Gravity Alone

We walked to the beach just after dark and sat ourselves in the sand. The dirty dishes, stained wine glasses, and general mess left by the dinner guests would wait till morning. We listened to the whoosh of the breakers and tasted salt held on mist-wet air. These distractions were enough to keep us from uncomfortable conversation. The moonless night lingered only a few moments before it appeared out of the water. At first glance, it looked like a giant red sail on the horizon. Its size and color made no sense in my mind. She was tickled by the sight of this and slid closer to me. She held my arm tight and sighed as she stared at the glowing sliver of lifeless rock.

The moon pulled itself halfway from the water and began to take a recognizable shape. This ascension brought to mind the movement of the Earth and the pull of its rotation. As I watched the event, it seemed to me that just as we sat on this quiet beach we were at the same time flying through space at a reckless speed. She held me tighter, her nails dug into my arm, she felt it too. It was only by some miracle of physics that these two things, the beach we sat on and the moon we watched, didn’t collide into one another and destroy everything.

The moon swelled just about the water. She was on her feet, and then just her toes, her arms up in the air. It was as if she were a rag doll being carelessly held by child. Her body tilted towards the ocean. She was smiling, on the verge of laughter, but then something occurred to her. She turned to me and met my face with a much sadder look. She started to move, toes dragging in the sand, her long hair blown back by the wind of her own momentum. I got to my feet and started after her, but she was already airborne, off the beach and over the surf. I looked on as she disappeared into the moon as it rose up to a full bloody circle.