Giovanna loves the ocean like I love my shadow. She dived while I walked along the coast.
This time was different. Normally, she came back with nothing but wet clothes and a smile.
She would mutter under her breath, “We are close.”
Close to what I wasn’t sure.
I have something to show you. Giovanna's voice filled my mind.
I looked out into the ocean as the sun began to set.
I took off my boots and slowly stepped into the cold water.
I stood there a moment, the water at my ankles, then my calves, rising higher slowly, it reached my chest. I breathed in deep and dove.
There she was.
Glowing in the dark, like the moon used to glow in my tower.
Something inside me pulled me towards her.
I swam.
Soon I was right beside her. She held a small sphere in her hands, a beaming smile on her face.
I found something. Her thoughts flooded me in a way I hadn’t gotten used to yet. It feels like holding your breath when you need to let it out.
I looked down at her hands for a moment.
What? I asked her.
She pressed the bottom of the sphere, and it opened up.
Inside, tiny people fought; one wore a moon and the other a sun.
As I watched, the tiny people got closer until I was standing inside the sphere. Giovanna is next to me.
The two figures stood before us.
“I can’t give you what you're asking,” yelled the Moon. “I am stuck in what I was made into.”
“You are only stuck if you let yourself stay.” The Sun shouted back, “Come with me.”
“I can’t,” The Moon wailed, falling to its knees.
The Sun moved only slightly closer. “You need to see yourself clearly, my dear.”
The Moon stood and walked closer, throwing a punch that landed across the Sun's cheek.
“I see myself too clearly.”
“Then maybe you should forgive yourself for it.” Sun opened their arms for an embrace.
The Moon stepped closer to the Sun and asked, “What if it hurts?”
“It’s life, my dear; it’s supposed to hurt.” A smile spread on the Sun's face. “It’s how we know we are alive.” The Sun wrapped its arms around the Moon, and they stood there, the Moon and Sun in an impossible embrace.
As the vision faded, I could focus on Giovanna’s face.
I used to think the light abandoned me. I told her. I swam closer until I was within arm's length. I reached for her, and she moved into my arms.
You were just waiting for the right time to show up. I told her as I moved slowly through the water until our lips touched.
And after endless sunshine, I finally have my moon. She replied as the water's current picked up, swirling around us.