• Beams of moonlight shot down from the sky and into the marketplace, making it look as if it were shining. It was quiet, and nobody was around, all asleep and away from the marketplace altogether. And as I stared off down the road, I seemed to be in a tranquil place, my heart beating a soft tattoo against the panels of my chest, a warming feeling washing over me. My eyes slipped closed, and I could feel the soft breeze brushing against my cheek like a lover's hand, and my mind completely slipped away from me as I sat down on the dirt path, listening to the stillness of the night.

    As I did this, I heard the strangest melody. A soft whispering, that slowly turned into the most beautiful song. My eyes opened, and I was met face to face with a boy standing in the middle of the marketplace. Though he was staring at me, I could tell he hadn't met for his gaze to be there, it wasn't really fixed on anything at all, his eyes just happened to be on me.

    I lifted myself to my feet. Melancholy plagued his features, and all I wanted to do at that moment was comfort him.

    "Little boy, are you lost?" I inquired softly, but the only response coming from him, was a finger that rose and pointed to the dark sky.

    "I... I don't understand," I spoke apologetically, glancing once, twice, thrice, trying to understand.

    "The moon... isn't it pretty?" he asked, staring at me still, but his hand remained risen to the sky. "Why does it only come out at night?"

    I stared at the moons and stars for several moments before smacking him across the face nonchalantly. Why I had done this, I had no idea. He had no response, no feeling to the pain.

    "Little boy, are you sick?"

    "The moon... It's really pretty... I wish it were closer..."

    I peered aggressively at him, not quite sure why the anger was suddenly building up inside of me. In the moonlight, I saw bruises on his arms and face.

    "Who did this to you?" I asked, grabbing his arm firmly, the boy stared at me, his eyes wide and frightened for a moment, his breath catching into his throat. "Answer me!"

    "Don't hurt me!" he yelled at me, pulling his arm away and pointing eagerly at the moon. "The moon! The mo-"

    I slapped him again, my eyes narrowing. "Shut up! Who's hurting you?"

    The boy ran away from me, and I felt compelled to run after, find out what was going on. He darted inside a home, me following closely before grabbing him and pushing him against a wall.

    "No! No! I can't see it!" he screamed, I wrapped my hands around his neck, shaking him.

    "Can't see what? Tell me!"

    The boy convulsed against my hands and I felt his skin get pale beneath my hands, and then, he disappeared. He wasn't there, he just... evaporated. I stood there, my hands clutching nothing and I ran back outside. He wasn't in the market place. My mind was in a frenzy. I went back inside, looking for a picture or something to prove I wasn't insane. I grabbed the bathroom door and swung it open, pushing myself inside and looking around, grabbing different things and studying them, staring at the mirror, I thought I'd seen something, but nothing came to mind. I ran back out the bathroom and into the garden. Just flowers, they smelled beautiful. My heart seemed to calm down, taking a deep breath and closing my eyes, sitting in the garden and taking one of the flowers, a droplet of red lying against the yellow petals. I felt tiny arms wrap around me, but I didn't look back. I felt a sharp twist in my back, knocking the breath out of me, pushing harder inside, but I felt no pain.

    "The moon... it's really pretty."