For once, she felt that she was not alone.
And as she slowly climbed down the
stairs towards her home, a small smile
tugged at her lips. Their friendship had
started.
She was seated at her usual spot, on the
tank, holding her knees up with her
elbows, as she gazed up at the sky.
Luna had been hiding behind one of the
clouds, refusing to come out and talk to
her. Her friend could be testing
sometimes. After waiting for a while,
she huffed, giving up, and looked down
at the cement of the tank.
“Do you ever feel alone, even when you
are surrounded by people?”, she
suddenly asked out loud, peering at the
grey above her, not really visible in the
pale light the moon was emanating
from behind the cloud.
The thought had been pondering in her
mind for a long time. “Like, even today,
in class, I was surrounded by so many
people. And still felt alone. Felt like I
didn’t belong. Like somehow, I was
different from the others, you know?
I felt like I was eavesdropping. Like I
was invading their personal space. Do
you ever feel like that?”.
99
There was a pause, and then she snorted.
“Look at me, asking a question to the
moon. I am so…”; she looked up at the
sky. Her friend was out of her hiding
place. The cloud long having moved on.
Only her crescent visible, it looked like
she was narrowing her non-existent
eyes at her.
And then, she looked around the moon.
At the many stars around her. All of
them giving out their own light, held
up in their own conversations.
Conversations that Luna did not belong
to. And yet she, even if she was only
present as the crescent, was still the
brightest. The collective light of the
stars falling insignificant next to the one
moon.
Surrounded by many, yet resembling
none. The girl smiled at her. She
understood what Luna meant. How can
you be like others when you are meant
to stand out?
She paced around the terrace nervously,
biting her nails. Her phone in hand,
shejumped at every notification sound
that came out, checking her phone and
sighing when it was not what she
wanted. After stressing herself out for
another ten minutes, she finally sat
down, exhaling loudly, mind confused.