Author's note: The picture that inspired this: post/34335256281/a-sip-of-moonlight-a-quickie-i-can-only-imagine
"…It was as sweet as a festival treat. This water was… born from the walk under the stars, the singing of the pulley and the effort of my arms. It was good for the heart, like a gift."
-Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
—
…and the moonlight just couldn't stop flowing on the Truffula forest -
silvering golden feathers of the sleeping Swomee-Swans…
seeping softly through the bushes and into the Bar-ba-loots' dens…
onto the river waves that cradled the Humming Fish…
and glistening in orange paws of a little forest guardian, the only creature awake at this hour.
Because where else could he seek a remedy for his heart, aching with warmth even after having warmed both the whole valley and the tent that appeared in it a few days ago. He'd always been living to share his glow… but rarely someone or something shared with him. And this - he knew - was a gift.
So there he sat, gently lapping up the liquid light from the cupped paws - as if kissing a large pearl; hundreds of smaller ones rolling down his mustache and coat, aching heart soothing at touch of the cool water. Maybe the forest spirit will tell about it to his guest tomorrow - though the human rarely seemed to notice same things that were like gifts for him. But if the guest will understand…