Chapter Two: Moon Goddess:

Shunsuke can home for the summer for one propose alone. He met her twelve years ago. The boy had gotten lost in the woods at night then. (He himself said he didn’t get lost. Shunsuke just wanted to see the woods behind his grandmother’s house at night. They looked so beautiful in the day. He had to see it at night.) He wandered into a clearing in the middle in his awe and wonder. That’s when he saw her.

Skin as pale as the moon itself. Her red lips begged for a kiss. Her robes flowed in the wind. She had her arms raised up to the night sky. And she was singing, oh she was singing. Was it possible to hear such a beautiful sound? When he saw her in the moonlight, Shunsuke couldn’t breathe. Was this a dream? He wanted to reach out and touch her. But then, Shunsuke froze. She turned around and saw him. Before they could touch, the woman vanished.

Her lovely face stayed with him ever since.

Shunsuke just had to see her again. His grandmother waited at the bus station for him. She held out her arms as he stepped off the bus.

“Welcome home,” she said. Shunsuke hugged his grandmother.

“I missed you so much,” he said. His grandmother kissed him on the forehead.

“Everyone’s just waiting to see you again,” she whispered.

“I’m sure they are,” the young man said. His grandmother led him down the path back to her house.

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Shunsuke took in the singing birds around his head. He still wasn’t used to the sound of cars horning and whizzing by him. Nature and birds were so much more relax. He closed his eyes and took a breath.

“Feels like home,” he said.

“This is your home,” the grandmother said. Shunsuke opened his eyes.

“How have you been?” he asked. The old woman looked over her shoulder.

“Good,” she said. “And you?”

“I’ve been good,” her grandson said.

“And your mother?”

“She’s doing well too.”

“That’s good to know.”

Shunsuke looked up at the trees overhead. He couldn’t wait to see those woods behind his grandmother’s house. He knew he would get to see his goddess again. Shunsuke hadn’t stopped thinking about her sense that night. His child self asked his grandma about that woman in the woods when he finally came home. The old woman smiled and pulled him into her lap.

“She’s the goddess of the moon,” she told him. He’s little eyes grew big.

“A goddess?” he asked.

“She is rarely seen by humans in the forest at night,” his grandmother said.

“Why is that?”

“She seems to be looking for something.”

“What is she looking for?”

“Who can say? She will know when she finds it.”

“Is there any way that I can help her?”

Grandma felt little Shunsuke in a hug to her chest. “I don’t know if you can.” Ever since then, he has only had eyes for that moon goddess he saw in the forest all those years ago. He wouldn’t look at any other girl through his teen and adult years. Many wondered if he was gay or asexual. Shunsuke didn’t care. He had to see his goddess again.

Shunsuke and his grandmother made it back to the old house. The smell was enough to bring back old memories. He could already hear his child voice laughing as he ran around.

“I already have lunch waiting for us,” the grandmother said. As if under a trance, the young man made his way back to the back room. The trees of the woods called to him. His fingers reached out for the trees. His grandmother giggled.

“You still love those woods, don’t you?” she asked.

“Uh-um,” Shunsuke said in a dreamlike tone. He did his homework before coming out to the country for the summer. He chose this week because it would be a full moon. Just like the first time he met her, the next was a full moon. The young man looked at his phone. 1:35 p.m. Why did nighttime have to take so long to get here? Shunsuke would have to keep his composure until then.

During the day, Shunsuke and his grandmother enjoyed each other’s company. The old lady talked about her neighbors and changes in the neighborhood. Her grandson smiled and nodded, the whole time thinking about seeing his moon goddess again. The old lady took a sip of her green tea.

“You should go and visit some of the neighbors while you’re here,” she said.

“Sure,” Shunsuke said, nodding. He glanced out the window at the forest waiting to invite him back again. He could hear her lovely singing in his head again.

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By nightfall, Shunsuke acted on his plan. He waited until his grandmother was sound asleep to slip out into the woods behind the house. Outside sounded so quiet just like it did all those years ago. That childlike nostalgia bubbled in his chest. He counted down to see his love again. The grass felt so cool underneath his feet. A cold smile came onto his voice. That’s when the singing filled the air. His heart did little flips in his chest.

It’s her!

Shunsuke took off running down the moss-covered path to that clearing he first came across years ago. Sure enough, there she was. His goddess had her hands up in the air with her back to him, singing. The young man’s cheeks turned bright red. Again, he wanted to reach out and touch her. Shunsuke’s hands inched towards her. He froze when the singing stopped. The moon goddess turned to see him. This time, Shunsuke smiled.

“I have been waiting so long to see you,” he said. “I have thought about you all of the time. I am so happy to see you again.” The Moon Goddess smiled.

“I have been waiting for you for so long too,” she said. Shunsuke walked up and gently took her by the cheeks. They shared a kiss under the full moon.