Welcome to Gaia! ::

Instructions:
Compose a short story or a poem (no minimum, but max 1200 words)! It can be about the moon, on the moon, or featuring the moon as a character- the only thing that matters is that the moon plays a major role.

Criteria are originality, verbal artistry, plot and spelling! ...Spelling doesn't count for much, it's just there to be a tiebreaker just in case. rofl

There is no format for you to copy/paste, simply post your entry in this thread. You are allowed to use images, but they won't be part of the judging criteria, sorry! :x



ooooEntries

oooopage - username

“I don’t see it,” said Teddy the teddiursa, squinting at the white, full moon.

“It’s there, son, maybe you should try looking at it differently,” said Cubby the ursaring. Cubby folded some more honey into the mixing bowl. He was entertaining his small son by telling him about the bunny that lived on the moon.

Teddy sucked his paw and tilted his large head. “I might see its ears,” he said doubtfully.

“It has a tail, too,” replied Cubby idly. He had a lot to prepare for their moon party on the next night. They were inviting everyone they knew. It would be very fun.

“I- I see it!” cried Teddy suddenly. “You were right, Dad, she’s there!”

“Yep.”

“Can we invite her to the party?”

“Oh…” Cubby hesitated. “She might be busy, son, it’s very short notice…”

“We can still ask,” said Teddy. He dashed around and found his crayons and a piece of paper. “Dear… moon… rabbit…”

“Don’t be too disappointed if she can’t come, son,” said Teddy cautiously. “I’m sure she is very busy this season. She might be going to another teddiursa’s party.”

Teddy ignored his father and continued his letter. Cubby shrugged his massive brown shoulders. At least it kept Teddy out of the honey. He guiltily stuck a claw into the honey jar and sucked it.

Later, Teddy went to the great lake near their house in the base of a tree. He folded his letter into a ship and pushed it out into the flat surface of the lake with a long branch so it floated into the moon’s reflection. It had seemed to him the best way to get an invitation to the moon.

“Please come to our party, it will be very good, with cordial and cakes. My Dad makes great honey cakes.”

Teddy turned and went home, eager for bed so he could wake up the next morning and have it be party day. The letter bobbed on the water and slowly sank into the reflection of the moon.

The day of the party dawned with golden light and Teddy rolled out of bed. Cubby was already starting on the pancakes. “Mmmm!” said Teddy.

“Don’t fill up on these,” said Cubby, remembering some tummy aches as a cub on moon party day.

“I will fill up on cake!” assured Teddy. “I wonder if the moon rabbit got the invitation?”

“I am sure she did,” said Cubby. He himself had been up early. As usual, the first guest to arrive had been Mickey the pidgeot, being the quintessential early bird. She was a great listener and Cubby had told her about Teddy inviting the moon bunny to the party. She had flown off again to find Countessa, the gardevoir, the very best calligrapher either of them knew, to draft an apology letter from the moon bunny for Teddy, giving him her thanks for his letter and regrets that she couldn’t make it.

While Cubby continued making treats, Teddy spent the day hanging paper decorations and greeting guests. Pheonix the charizard arrived around midday with a beautiful seashell; an apology gift from Saphire the lapras for not being able to come, being seabound.

“She hopes it is enough to make you think of her all day today,” growled Pheonix and he handed it over.

“It’s very nice!” said Teddy excitedly. He put it to his large ear. “I can hear the ocean! I think I can hear Saphire! What a cool gift!”

Sparkette the raichu came also, with a grass bag full of berries. “Here you are, munchkin!” she said, handing the bag over.

“Thanks,” said Teddy around the bag, so big it covered his face, in a muffled voice. “Please have a drink!”

Sparkette approached Pheonix, sitting with his head amongst the paper decorations. “Nicely done, aren’t they? You have such a better view than I do…” She smirked.

Pheonix scowled and snorted a dangling paper cutout away from his nose.

The ground shook for several minutes before the arrival of Arwen, the tyranitar. She had a heavy contribution; a bag full of moon stones.

“What a treasure you are,” said Cubby, kissing her on the cheek and arranging the stones on the table. “Away with you, Teddy! Not until you’re older.”

Cubby, about to touch the moonstones, frowned and took his paw away.

Cubby shook his head. “I just can’t forget his first moon party when he stuck a moonstone in his mouth and choked on it.”

“Hello, darlings!” was the cry announcing the great presence of AngelWings, the dragonite, landing in their clearing. “I brought fruit tarts!”

“Yummy!” squealed Teddy, cuddling AngelWings and stuffing a treat into his mouth. AngelWings chuckled.

The sun set and it was finally time for the moon party to start. The moon rose from the horizon and arced across the sky. Teddy followed it with wonder and started looking for the moon bunny’s arrival.

Mickey returned and, after a rest and a drink, took up a letter in her beak. She and Cubby looked at each other. It was a shame to disappoint Teddy…

A voice came from the bushes. “Oh, I hope I have the right place, this is Teddy’s party, isn’t it?” Into the lanternlight came a beautiful white lopunny. “I got an invitation from Teddy to this party. I couldn’t come any sooner, because the moon wasn’t up!”

Teddy looked at her, his eyes huge. “You came! You really came!”

“Of course,” smiled the moon lopunny.

Mickey quickly tossed the apology letter she held into Pheonix’s tail flame. He blinked and looked at her questioningly, but she shook her head and he said nothing.

All the pokemon had a grand night with Cubby’s cooking and each other’s stories, even serious Pheonix! The lopunny was charming and Teddy was so taken with her that he fell asleep with his head on her soft shoulder. Cubby took Teddy to bed and thanked her for coming.

“You don’t know what it means to him,” he said gruffly.

The lopunny bowed her head. “It was my pleasure,” she said. “But the time is come for me to be gone. I had a wonderful time.” She said her goodbyes and hurried away. The party sounds were not far in the distance when she came to the lake. She put a paw into the water and began rubbing herself down vigorously, revealing a warm brown coat under some talcum powder. She looked up at the moon. “It really was my pleasure. We’ve all got a job to do, keeping the stories alive.”

Marmalade, the normal, brown lopunny, hopped away. Truly, she did keep the legend alive that night, for Teddy, at least. He told everyone he knew about the beautiful moon lopunny coming to his party, backed up by his father and the other guests, whom no-one would gainsay.

The rabbit in the moon looked down upon the land and the parties held in the moon’s honour that night.

Thank… you…


((So guys I actually saw the bunny in the moon for the first time last month- it really does look like a bunny! But I never saw the man in the moon as a child. All pogeys are mine XD Sorry it's long! Under 1200, but- ack! It was a fun story I wanted to tell.))

“Look!” the young woman whispered to the clefairy, pointing upwards as the warmly silver full face of the moon was revealed from the clouds, “There it is!” She watched the pokemon for a reaction.

Nothing.

It's eyes glanced up and then stared, dully, at their portable campfire, uncaring.

“Neo...” she said, softly. Her clefairy was a Shadow Pokemon, his heart closed off by Cipher to make him a weapon. It was dangerous to have him out of the pokeball as he was now, but she knew she couldn't help him without freeing him and braving his moods and wildness. “Here.” she said offering the clefairy a moon cake and trying not to fear the flicker of darkness behind his eyes, “Try it.”

Uncaringly, the clefairy took it from her and sniffed it.

“It's good!” she said, taking one for herself and biting into it, “It's thick and sweet and syrupy, and right in the middle there... there's a bit of egg.” She watched him, chewing, “Try it. Taste it.... It's good.” she repeated, “It's good.”

He wasn't hungry. He put it down and continued to stare at nothing.

She sighed. She hated Cipher – for what they had done to pokemon and for what they had done to her. Growing up in their underground city of The Under, beneath the hive of scum and villainy that was Pyrite Town, you either worked for Cipher or you feared for your life until they forced you to work for them. Thus, when she was ten, the age when young people on the surface started their pokemon adventures, she was forced to work for them. She became a grunt, then a peon, and was given a Shadow pokemon to assist her in Cipher's fell aims. She had blood on her hands, too, but what could she have done? When Cipher went down, she had thought she was free, but the Under was buried and it's inhabitants forced into the surface world. There was no home for her, and sometimes no home even for them. It was hard to find productive employment when your last job – nay, your whole life – involved working for an evil corporation.

So, the young woman did what most did – who did not fall back on a criminal path. She became a wandering trainer, trying to make her way in the world and fix what she could of it.

Her clefairy being the main things she was trying to fix.

“You know, I didn't see the moon for a long time.” she said to him, filling the silence, “I was brought up in a massive cavern, so the surface was alien to me...” she looked up, “They didn't let us out, you know, not until they were sure we wouldn't tell anybody, that we were loyal and scared enough.” she grinned, “But, see, my brother found a way. He had a special way out, through the caves, and one day, on the moon festival, he went and showed me.” Her look grew distant, “I got to see the stars, and the clouds, and the moon for the first time, and I was so happy. I must have hugged him a hundred times...” She looked back, sadly, at the clefairy, who she could see watching her. Vaguely listening, or about to attack? She didn't know. “He gave me a moon cake...” she gestured to the cake, “And we sat like you and I are now. I must have told him I wanted to go there... to the moon.” she laughed, “I was stupid back then. But you know what he said to me?”
“He said: 'We're going to go, all right.'
“He promised to get me out. He promised to get us both out. In the end, though...” she looked up at the moon, taking out a bottle of rice wine and toasting the silver face before taking a drink of it, “In the end, he couldn't get me out. He left me behind... But I don't think it was on purpose and, well...” she offered the drink to the clefairy, “I wouldn't have met you if he had, anyway.”

The clefairy took no notice of the drink.

“But you know... Coming out here, eating cakes, seeing the moon like this, at this time of year...” she smiled, “It makes me think of him. And one day, maybe, we'll meet again.” she sniffled, “Crud. I'm crying.” she rubbed her eyes vigorously, the light of the moon streaking silver through her fingers.

She would like to think that, on some other corner of their world, her brother was also watching the moon and thinking of her. Did he regret leaving her? Did he miss her? Or – and this she dreaded - had he forgotten her.

“I guess that's enough story for the day... I'll get your brush and we'll go to bed, all right?” she said abruptly, leaving the light of the fire for her pack, where she kept the clefairy's brush.

The clefairy watched her go, and then picked up the moon cake and inspected it again. The shadow behind its eyes flickered as it took a bite, and then another, of the sweet confection. It chewed, standing up from it's seat and looking up into the sky. It stared at the moon for a long moment, and then – for the first time in a long time - it smiled. It raised the moon cake in a 'toast' of a sort to the moon and fluttered its wings before sitting down, still smiling, as the door to its heart creaked... just a little.

Many stories exist about the moon, possibly there are even stories about why the moon rabbit is always making cakes. This may simply be one of them.

Now we all know for a fact that the sun will hurt our eyes if we stare at it without protection, but the moon will not glare down upon us. It knows how we all frolic under the sun and sleep away its glorious nights, hiding its stars from view with human light. However this does not upset the moon, and will not stop it from making its moon cakes.

For you see, the moon has things the sun will never get to witness. The sun will never get to see the moon's brilliant night sky and stars as it shines too bright. Not to forget the festivals and wondrous fireworks that leap up to greet the moon. As the rabbit of the moon wants to take part in these festivals, the moon makes cakes for everyone celebrating under his brilliant night.

If you ever managed to come to the moon with a few yen or some fireworks, you can bet the moon would come and give you a trade for his delicious cakes.

Mother, oh dearest mother, for so long I have admired you. While it is so far that I can only gaze at you in awe, and wonder, I am fulfilled just to see your pristine face.

Always it has been this way, since the momentous night that you did birth me. Slowly, and gently was I descended to the planet you orbit. So enchanted and infatuated by it you have always been, my presence upon its fertile grounds a gift, and token of your undying affections and unwavering enamor. Nestled so comfortably against tender, pliable, untamed grasses, I was placed. Orbs mirroring and rivaling that of manipulated onyx, with a shine to match, lifted up to gawk in admiration at the brilliance of your radiant presence. But it was with my gazing upon your soothing figure, and the backdrop littered with splashes of winking whites in various capacities... that I found my eyes to be a representation of the world, cloaked in rich darkness, from which you reside in. The shine, miniature versions of you, that I can always keep with me, even when they day shall take its turn.

Each night I can follow your dance across the deep dark heavens, growing more with every one that passes. Our time together I hold so precious, taking comfort in your silent words, and engulfing light. How beautiful you are, mother, never waning in elegance, even when you are covered in a shadows blanket. My fur how its sheen glistens and glosses along the pelt you gave me, to match your milky exterior. When your light caresses it, oh how vivid and glowing I become. Passionate red is dyed sparingly, lined around my eyes, and along my haunches; a mark that proves my lineage to you. The pride I feel cannot be compared, knowing the care you put into creating me, and making sure I always have you near.

The day is so brazen, and robust, a harshness I do not enjoy. Rays of unrelenting heat streak along the grounds too strong, threatening a marring to my inky eyes. Loudness is abundance and unruly, tearing through the air with ferocity and inconsideration, the noise quite distracting to any thoughts. And so I take refuge in the haven of dens, where courteous trees lend me their cover amongst vulnerable roots.

It is then that I will slumber, drifting into a restful state of mind once the noise becomes white. My dreams will consist of the flowers I pick for you to show my gratitude for your visit at night, when the clouds do not conceal you. Mist gracing the grounds in such a feather like motion, producing dew drops so dainty and petite, clinging desperately to anything that will have them, reflecting your undying crisp, bloom.

And when I wake during your shift, it is those droplets that saturate me as I sample the greenery from whence they've settled. To the sky my gaze will cast, waiting and hoping for your visit, while my feet take me further through the world from where I thrive. So silent, and discrete, faint, and yet unsettled. Those who treasure the night such as I will keep me company, and give out their refined cry.

Racing about I try to find you, staring through canopies while traversing the forests. Peeking through shrubs, when nearing the plains. And bounding gracefully along cliff-sides, when the earth ceases to extend any further, I wait, and I watch for you.

When I find you, it is palpable, your love reaching me instantly. Like a pale ribbon fluttering and winding through the channels of wind, I feel your cool embrace curl and comb into my silken pelt. The tufts of my ears fluffed, and my whisps coil. Some may relish the warmth of the unyielding ball of liquid fire, but your inviting chill is invigorating, and refreshing like mint laced cream. I melt in it, relaxing in its wake, basking in its superior ambiance. Truly, mother. There is no other, who compares to you.

===== Contest Over! =====

Thank you all for your wonderful entries. Entries are being judged, results to come tonight! n-n