"Man on the Moon" by Wine Jie L

“We can’t be friends anymore.” She tells me. “You can leave now.” Teary-eyed and shaking, she slams the door shut.

Looking down, a tear slowly escapes and trickles down my cheek. I don’t want to be alone. The tear escapes my skin and stains the concrete floor below me. What did I do wrong? Lifting my head, I turned away from the house in which I had created everlasting memories–memories that have painfully turned meaningless. Step by step, I began my journey home.

It was cold out. The chilly air hugged my pale skin, still moist with tears. Now that she’s gone, who have I got left? She was my best friend. We did everything together. I guess she grew tired of me. She found new friends to laugh and make new memories with. Our “never-ending” friendship was barely holding on and she decided to let go. Suddenly, I stopped. Gazing up at the luminescent stars and the gentle moon, I took the time to admire their presence. The moon and the stars are my only companions now. Even on the darkest nights, they’re always there to shine their light. My mind trailed off as I began to wonder what life was like up there. Are they alone? Do they know I’m here? Does a they even exist? Realizing how late it was becoming, I continued home.

~

After entering my undisturbed room, I changed into comfortable clothing and prepared for bed. I crawled into the homely sheets with my eyes swollen and my heart aching. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed my telescope pointing out towards the uncertain night. Igniting my earlier curiosities, I slowly stepped out of bed and walked towards it. I wanted to see the moon again, as I do every other night. Squatting down and placing my right eye before the glass, I searched for the lustrous moon. After finding its location, I increase the magnification on the telescope. Something felt different. Something was different. There was something there, and not just some junk some astronauts left on the moon’s surface. I was in a trance, hypnotized with awe. It was a house. Why hadn’t I seen this before? Zooming in, I saw it was made of what appeared to be wood. Wood? From where? I continued to watch this house, my curiosity spiking.

Entranced by this finding, I persisted in watching through the telescope. The door slowly moves open as an older man makes his way out. He looks like one of us: a normal human being. What is going on? His hair is grey, and his age makes him seem fragile. He’s wearing a plaid button up and some blue jeans. He has no space suit. He’s holding a blue balloon as if it were his only friend. So that’s where those things go when they fly up. But how? I watch him walk over to a single chair near his house. He just sits, watching the world surrounding him. He’s alone. Does he know what it’s like to have company? How did he get up there? Is he even human? In a way, I empathize with him. He sits and admires the stars, just like I do. He’s alone, just like I am.

The man turns his head towards his house. He gradually rises and walks back inside, still gripping onto his blue balloon. I continued to watch. After a few minutes, the man walks out and this time, holding his very own telescope. He walks back to his chair and assembles the object. He points it to the direction of Earth. I watch him scan my world with fascination. I notice him smiling. Laughing. He looks down. A tear slowly escapes and trickles down his cheek. He doesn’t want to be alone. The tear slowly escapes his skin and stains the floor below him. I feel a sharp pang in my heart. I’m not alone at all–not like he is.

His telescope turns to face my direction. Realization hits. His eyes slowly widen and the corners of his mouth lift up to form a smile. He’s beaming. He sees me. I move my head to the side of my telescope and smile at him. He smiles back. I watch him as he smiles profusely, tears falling down his face. His hands slowly rise up to touch his rosy cheeks. Someone noticed him. I noticed him. He realizes he’s not alone.

~

Every night after that, I looked through my telescope to smile at the old man. It’s beautiful how something as little as a smile could brighten his day. He stopped walking around with his blue balloon but sometimes, I sent new balloons tied to small trinkets to keep him company. The crazy part? He actually received them. As time persisted, the man became more and more frail until he no longer appeared out of his small house. I cried that night. And the night after that. And the night after that.

The man on the moon was alone. He lived a life to himself, constantly wondering what was out there. He longed for company, until I came along. With losing my best friend, I gained an unforgettable friendship that made me realize that I truly wasn’t alone. I’ll continue to create new friendships since I’m fortunate enough to be here on this Earth, surrounded by love. I know that’s something he never got to experience in his life. I know that’s what he would want. I’ll never forget you, man on the moon.