Page 24 - The Muse 2021

Burning Moon
by Matilde Barrera
8th Grade
Blue Ribbon
As I walked around on the cracked
stones and icy sidewalks, my shredded
socks could not bear the pain of my
freezing skin, and I could not bear the
desolation I felt. I held hands with two
small, hopeful angels, there to help me
find some nourishment or shelter. The
Christmas lights shone brightly enough to
just show my lack of belongings and
courage. I could see next to me, two
dancing creatures who did not seem to
have a single difficulty or worry, and I
aspired to be like them one day. Nothing
ever seemed to change, however, and my
body moved without notice to do the very
same thing it did yesterday, last week, last
month, last year. The sky looked Yale
Blue and the moon seemed to be a Waning
Crescent. My small companions and I were enclosed by dozens of classical English townhomes. They were all made from red brick and had string lights that were green, white, and red, in front of their windows. A winter storm covered this small unknown town. Looking next to me, my brothers had a permanent smile on their faces, and I wondered why. I had never given them anything, no nice toys, no nice food, not even some shelter. They had nothing to be grateful for, but somehow, they were.
I paid attention looking for someone or something that could help us. My brothers were in the same position, but in their inner world. I saw them both staring up to the sky, looking at their only companion shining bright just for them. I had always noticed they had a special love for the moon. They felt as if it was the light during the most-empty nights. Sometime about a year ago or so, Eduardo had told me something about wanting to go to the moon. But noticing his heart was like glass, I knew it could shatter very easily, so I could not tell him the low chance of that happening. For now, all we could do was walk, and hope to find some simple aid.
We crossed the street. I looked around every corner, and my eyes were glued to my surroundings more than my steps. All I could feel was the cold wind blowing and all I could see was the night sky giving us some light. I put my head down knowing there was nothing to look for. My light blue scarf moved along with the wind while I observed nothing but the ground. Suddenly, I heard some soft humming coming from the other side of the road. I saw two feet covered with long black boots and a body covered by a coat. A lady carried a tray that brought an unknown smell to my nostrils. I noticed there was a wooden table already set up on the ground, she slammed the tray on the table, put on an apron with a flower design, and put on a smile. I saw her as she reached her hand down her purse and grabbed a big white cardboard sign that said, “Angelica’s Stand.” I know I’ve seen those before, but I had never gone near them. I was curious to see what it meant. She slowly grabbed the paper towel on top of the tray and removed it to reveal different kinds of hot and freshly baked food. There seemed to be no one near us, so maybe this was my opportunity to give some nourishment to my small family. My two brothers kept dragging me while I could not get my eyes off this possibility. Vincent looked at me perplexed, not knowing what to say. I giggled to let them know I was okay, but I had just come back into reality after staring into the stand for a couple of minutes. I looked back at the stand while we were about to turn. The lady was touching her pockets and opening bags, she had a desperate look on her face as she seemed to be stuck in one place looking for something that did not exist. I swiftly looked back to see what was occurring. She glanced at me and spoke, “Hey girl! I do not mean to bother you, but it seems like I have forgotten my glasses at home, would you mind taking care of my stand for just a few minutes?”
This was my one in a lifetime opportunity of getting some delectable and fresh food. I screamed, “Yes! I’ll take care of it for as long as you want.”
“Thank you very much.”
24
Oriana Lovera, Grade 8