Bm:LC Entry #3: Rising Moon, Falling Star

It was an ordinary afternoon that day when we met. The sun did not go out, the stars did not rain down from the heavens. The seas nor the earth rent themselves asunder.

It was a simple day, like any other. Yes, a simple day that she walked into my life and changed it forever.

********

I could feel the warmth of sun’s rays warming the back of my neck as I worked. It was a warm, comforting sensation. I bent down, pulling at the weeds rooted firmly in the soil. I worked carefully, taking care not to damage the nearby seedlings.

My mother and father decided to settle down on the outskirts of town after their traveling days, turning what was once an empty field into an enormous farm. I was born a year later, and my little sister soon followed.  Together, its our job to tend to various odd jobs about the land. It’s hard work, but each day is a pleasant experience.

As I pulled the weed free from its purchase in the earth, I noticed a patch of soil next to me begin to shift. Already knowing what to expect, I stood up and took a few steps back.

Like I had expected, the soil began to be pushed aside as claws breached the surface. It was a few moments later when the head of my little sister emerged from the soil, looking to and fro.

I waved at her to get her attention. She quickly glanced in my direction and smiled.

 “Oh, brother!” she said excitedly. “There you are!” She stuck her head below the surface, only to resurface a moment later with her torso above ground. “I finished sowing the new seedlings!” she said with a cheerful expression.

I smiled. “Good job, Lillete.” I said warmly, and rubbed my hand lightly against the top of her head in praise. “Why don’t you go play?” I suggested. “I’ll catch up with you, once I finish my chores as well.”

 “Okay!” she responded cheerfully, quickly disappearing into the earth. I could hear the sound of the earth below being displaced as she tunneled away. As she did so, I turned back to my work. I reached for another weed, tugging at it.

It was a stubborn weed, and I had to put some effort into it before it would come out. I turned to toss it into the already growing pile of uprooted weeds, when I noticed something on the wind as I glanced to the side. I turned to watch it float by, and I noticed that it appeared to be colored pink. As I watched it float on by, I realized that it was coming closer towards me. I stretched out my hand, and plucked it from midair. Before I could study what it was; however, I heard two unfamiliar voices call out from behind.

 “Mister!”
 “Mister!”

Simultaneously, the two exclaimed. I turned around, not sure who it would be.

The pair were running towards me, slowing their pace as they drew near. Even at that distance, their similarities were striking. They could have easily passed for identical twins, although one had a darker hair color than the other. One wore a dark blue dress that reached down to her ankles, while the other wore the same dress colored in a light pink.

 “Mister, that ribbon-” the one on the left began as the two stood before me,

 “-belongs to me.” The one on the right finished. The two of them looked at me intensely with their silvery eyes, and then to the object I held in my hand.

 “Oh, I’m sorry,” I said as I apologized and handed the pink ribbon to the one in the pink dress, “I just saw it floating on the breeze a moment ago, I didn’t know who it belonged to.” The other girl’s eyes were watching me intently as the one in pink grabbed the ribbon from my hand and promptly tied it into the other girl’s hair. It was then that I noticed a blue ribbon identical to the pink one tied in her own.

I shook my head in confusion. “Wait a minute.” I asked. “Didn’t you just say it was yours?”

 “ It is mine.”
 “ It is mine.”

They said simultaneously again. Admittedly, it was a little unnerving. I tried not to think about it as I introduced myself. “What are your names?” I asked. I felt it would be hard to address them without knowing their names, they were so alike.

 “My name is Lunette.” Replied the one wearing the dark blue dress.
 “My name is Estelle.” Replied the one wearing the pink dress.

Again, they replied in unison. It was as if they could read each other’s thoughts and time their responses perfectly. Whether they did this on purpose to unnerve me, or if it was merely a habit, I couldn’t tell.

I smiled, trying to squash such rude thoughts in my mind. It felt rude to judge them, without knowing anything about them. “It’s nice to meet you Lunette, Estelle,” I replied as I nodded to each in turn.

“It is a pleasure-” Lunette began, curtsying. Her aquamarine hair swayed behind her in the wind.
 “-to make your acquaintance.”  Estelle finished, also curtsying. Her hair cascaded down her shoulders, blending in with the color of her dress.

Both pairs of silvery eyes never once left my face. It was almost as if I was part of the local fauna to be observed and studied. I wasn’t sure to be pleased, disturbed, or even a little of both, by their careful attention. I could not feel no harmful intent in their gaze; however, so I dismissed it as simple curiosity in my mind. They seemed like such nice girls, I thought to myself; underneath that eerie feeling that seemed to cloak the pair.

“You’re nice, mister.” Lunette suddenly chimed, disrupting my thoughts.
 “Most people think I’m scary.”  Estelle added, a small smile etched on her face.

How could anyone think of them as scary? The thought wandered across my mind. Surely, they were different, but that didn’t give people the right to fear them…

 “Well, that’s rude of them.” I said aloud, voicing my opinion on the matter. “The next time someone says that, come tell me.” I smiled. “I’ll teach them that it’s rude to insult a lady.” Although I was the one that had said it, I could feel myself growing embarrassed. I had said it without thinking first.

“huhuhu…” Lunette began to giggle.
“hahaha…” Estelle followed.

It was quiet, soft laughter. For a moment, they finally looked their physical age. With their hands and fingers entwined between them, they looked like cheerful little girls enjoying a fine summer’s day. The sound of their laughter was beautiful, like the tinkling of several tiny bells. Oh, how I found myself wanting to laugh with them. It lasted for but a few moments; I half wondered if I imagined the sound of their laughter later that day.

Back to the way they were before, they stood before me like tiny porcelain dolls, a sad smile on their faces.

”Mister,” Lunette began to say.
 “I have to go home now”, Estelle continued for her.

They looked at each other, and nodded softly before turning to me again.

 “Can  I come to play again sometime?”
 “Can I come to play again sometime?” The pair said together hopefully.

 “Of course.” I said immediately. I needed no time to question it; I wanted to see them again.

They both rewarded me with a cheerful smile.

And something a bit more unexpected than that. Before I had realized it, the two had let go of each other’s hand and they each had grabbed one of my own and pulled forward.

 “Hey, what are you two do-!” I started to ask as I slipped forward, only to see them both move forward towards my sides.

I felt a soft, fleeting sensation on both of my flushed cheeks. It was but for a moment their soft lips pressed against my skin.

 “Wha…-?” I said, dazed. I looked at them hazily, and I could see the color red play about their cheeks.

 “I’ll see you later, Mister!” Lunette said cheerfully, turning quickly on her heels and running towards the road.
 “I’ll come back to play!” Estelle added a moment later, and she followed Lunette’s example, running along. I could hear the faint sound of their laughter as the two quickly disappeared from view as I watched them follow the road further away from town. I would have wondered; then, where they had lived- had my thoughts not strayed to other, more interesting things.

“Huhuuu…” I heard a familiar voice giggle accusingly behind me. I wanted to ignore her, but I knew that it would only make things worse in the long run. I turned around slowly, only to be greeted with the visage of my sister’s head poking out of the ground.

“Oh…Lillete…” I greeted my sister uneasily. “How long have you been there…?” I asked, readying myself for the worst. Please don’t say the entire time, I thought to myself anxiously.

 “The entire time.” She replied cheerfully.

….So much for that.

 “Brother, Lunette and Estelle, snuggling in a burrow~” she teased, to the tune of a childhood rhyme mother taught us. “K-i-s-s-i-n-g~” she continued, obviously enjoying herself as I could feel myself become even more embarrassed. “First comes love, then comes marriage~, then comes the-…” she paused then. “Brother, what comes after marriage?” she asked me innocently.

 “D-don’t you worry about that!” I sputtered, my ears glowing bright red from embarrassment.

“Ah, brother is mad!” she teased, and quickly hid herself below ground.
 
 “Oh no you don’t!” I called into the gaping hole in the soil. “Come back here!”

“You have to catch me first!” I heard her call from some distance away. I looked up to see her some distance on the surface waving cheerily. At times like this, I envied her sharp claws and serpentine body that allowed her to burrow into the soft soil with ease.

“Agggh, Lillete!” I cried as I chased after her as she started to burrow into the ground once more. “Get back here!!!”

I could hear her laughing echoing beneath the loamy soil below my feet. Well, if it was a game she wanted, then so be it. For the next several hours, I chased my sister endlessly as she burrowed in the soil, the two of us laughing and teasing each other all the while. By the time the sun had fallen beneath the horizon, I was exhausted.

Our mother chewed me out for not finishing my chores that day.

That night, the sky was free of clouds.

That night, the stars sparkled brightly in the night sky. I ran my fingers through the soft soil as I laid on my back, gazing at the stars. Perhaps it was my heritage, or my life as a farming couple’s son- or even the influence of Lillete constantly burying me in the dirt when we were young- but the feeling of soil against my skin was a comforting feeling.

So much so, I sometimes found myself absentmindedly burying my body in it before realizing I couldn’t move.

Many a time my uproariously amused mother had to dig me out of my prison built by my own two hands while Lillete and my father watched with a smile. Not once had she ever gotten mad at me for it, nor did my father.

Unfortunately, at that time of night, my family had long gone to sleep deep in the subterranean levels of our house…and without realizing it, I had buried my legs with a large pile of soil. Without any options other than to wait until morning for an embarrassing rescue, I contented myself to gaze at the stars. What I had felt was going to be a long and lonely night; however, was not to be.

 “Mister,” I heard Lunette’s voice say to me as her face hovered over mine.

 “Why are you buried in dirt?” I heard Estelle ask as she poked my soil encased legs.

 “My name is-” I offered quickly. Being called “Mister” all the time felt unfriendly of me. Lunette beamed at me, and called me by name, asking “Why are you buried in the dirt?” just as Estelle had.

I was glad that it was dark; I could feel my cheeks glowing again. “Well, you see…” I started to say, explaining my unfortunate tendency to bury myself without realizing it, adding that I couldn’t move.

Estelle and Lunette must have found this hilarious, because they immediately burst into fits of laughter, holding onto each other just to stand up. My cheeks were burning as my embarrassment rose. Of all the people to find me buried like this…

 “Y-you’re…hahaha…” Lunette managed to stutter between bouts of laughter
 “R-really f-funny…” Estelle finished.

“You don’t think its weird?” I asked them as their laughter began to die down.

The two looked at each other and grinned before looking back at me.

“It looks fun!”

“It looks fun!” they replied together yet again.

“Bury, bury!” Lunette said as she laid down really close to my right arm.
 “Inside the earth!” Estelle added as she took her place next to my left arm.

It wasn’t long before they too began to bury their legs in the earth as well.

 “What are you doing!?” I asked them both incredulously. “Aren’t you worried about getting your clothes all dirty!?” I wondered aloud. All the other girls that I’ve met, aside from my mother and sister, seemed to hate becoming one with the soil.

They both stopped what they were doing and looked at me.

 “I’m playing.” Answered Lunette.
 “In the dirt.” Added Estelle.
 “Is it bad?” Finished Lunette, and the two of them gazed at me worriedly.

“No, no!” I answered quickly, and their expressions brightened considerably. “I was just worried about whether you had problems with getting yourselves dirty.” I added, in explanation. I noticed as I finished speaking, they both seemed to be blushing considerably.

At the rate the dirt began to fly, I wished that they could have been there when we tilled the fields in early spring.

In no time at all, Lunette and Estelle had not only buried themselves, the soil around my own body resembled a small hill. The two of them grabbed hold of my hands and looked at me with satisfied expressions.

 “G-good job…” I managed to reply wearily. It would take forever to put all this soil back where it was….

Without anything else that I could really do, I squeezed both of their hands lightly and gazed up at the stars. Given the circumstances, I felt that I couldn’t really complain. Being buried in the earth, with Lunette and Estelle…felt right, somehow.

“Do you think-”
 “-the stars are beautiful?” Lunette and Estelle asked, finally breaking the silence between us. “Mother says that people believe we came from those stars.” Lunette said quietly. “If my people used to live with those beautiful lights,” Estelle thought aloud. “Then why did they come here?”  She sounded almost melancholy.

I thought long and hard about her question before I answered. “Well…” I began to say, then faltered. After a moment’s hesitation, I began again. “Maybe…your people wanted the stars to remain beautiful?”  I felt both pairs of eyes begin to watch me then. “From here…those stars are so far away, and light up the night sky like so many festival lanterns.” I exhaled lightly. “But…from here, no one can reach them and everyone can
admire them.” Even now, they watched me in silence. Undaunted, I continued on. “But…if living with the stars is like living here with the earth…then people will become greedy, and take the stars for their own.”  I glanced upward, looking at no star in particular. “Maybe they decided to come here, so no one could call them their own.” I smiled to myself. “That way, they would always remain beautiful. At least, that’s what I think.”

Perhaps it was the silence that compelled me to keep talking, then. “Whatever the reason, I’m glad.” At this point I had stopped thinking before I spoke next. “If your ancestors had never come down, I wouldn’t be here with you now.”

I could hear her of the audibly gasp then.

Then…a soft, squeezing feeling.

 “…Thank you,” Lunette said softly as she squeezed my hand.
 “That is kind of you…” Estelle added, barely a whisper.

I shook my head. “It’s the truth.” I squeezed her hands in return. “I mean it, really. I feel like I should be thanking you.” I said, as I faced the starry sky. I met neither pair of her starry eyes.

 “…” She responded with silence, at first.

“When did you figure it out?” the one called Lunette asked.
 “When did you realize what I am?” the one called Estelle continued.

I smiled. “You told me yourself, didn’t you?” I lifted my hands, still holding hers, to the stars. “My mother told me, that our kin are of the earth.” I laughed a little. “As a child of a Behemearth, this gentle feeling of the soil is all I have ever known.” I looked down at the soil that covered my body, and then back to the stars. “But the stars…my mother once told me, as a child…of the ones that used to dwell among the stars.”

“The Aberrant, she had said. Those that walk the earth we all share, the descendants of the stars…”

“A single mind, shared by two identical bodies.” I said simply, but not unkindly. “You are a Geminius, aren’t you?” I said at last, looking at both pairs of her eyes in turn.

As I looked at her on each side of me, she nodded her head in confirmation.

 “I meant you no harm or deception-” Lunette began to explain hurriedly.
 “-I did not mean to cause you any grief.” Estelle added worriedly.

I squeezed her hands again in reassurance. “Don’t worry! I know that you wouldn’t do anything like that.” I said with complete confidence.

She fell silent again, although I had the feeling if I looked, she would be blushing.

“….How should I address you?” I asked after a moment. “Should I just call you Lunette and Estelle like before, or-?”

 “Lunette is fine.” Said the one I knew as Lunette.
 “Estelle is fine.” Said the one I knew as Estelle.

I laughed then. I looked at her two sets of eyes in turn, and said. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lunette Estelle.”

She grinned back at me.

 “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
 “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

It was a long, pleasant night that evening.

The next morning…was less than peaceful.

My mother as usual found it amusing to see me buried in a mound of dirt. Perhaps even more so when she noticed the excess amount compared to the usual. It was when she noticed I wasn’t alone this time; however, that mother and Lillete- who she called to help with the extra amount of soil- really began to let loose with the teasing and laughter.

It seemed as if the earth itself was laughing with her the way it rumbled beneath us.

I quickly felt embarrassed, at having been found the way I was with her next to me.

At first, I worried how Lunette Estelle would take it, but she seemed quite amused by the whole affair, and my mother took a quick liking to her. She offered to let her use the family springs that we used to bathe on the lowest floor, and she accepted graciously.

Lillete and I were sent to chop wood to be burned in the fireplace, so that father could begin to prepare breakfast.

“Huhu…” she giggled as we worked. “I didn’t know brother was so close with her…”

 “Oh, be quiet!” I said, embarrassed, then added “wait, did you know?!” I asked hurriedly.

 She looked at me innocently. “Know what, brother?”

I sighed. “Did you know she was a Geminius?” I brought down the axe, slicing through the wood down the middle.

Lillete looked at me like I was still half asleep, to be asking a question with an obvious answer. “Of course.” She said, setting down the next block of wood. “Mother used to tell us stories of the descendants of the star dwellers all the time.” She tilted her head as she looked at me. “Did you forget?”

I averted my gaze and focused on the wood as I swung the axe down. The cut was clean, splitting the wood down the middle. “O-of course not!”

Lillete looked at me with a look that said you can’t fool me, brother!, but she let the subject drop. Instead, she switched to a different tactic.

“Do you like her, brother?” she said nonchalantly as she put down the next block of wood.

 I nearly dropped the axe on my foot.

 “W-what do you mean?” I tried feign ignorance. “Of course I like her, we’re friends!” I swung the axe again.

The cut was not clean, and a fragment of the wood splintered off into the air. Without skipping a beat, Lillete caught it deftly with her claws, tossing it safely to the ground.

Of course, I hadn’t fooled her. She was much too bright for that.

 “I didn’t mean like that, brother.” She said quietly. She gazed down at the ground, avoiding my eyes. “Do you love her, brother?”

I lowered the axe to the ground. As long as my sister did not place more wood to be chopped, there was no reason to wield it.

 “I don’t know, Lillete.” I answered her with a lie.

 She looked up, her eyes commanding the attention of my own. “What do you mean?”

“I said, I don’t know Lillete.” I lied once more. “I met her yesterday, and we spent the night gazing at the stars. I don’t know how I feel about her.”

I knew full well how I felt about Lunette Estelle. I knew that I cared for her, and yet… I almost felt…afraid of how….right, it felt to be with her. I was far too afraid to reach out to it alone.

She swung out her arm, shaking her head. “How can you not know how you feel about her?!” she said angrily, surprising me. “Why is brother is being so wishy washy!?” She exclaimed violently. “Brother always spaces out, and he gets himself stuck in the earth, even though he’s one of the earth kin by blood right!” She lowered her head, her shoulders shaking violently. “Brother is soft and squishy, he looks nothing like mother and I. He’s a boy, a weak muscled boy.” Her voice quickly lowered as she spoke now, almost a whisper. “Even so, brother is not a mean person.”

I was at a loss for words, not sure what Lillete was trying to say. “My brother is a kind, gentle person. He plays with me every day, even though I tease him…”

A single tear ran down her dusty cheek.

 “Mother and father are always proud of brother…always proud to call him their son.” She looked up at me, the tears flowing freely from her earth brown eyes. “Just as I am proud to call you brother.” Her voice grew firm now. “But! When brother begins to doubt himself, he only looks like a weakling! When you act like this, you disgrace not only yourself, but all of the earth kin!”

I was starting to grow angry with the way my little sister was talking down towards me, and I let her know it.

 “Hey now, Lillete! That’s no way to ta-!” I started to yell.

 “Be silent, brother!” she commanded fiercely in retaliation, with a ferocity that I had never seen her show before. I gave her the silence she demanded.

 “You are acting like a child!” she continued to say fiercely. “A child that is afraid to know the truth!” She moved quickly, faster than I had ever seen her move above ground. In a flash, she pushed me to the ground, staring me hard in the face. “Tell me the truth, brother! Tell yourself the truth!” Her tears splashed against my face as they rolled down her cheeks.

I averted my gaze, looking at the patch of trees to my left. I said nothing.

 “Brother…” she said softly. “You are hurting more than just yourself, you know?” She pushed against my arms a little harder, trying to get me to face her. “How do you think she must feel! What would she say if she saw you acting like this!?”

She let go of my arms, allowing me freedom of movement.

“Why won’t you admit it, brother?” she asked quietly. “Is it because she’s different from us? Because she isn’t of the earth like us?”

…That wasn’t it.

 “….No, it’s not.” I mumbled at last.

 Lillete’s posture relaxed, now that I had finally begun to answer her.

 “Then what is it?” she half asked, half stated.

 “Why do you seem to care so much?” I asked, starting to feel really annoyed again.

 “Because I love my brother.” She stated without hesitation.

She picked me up gently then, forcing me to stand on my own two feet, or fall flat on the earth.

 “Because I love brother, and I want you to be happy.” She fidgeted in place. “I don’t like to see you acting like this.” She shook her head again. “I don’t like seeing brother with such a pained expression on his face.”

 “Will you answer, brother?”

….I thought for a long time; my eyes never left those of my sister’s. Did I love Lunette Estelle? Did I honestly and truly? Her presence, the way she spoke, the sound of her laughter, the joy of her smile….that strange, warped feeling bundled around them. The way I grew embarrassed when my mother found us, the way I had wished I could have burrowed deep into the ground to hide. All these things passed through my mind. With all of that in mind, I made my decision. I looked deep into my own heart, and answered the woman who loved me dearly with the truth.

I closed my eyes.

I let out my breathe, and inhaled deeply before I opened my mouth with my eyes clear.

 “I don’t know, Lillete,” I ignored the way her clawed hands flexed uncontrollably. “But…I want to take the time to find out.” I finished.

I could hear the familiar laughter of my mother nearby.

Surprised, both me and Lillete whirled on the spot, only to notice our mother standing nearby; and with her, an unexpected surprise.

 “I want to find out as well.”
 “I want to know how we feel…together.”  Lunette Estelle replied to my answer.

I was too stunned to speak. I hadn’t expected to see her and my mother her.

 “Mother…” Lillete mumbled, obviously taken aback. “What’s going on…?”

She was dressed in new clothing, a blend of the color of the night sky and the colors of the earthen soil. I wasn’t aware my mother had such clothing; let alone a pair of them. The only one who could wear such clothing was my father and I; and neither of us took to the idea of wearing such feminine clothing as dresses.

“After they bathed, we began to wonder what was taking two of you so long…” My father said, as he stepped out from behind my mother. “Imagine our surprise to see something so serious going on!”

“Well, you heard the young lady, my children!” My mother boomed. “The earth wasn’t formed in a day; take your time, take your time!” She winked at me. “You have your entire life together to decide!”

 “Eh?” I said, stupefied.

 “Weren’t ya listening, you silly boy!” My mother chastised. “She said “together”, did she not? What did you think that meant!?”

 “You are of age, after all.” My father chimed in. “Unless you have some sort of complaints…?” he said with a knowing smile.

 “O-of course not!” I stuttered. “A-are you really fine with this Lunette, Estelle?”

Both of her bodies nodded simultaneously, although she was blushing from ear to ear.

“What is brother talking about, mother, father?” Lillete asked, confused.

 “Marriage, of course!” My father and mother replied together, and the blush upon my face and Lunette Estelle’s grew even deeper.

 “Eeeeh!?!?” Lillete cried, astonished.

My mother laughed heartily as my father tried to explain to the still naïve Lillete about the union of man and woman.

I walked up to my bride to be, and lowered my head respectfully. “I’ll be in your care.” I said warmly.

 “I will cherish our time together.” Lunette said warmly.
 “Please take care of me as well.” Estelle added.

I lifted my head, to be greeted by her cheerful smile.

It was then, despite my doubts, that I knew everything would be alright.