OK so this was an English assignment that I altered just a bit to make it fit into the Naoko Universe. If you can figure out what the original assignment was (or get close) I'll have my sister make you an award and even post it on her page. So let me apologize now for the shortness factor. Its supposed to be interesting and if it isn't, well then, heh heh, I didn't write it¬¬

Reviews are good, not necessary but good.

So anyway, on with the.... um.... thing.

The Darkness of Earth

When the world was first created there were no shadows and night never came. The sun did not yet exist, but the earth was bathed in a radiant light. The origin of this light was a great crystal orb that hovered above the earth and was sustained by the power of the goddess Selene of the moon. It was so strong that its light surrounded the entire earth and never faded.

It was on one of these perfect days that Demando, brother to Selene, was on his way to the silver kingdom to complain about the limits of his power when he came upon a nymph singing. She had a perfect voice, and dark hair with bright eyes, and she very much distracted Demando. By the next day he had forgotten about her.

The nymph's name was Esmeraude and she now carried a god's child in her womb. She gave a strange name to her baby, a name that came to her as he was born. She called him Htrae Fos Sencard and he was a beautiful boy with silver hair and black eyes. She raised him until his fifth year and then abandoned him because he was such a depressing reminder of his father.

Htrae traveled all around the world learning many things. He became such a great trickster that you would never know you had been tricked for years or until he told you, which he did not often do. His favorite trick was to sell happiness. He could convince a woman that she was happy even her true love had just died. Then he would tell her she had to give him something to make up for the happiness he had lost in cheering her up.

Htrae was a quiet one, although a great actor, and avoided humans, nymphs and other creatures unless he was forced into confrontation or wanted to try out a new ruse. Forever the negative child he wished for a way to slip around causing mischief without even the gods noticing. There were no such places on earth but Htrae knew they existed and could be made. He also knew how he could make himself one or several of these places. One day he saw Venus wandering the earth and realized a plan.

"Cousin!" he cried and stepped away from the trees.

Venus raised a brow. "One of Demando's brats, eh?"

"Of course," Htrae chuckled, while grimacing to himself at his cheerfulness. "I wish to visit my father. I wonder if you will help me."

"Aahhhh, how can I do so?" grinned Venus.

"You might take me to his door."

"Yes, but I will need something in exchange."

"Then I shall give you a talent," Htrae, of course, could do no such thing.

Venus was puzzled. "How can you do that?" she asked.

"I will show you at my father's door."

So Venus the gullible, eager for her new talent, carried Htrae to Demando's castle. When they reached the twin black doors Venus asked for her new talent.

"But I have given it to you all ready," Htrae told Venus as he walked through the mighty archway. "Your new talent is to be able to see through even the cleverest of tricksters."

Venus was angry at first, but the goddess of beauty was not one to destroy such a remarkable specimen.

* * *

He entered his fathers throne room and was immediately noticed because he was the only living thing there. Demando recognized something in the tall young man before him and so said.

"I know your face. How is this?"

"I am your son by Esmeraude," replied Htrae.

"Why are you here?" Demando demanded.

"To meet my father," he said amazed at how easily the gods were tricked

"You have met me, now what do you want?"

"To see Selene, only." Htrae lied

"Why Selene?"

"The others are corrupt," Htrae explained, smiling at the irony of the statement.

"I shall take you to your aunt."

"Thank you, father."

* * *

Selene received him alone in her crystal palace. Htrae found that the moon was the single most cheerful place in the universe,... he hated it. When they were not attending parties he told Selene of his life ad-libbing through it. Hardly a word fell from his lips that wasn't a lie. Htrae spent some time with Selene and made sure she liked and trusted him. Then he prepared to leave return to earth. As he expected Selene insisted on giving him a going away gift and his final plan came together. Selene took Htrae to a great tower, to look upon the great light that sustained his planet. As he looked at it he smiled and laughed, then quite unexpectedly threw his fist into the crystal orb, destroying it. The orb shattered into a thousand, thousand tiny bits of light that spread across the now darkened sky. As punishment Selene turned Htrae into a massive body of light that, although it would never be as powerful as Selene's crystal it would chase away most of the shadows. And so Htrae Fos Sencard never got his dark hiding place and would never go unnoticed again.

~~er.....so, yeah. That was it. Like, no like?

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Lola