Sterling
stranded on the edge of nowhere
…
The night came upon them, slowly and silently, as it always had, beheld by the children who gaped at the sky, their eyes wide with wonder. The golden hues of the sunset gave way to silver; a cool light that shined down, reminiscent of the sun that had disappeared not long before, unmercifully bright. Still, the moon seemed to loom ever closer with each moment that passed, radiant against the pitch darkness of the starless sky. Oceanus Procellarum stretched on above the motionless crowd, like a distant shore at the edge of their fingertips; as flawed and beautiful as it was an ever-present reminder of their impending demise.
Soon, everything they knew would be gone. The moon, in all its timeless grace, luminescent as the finest silver, was their harbinger.
Sakura sat on a park bench and watched the gathering group. She listened to the children play, talking amongst themselves as the adults fell into a collective quiet. The usual feeling of despair settled in their eyes with each moment they gazed upward; a lone tear could be seen escaping from the corner of someone's eye.
A strong breeze swept across the ground, welcome, though providing little relief from the heat that grew with the days. Still, she dared not leave, moving only to tilt her head back and stretch her legs out to bask in the moonlight. Somewhere, the children began a game that tickled her into listening with a smile.
This was all she knew. A moon close enough to reach with a balloon, let free to rise into the atmosphere. Surely, there were a multitude of balloons on the moon. The thought was amusing, though she wouldn't say it aloud. The adults, who whispered of death, who mourned without pause for the future, would only fret over her words.
She could only guess at why they distressed themselves, because the only thing she knew all her life; the only thing all these children knew, was that they were the last. She couldn't mourn for years that she could never have, because there was nothing absolute except for the end.
Far before her time, before the heat, when the days were long and breezy, the world had seen an unexpected change. The moon was disturbed by something that never should have come as close as it did; within a thousand miles, she'd read somewhere. It sent the lunar orbit into decay; a slow motion crash course.
After the technology to travel off the planet had been developed, a select group of people were chosen to man the first expedition in search of another world; another Earth to occupy. Everyone else was left either hopeless or waiting for any word, and eventually, there wasn't a person who asked the question aloud, as a generation passed and the earth began to die.
There wasn't much hope left among the living. The dead had taken most of it with them.
Nevertheless, Sakura was content with her life.
"Drink up, baby doll." Anko ordered, dangling a flask from her calloused fingertips.
Sakura opened her eyes and watched the metal glimmer under the light as it swung back and forth in the air. The children had paused in their game, drinking warm water from even warmer cups. Clearing her throat carefully, she sleepily swiped the offered container and gulped down the bitter liquid.
"This isn't water." Grimacing, Sakura offered the flask back to the older woman, who pocketed it quickly, giving the crowd a cursory glance.
"Way to state the obvious." Anko made space for herself on the short bench, the tanned skin of her thighs pressed against Sakura's in a way that only she could achieve without earning herself a wary look.
They rested, making up their own rules to games in which they served as spectators, until the children grew weary, heading home with heavy steps, some cradled in the arms of their mothers.
Keeping her eyes on the dissipating crowd, Sakura set her head on Anko's shoulder, ignoring the customary half-hearted whining from the other woman before she settled herself further into the worn wood, her hand automatically moving to swipe damp locks away from Sakura's forehead.
"Why do you always do that?" Her voice was little more than a whisper over the muffled heartbeat Sakura had become accustomed to half a life ago; the years had long since blurred together in a mess of ever-changing minutes, hours and days that no one bothered to count.
Silently, she smiled to herself, feeling fatigue finally creep up on her, coaxing her eyes shut with gentle tugs upon her lashes. "Do what?"
Anko sighed, watching her eyes flutter shut after a short battle, "You've never been able to handle your alcohol."
Just above them, a star grew brighter; closer as it descended to the Earth. A murmur grew over the fields as the people watched, eyes bright and hopeful. Hope; delightful, magnificent hope began to take shape in the sky. Collective gasps echoed amongst the remaining people, and Anko cast a look skyward, a smirk curving her lips.
"About damn time."
Unaware, Sakura dreamt on.