Private Darkness
Felicity prided herself on her unflappability, and yet she was still shocked, one night, to see the moon being eaten away slowly, as if a gargantuan turtle were nibbling on the lettuce leaf that was the lunar disc.
“The moon is disappearing!” she screamed.
“It looks the same to me,” a passerby said, glancing up. “Full moon tonight.”
No one else say it. They insisted the moon was full even as Felicity watched the last silver sliver disappear from view. She watched the stars go dark as God’s spilled inkbottle continued gobbling up the sky.
The next day, the sun did not rise. The streetlights went off at their normal time and Felicity groped her way to work, using her phone as a flashlight. People eyed her strangely as they strode by.
From then on, she lived in a world of darkness and time became only a number on her watch. She began only going out at night, when artificial lights were lit. One evening, she was walking to the store when she heard someone scream, “The moon! It’s disappearing!”
Felicity smiled. It may be the end of the world, but at least she wasn’t crazy.
“Anything is bearable, when one does not have to endure it alone.” – R.W. Guy
The Green-Walled Tower 