Melotriste

Melotriste

The full moon shines from the dreary night sky.  I lie on the ground outside, my family’s straw-made hut a few feet behind me.  I brush my finger through my thin black hair, and rub my itchy tanned nose.  I look down at the piece of loincloth covering me, my only clothing.  There is a slight breeze outside.  I see the hairs on my arm begin to rise, and feel a chill run up my back.  All the same, I don’t want to go back in.  I prefer the peace and quiet of the early night, the darkness surrounding me, the comfort of being all alone in the evening’s tranquility.

I look to the right of the moon, and there I see the cohort of stars that form the constellation Melotriste.  I glare at the two golden stars, and the arc of five fire red stars below them.  I feel the stars pulling me toward them, as if they want me to rise and join them in the ebony sky.  As I breathe in the constellation, I think of the story my father told me, of how these stars came to form a group.

Long ago lived two stars in the sky, Serene and Brilly.  Serene and Brilly had grown up next to each other.  Each evening they would come out, shining, filled with excitement to see each other again.  They would talk for hours, laugh, and tell each other about their days’ adventures.  Over the years, Serene and Brilly’s childish bond molded into a romance.  After hundreds of years of friendship, they decided to become one under the moon’s law. 

Serene and Brilly were married on a cloudy night, allowing them to feel alone, hidden from all the other stars in the sky.  As per tradition, only the moon was present to formally unite them for eternity.  Side-by-side, next to the glowing full moon, they felt pure harmony between them.  After the ceremony, they retreated to a location far away from the other stars. The following evening they returned to their families, two separate starts yet joint forever.

Several hundred years later, Serene and Brilly had their first child, Jallord.  Followed by Jallord were five other children, Marny, Estrelle, Toile, Oro, and Lune.  Serene loved all of her children with such passion, such devotion, such power, it was like nothing anyone in the entire universe had seen before.  As the children grew older, Serene reveled in watching them change and begin to shine brighter each evening.

During their first centuries together, Serene and Brilly’s unity remained strong.  Yet, as time passed, Serene began to notice changes in Brilly.  He was distant, and she could sense that his love for her was not the same.  They did not laugh or share stories as they had as children, and Brilly moved further and further away from her.  With Brilly’s silence, Serene could feel her heart breaking more every evening, as she felt the vow they had taken under the moon slowly diminishing.

Serene swallowed her sadness and continued to care for her children.  With each night of Brilly’s silence, Serene felt a hot ball of fury, anguish, and utter grief grow within her.  One evening, Brilly approached Serene closely, something he had not done for ages.  He said he had come to her for forgiveness for his behavior of the last centuries; that he was sorry for abandoning her.  Serene turned to Brilly, and could not speak.  She felt the years of sadness break out of her, in rows of light bursts, red, yellow, and orange, flickering with ire and fury.  The light bursts formed an upside down arc under Serene and Brilly.  Serene did not understand from where the light had come or what it meant.  She tried to speak to Brilly, but she could not move.  She saw that Brilly was also attempting to speak to her, but could not move either.  The upside down arc of light bursts below them shined with incredible intensity, breathing off a firey air that kept Serene and Brilly frozen in the intense heat.  They remained there, uncomfortable, inert, powerless, still, for eternity.

I retold this story to myself in my head as I stared at Melotriste.  I thought of Serene and Brilly, their love, and their ill-fated ending.  As my thoughts ran, I stood up, abandoning my peaceful spot outside of my home.  I walked toward the straw hut, with an intense longing to enter and share my day’s adventures with my family.