Moon Daughters
The Universe is Chaos;
She bleeds you and heals you, in turns.
The more you shy from change,
The more she bleeds you.
Prepare for the teeth;
Relish the salve.
Chaos had many varied children, but the dearest was Eydan, the Grandmother, who is the solar system and the world. From Grandmother sprang the lady Soil, the lord Water, the lady Moon, the lord Sun and the lady Stars. From the Soil sprang the plants. From the Water sprang the animals. From the Moon sprang the people. From the Sun sprang the light. From the Stars may spring anything.
Brew interjected, “These pesky humans obviously come from the Stars.”
Joe chuckled. “You got that right.”
Suvira shrugged a shoulder. “We are all the dust of Chaos. The humans are different, but not made of different stuff.”
After a few breaths she continued:
The Moon’s first born were three girls, Tama, Frey and Nora. They walked among Soil’s first children, the Fern. They danced in the light of the Moon and slept in the heat of the Sun. They were frightened of the things which crawled out of the Water. There were things with many legs and things with none. Their variety and speed were amazing. Water’s children devoured the Fern as fast as the plants could grow. They began to devour each other.
Tama cursed the Water and all his creations. She threw stones at the Water every night, yelling in anger. She threw rocks at the serpents and crabs as they emerged on the beach, smashing her cousins to pieces. Water saved up the rocks, squeezing them together. After three years of abuse from Niece Tama, Water gave her back all of the stones she had thrown. The rocks rose up out of the Water, encasing Tama in a massive cliff face. These are the cliffs of Fe Rava.
Eyan boys from the Moon Clan prove their devotion by leaping off of Fe Rava and battering the Water with their bodies. If they survive, they are men. If they do not, they join Tama in Water’s prison, keeping her company for eternity.
Frey and Nora cried for their sister, and walked in mourning for weeks, away from their wicked Uncle Water. They could flee from the Water, but not from all his children. Weeks later, new creatures spiraled above them in the sky. The winged beasts had needle claws and serrated beaks. They dove at the sisters, driving them farther north. Frey grabbed her sister’s arm and pulled her into the Fern.
“We must make a choice. We eat or we are eaten. What do you say?”
Nora cringed and shook her head. “We can run still.”
“And when we have run for days and are too tired to run or fight?”
“We hide.”
Frey shook her head. “Tama was brave. I will not hide.” Frey picked up some rocks and stepped out of the Fern. It took several tries, but Frey hit a winged beast and knocked it out of the sky. Frey turned to see Nora running across a field to the southeast. Three more winged beasts leaped out of the Fern and beat Nora with their wings. Frey ran after them with her rocks, but Nora hesitated, frozen with fear. Nora did not run or hide or fight. Before Frey could reach her sister, Nora was torn apart. What was left when the beasts were done wriggled into the ground and became the worms that eat only dirt and feed Soil’s children.
She bleeds you and heals you, in turns.
The more you shy from change,
The more she bleeds you.
Prepare for the teeth;
Relish the salve.
Chaos had many varied children, but the dearest was Eydan, the Grandmother, who is the solar system and the world. From Grandmother sprang the lady Soil, the lord Water, the lady Moon, the lord Sun and the lady Stars. From the Soil sprang the plants. From the Water sprang the animals. From the Moon sprang the people. From the Sun sprang the light. From the Stars may spring anything.
Brew interjected, “These pesky humans obviously come from the Stars.”
Joe chuckled. “You got that right.”
Suvira shrugged a shoulder. “We are all the dust of Chaos. The humans are different, but not made of different stuff.”
After a few breaths she continued:
The Moon’s first born were three girls, Tama, Frey and Nora. They walked among Soil’s first children, the Fern. They danced in the light of the Moon and slept in the heat of the Sun. They were frightened of the things which crawled out of the Water. There were things with many legs and things with none. Their variety and speed were amazing. Water’s children devoured the Fern as fast as the plants could grow. They began to devour each other.
Tama cursed the Water and all his creations. She threw stones at the Water every night, yelling in anger. She threw rocks at the serpents and crabs as they emerged on the beach, smashing her cousins to pieces. Water saved up the rocks, squeezing them together. After three years of abuse from Niece Tama, Water gave her back all of the stones she had thrown. The rocks rose up out of the Water, encasing Tama in a massive cliff face. These are the cliffs of Fe Rava.
Eyan boys from the Moon Clan prove their devotion by leaping off of Fe Rava and battering the Water with their bodies. If they survive, they are men. If they do not, they join Tama in Water’s prison, keeping her company for eternity.
Frey and Nora cried for their sister, and walked in mourning for weeks, away from their wicked Uncle Water. They could flee from the Water, but not from all his children. Weeks later, new creatures spiraled above them in the sky. The winged beasts had needle claws and serrated beaks. They dove at the sisters, driving them farther north. Frey grabbed her sister’s arm and pulled her into the Fern.
“We must make a choice. We eat or we are eaten. What do you say?”
Nora cringed and shook her head. “We can run still.”
“And when we have run for days and are too tired to run or fight?”
“We hide.”
Frey shook her head. “Tama was brave. I will not hide.” Frey picked up some rocks and stepped out of the Fern. It took several tries, but Frey hit a winged beast and knocked it out of the sky. Frey turned to see Nora running across a field to the southeast. Three more winged beasts leaped out of the Fern and beat Nora with their wings. Frey ran after them with her rocks, but Nora hesitated, frozen with fear. Nora did not run or hide or fight. Before Frey could reach her sister, Nora was torn apart. What was left when the beasts were done wriggled into the ground and became the worms that eat only dirt and feed Soil’s children.
Comments