance turning an eerie ashen gray, her pulse becoming loud and rhythmic. The painful strikes in her heart manifested into thunder and lightning.
The Moon watched the Sky and Earth’s failed attempts at reaching each other. He knew he was the cause of this tragedy. The Moon then used his powers to manipulate the Sky’s tears. It was all he could do. Instead of rolling down her cheeks, her tears began to fall before her and onto the Earth. The first rain. The Earth bathed in the Sky’s tears, the cracks in his now wrinkled skin became pooled in salty water. Days of tears turned once dry land into oceans and seas.
But the Earth was no longer sad. Finally their bond was recreated with the rain –a link from the Sky to the Earth. The Sky’s tears finally began to fade into a drizzle upon seeing what looked like a colorful bridge materialize. The first rainbow. Just seeing this phenomenon, she had also come to realize what the Earth had.
And the rainbow was a reminder that bonds are strongest after the rain.
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