Originally written in 2003
With the moonlight guiding her path alone, Asteri wandered through the shore of Mackdow. Crystal tears illuminating her pale, melancholy face. It was the end, she thought. Earlier, she had gotten in a fight with her mother. Asteri was on her way home thinking she would go to Apollo’s house to surprise him on his birthday.
“Mother, may I go somewhere?” Asteri asked.
Her mother looked at her with a sad look on her face and said, “No, we have to talk.”
Asteri began laughing since this was completely unusual. But as her mother walked into her room, she began realizing what her mother might know. Her mother appeared with a book in hand… Not just any book, it was Asteri’s diary. This image stuck to her head and she realized that her mother knew everything that had happened to her in the past year. Asteri started bawling and tried to get out of the house. She was enraged and full of frustration at both her mother and herself. She had to fight her way through to get out of the house.
Asteri sat down beside a tree by the shore, the sand cooling her feet and the wind blowing gently on her face. Everything was going as she planned earlier that week. She was off to a fresh start. She thought everything would change. That diary wasn’t meant for her mother’s or anyone else’s eyes. It was only meant for her.
“Asteri,” said a voice from behind her. “Is something wrong?”
Asteri looked back and saw Apollo with that same glow on his face that made Asteri notice him from the very start. She could still remember it like it was from yesterday…
“Hey, who is that?” she asked one of her friends when she first laid eyes on him.
“Oh, he’s new,” her friend replied. “His name is Apollo, I believe.” Asteri felt deeply for Apollo from the very first day she saw him. And every night, she would wish on the moon:
“Dear moon, shining so brightly and guiding my way
I’ve never felt so sound until he came to me today
He heightens my being with every step he takes
Do you think you can give me hope he’ll love me someday?”
“Apollo,” Asteri said. “Do you remember the time when we went to the lake? The sun was setting and we were sitting on a rock by the lakeside…”
“Yes,” Apollo answered.
“What are you thinking of?” Asteri asked Apollo as he was gazing at the lake, deep in thought.
Apollo shook his head and said, “I want to be with you…”
Asteri opened her mouth to say something, but before she could speak, Apollo added, “For the rest of my life…”
Asteri couldn’t do or say anything but smile… and from that moment, she realized that she was in love with Apollo.
“I’ll never forget that day,” Asteri told Apollo. “Here’s my ring. I’m giving it to you.”
“Asteri, there is something wrong. Why aren’t you telling me?”
“Apollo, I want you to remember that no matter what happens, I will always be there for you, there in your heart. We’ve gone through so much and I don’t regret anything that we’ve done, be it bad or good. I have to go Apollo…”
Apollo sat there, confused. “What do you mean? Asteri, I want you to stay… Never go away from me. Stay forever.”
“I want to stay, but I have to go away,” she replied with tears falling down her eyes.
“Why are you leaving me?” Apollo asked. “Did I give you less than enough of what you wanted? I can’t lose you like this Asteri… I can’t. You’re the only rock that I’m leaning on and if you move, I will fall…”
“You have given me more than enough…” Asteri wanted to tell Apollo the real reason why she had to leave. But she knew this would count against her mother too.
“Apollo!” Asteri cried as Apollo grabbed her hand and started running through the forest. “Where are you taking me?”
“You’ll see,” he replied with a smirk on his face.
Apollo led Asteri to a hidden cave. In it, there were flowers, shining and giving light to the dark cave.
“It’s so beautiful!” Asteri exclaimed.
Apollo looked into Asteri’s eyes and whispered, “You’re beautiful.”
Asteri got up, her heart heavier than a thousand bars of gold, and her face filled with gloom. She handed Apollo a piece of paper, folded neatly and meticulously. She left, running, towards the ocean, leaving Apollo behind. Her swift footsteps, making marks on the sand and her cries were the symphony of the night.
Apollo unfolded the paper, and started to read the writing written in red ink: “I love you, but I know we can’t be. Because everytime I’m with you, I lose me.” Upon reading this, Apollo’s eyes filled up with tears and he said:
“I’ll always be here waiting for you, waiting for your sweet smile, waiting for your soft lips… Waiting for your sweet face. I’ll be loving you for the rest of my life. We belong together, Asteri… I promise you everyday, I will lay down a new moon upon the sky. Though they may be smaller, at least every time you look up in the sky and wish… you’ll be greeted by not just one but many other beings of light.”
Today, as we look up at the sky, we see not just the moon but billions of other stars lighting the night sky… and we are reminded of the love Apollo once gave and is still giving Asteri by waiting on her return to the shores of Mackdow.