Marysol looked up at the sky, dreaming of touching the stars. She lifted her palm to the moon and grasped it. The moon was so small, so delicate, and so beautiful. Her eyes were stuck on the holes of the moon. Lifting her lips, she kissed the large craters and left her lipstick stuck to them. She smiled, wishing she could reach a little farther.
"The heavens are so beautiful…" She murmured, flipping open a notebook. She took a long pen, drawing the moon. She imagined going up there, caressing the blazing fires, and gazing lovingly down at the Earth.
"Wouldn't it be nice to go up there one day..?" A voice suddenly popped up next to her, deep and sweet. "I've heard rumors that in the past, they would go in these machines and fly to meet god."
"William," Marysol turned her head, her curled hair dropping off the side of her neck. She smiled at him and back at the sky, "Mhm. I wish we could still do that now. I wonder how they got up there in the first place."
The man chuckled lightly, one hand grabbing Marisol's shoulder, the other waving up to the darkened airspace. "They would dress in these… bulky white suits. They would strap themselves to a white, cylinder-shaped machine. It would blast fire off its backside, and shoot up into, um, space." He patted her shoulder, lifting his arm off. He reached behind him and grabbed a book. He placed it in front of Marysol.
"...What's this?" she lifted the book, scanning the outside. The cover displayed a striped flag sitting on a dusty white surface. Marysol hadn't seen anything like it before.
"It's a book," William shook his head, "tsk, thought you would know that much."
"I know that," Marysol smiled slightly, "I mean, what's the thing on the cover?"
"Hah, okay, okay." He picked it up and displayed it next to the white circle in the sky, watching Marysol figure it out.
"The moon...!" She picked up the moon and examined it closely. "Is it really the moon? How did people get these photos? It's so close up!" Excitement tore her up, inside and out. She rubbed her palm against the rough and dusty case.
William didn't respond to any questions. Instead, he opened the book and presented the first page. "Read. You might just find your answers," he smiled, running his hand through her hair.
She grunted and swiped his hand off her head. "William! I just got this all nice and ready." She pouted, carefully patting her hair back into its formerly neat shape. Looking back, Marysol saw the man who took care of her smiling bittersweetly at the moon. He looked sad.
"William?" She gently lifted her hands to meet his wrist. Maysol's lips creased downwards, "Why… are you…"
He continued staring at the moon, his eyebrows lifting back to their formerly nonchalant position. He sighed, lowered his eyes, and kept his mouth locked up. Marysol has seen him like this quite a few times: looking up, perhaps longingly, at the moon. She pulled her gaze away from him, following his gaze up to the same place. Something about it pulled at her heart, making her want to fly up there and give the lonely moon some company.
"William," Marysol tugged on his wrist, "You can't just look at something like that and not explain why."
William chuckled a little and pulled away from her grasp. "I…I can't explain it." He pushed the book a little closer to her. "But maybe.."
"Maybe?" Marysol looked down at the book, wondering what could be so complex about a thing she knew so well. She saw it every day, gazing at it, dreaming, and longed for it so simply.
"Maybe you can explain it, for those of us who can't."
Marysol delicately moved the book from her desk and tucked it into her bookbag. Perhaps she could read this when she had free time, but free time was a rare delicacy where she was heading.
"Shall we head out?" Marysol lifted her backpack, swinging it onto her shoulders. She smiled and hugged William, remembering the moon. She was unsure when she would be able to see the moon and him again. She didn't know why, but his arms trembled slightly when releasing.
"Okay..! You got everything…?" William leaned to the side, eyeing Marysol's bag.
"William, I'm sure I have everything."
"Awesome...let's go."
—
The two of them had hopped into Williams' old, rusty red car, driving with the windows down. It was freezing, but sometimes the numbness of the cold could be a good wake-up call. Marysol tilted her head out of the car, her hair flying wildly, and stared into the all-consuming darkness. Sometimes they would pass a few trees or old flickering lamps along the road. Other than that, the terrain was desolate. Their house was growing smaller in the distance, standing alone among the streets.
"It's been too long since I've seen the light." Marysol lowered her eyes, looking at the car, "Sometimes I can't even tell that the car's red. The darkness takes all colors away."
William's lips tilted up sadly, "Yeah," He reached his hand out the window, patting the side of the car, "but soon you will be able too the sun again."
"I know," Marysol's breath was barely audible, the only sign it was there was the white puff of vapor. "But, what about you?"
"Hmph, I cannot see the light. My eyes have chased the darkness for too long, and I've forgotten how to adjust my eyes." He laughed a little pitifully, looking to the side to see Marysol's bittersweet gaze. "Ah, no need to feel sorry for me. In my youth, I lived on the other side for many years. I'm lucky enough as it is."
"Why can't you go with me?" Marysol frowned bitterly, her eyes sadly stared at William for answers.
"I…" William coughed, "I really can't go. My eyes…"
"..." Marysol knew he was lying. If he truly had such light sensitivity, he wouldn't be taking her to the other side. She could never fudge an answer out of him, his mouth was too tightly sealed.
She quickly twisted her head towards the open window again. If she wasn't going to get answers now, perhaps when she was older. It would be no use to keep trying, lest she get in trouble. Her eyes followed the horizon, watching as the moon she knew was trailing downwards. The sky started to flame, and a fire took the horizon. An orange trailed across the sky, tipped with a hot, blazing yellow. Marysol hadn't seen such a sight in a long, long time. Her heart twisted, knowing that William wasn't going to go with her. He wouldn't be able to stay for long, now that the sun had dipped her lovely face upon the land. She would soon be alone.
"…William..?" Marysol bit her lip, holding back her breath. If this was her last time with him, she at least had to tell him. Her gratitude was immeasurable. he had taken her in, raised her, and now, was letting her go.
"Yes, Marysol?" Willam turned his head toward her, a smile hanging upon his lips. His eyebrows were slightly slanted downwards, and his eyes looked a little darker then usually. He had been running from the sun for far too long. It seems that with a little light, the mans face had aged quite a bit…
"…no, Dad," She corrected herself, looking him in the eye, "Thank you. For all these years. I don't think… I could have lived this long without you." The light from the sky had long since hit the young girl's face, but somehow, William had been able to avoid it.
"Ah…." William blinked his eyes slowly. His breathing turned a little harsh, and tears bit at his eyes. He slowly turned his head toward the road. His voice had become small, "I…put your book in your backpack for you when you weren't looking. You won't be coming back. I…see you as my daughter. That's why…" he went silent.
Marysol stared at him, watching the person who raised her crumble in an instant, become an old man who she knew nothing about in seconds. The light had ever so slightly grazed the tip of his hair.
ah…his hair… it's white….
"that's why I must do this."
William slammed the car brakes, letting the car lurch forward. His hand reached over to Marysol, and unfastened her seatbelt. Her mouth gaped open, not wanting to leave. Willam and Marysol's eyes met, and a hand had shoved her out of the car. She clung on to his arm, desperately trying to stay.
"Please, please, I'll stay..!. Don't leave..!" She weeped, digging her fingertips into his arms. He paused a moment, almost hesitating.
"…look at your book. I love you."
She let go of his hand and watched the car speed off into the distance.
"Dad..!"