Remember the full moon
Always turning, always nostalgic.
The girl lay on the mattress, curled up on her side with 2 pale hands clasped together. She breathed lightly through the feverish haze that was gradually lifting from her flushed face. Golden locks spilled across the pillow and a blanket had been tucked neatly over her small silent frame. A steaming cup of tea lay on the floor next to the mat, tea leaves still swirling in lazy circles.
"Will Hagu-chan be okay?" A worried voice asked quietly. There was a rustle of papers and footsteps moving to peer through the connecting door before a low murmur was heard. There was a click of the office door closing and footsteps fading away through the corridor.
The room was empty and the sleeping girl stirred slightly. As though on cue, she began to awake. Opening her eyes, she turned onto her back and pulled the covers closer . Staring up at the ceiling of the small room, it was silent as she lay there motionless and watching, with a faraway look in the still-fevered face.
After a moment, Hagu pushed herself to sit up on the mat and stood unsteadily in her light cotton dress. She padded across the wooden floor to the opposite end where a canvas stretched across an easel stood. It had been painted a light powdery blue base that had been dabbed with patches of white. Brushes lay strewn across the floor and there were paints still on the palette. With slow movements, she reached for the brush. Grasping it firmly in one hand, she dabbed a dark midnight blue and drew soft streaks across the top of the canvas. Working up a rhythm, Hagu's hand moved easily across the canvas, led by experience,technique and the image she could see so clearly in her mind.
The room was silent except for the soft swishing of the brush across the canvas and the steady ticking of the clock in the office.
- - - - -
I'd like to see the world through Hagu's eyes...
A moon was hanging in the sky, close enough to feel like it could be plucked out of the dark night sky, yet so far away that it had an indescribable elegance and mystique; so beautiful with a brightness that could not be masked by the veil of night, yet without the security of day. A night sky, a well-trod path... A breeze was blowing through the trees, sweeping the leaves into a circular spinning motion.
- - - - -
Hagu-chan - its a full moon again.
She never noticed the light drizzle beyond the windows.
She never heard Shuuji creep quietly into the room.
She never turned to see him standing in the shadows, watching.
She never saw the full moon that was peeking through the clouds again.
Letting her pale hands fall lightly into her lap, she sighed softly.
On the floor, the tea had long cooled and was now still.
