To forget

Bathed in moonlight, he prepared the ingredients.

The full moon’s reflection walked across the water like it had on the first night. He crushed the leaves, gathered water from the lake, and drew a single drop of blood from his finger.

The moon watched from the water as the stars moved around her. He looked up and, with a small gesture, asked if it was all right. She hesitated—then agreed.

It had been a long time, and it never seemed written that they would be together.

Without sadness, she danced across the water as he removed his shirt. With the paste, he drew four runes across his chest, and a fifth in the center, directly over his heart.

The moon danced freely, but he could feel her unease—fear that it would work, and that without his heart she would be alone again.

He looked up and smiled as the feeling faded. She had learned how to calm herself.

She had never truly been alone; the stars were always with her. He knew she would be all right.

Near midnight, he began. Each rune was drawn with a spoken word.

The fifth—over his heart—was spoken exactly at twelve.

The moon stopped dancing when she felt the shift. The air thickened, dense like water, and she found herself standing on what looked like the sky.

Her hair floated above her head as he rose from the ground and walked toward her.

The bond—written by moonlight, never completed, sustained only by distance—was being released, joining both ends.
Not broken.
No tears.
Untied, and free.

With every step toward her, a tingling ran up his spine, the shivers growing stronger.

The runes on his chest began to glow, drawing the shivers into themselves. The brighter the glow, the calmer he felt.

As he reached her, the fifth rune opened. He grasped his right hand with his left, as if pulling on a glove.

His right hand glowed as he reached through the rune into his chest. Carefully, he drew out a bright heart—wrapped around his own.

The moon saw it and mirrored him, reaching into her chest to take hold of his heart. But she couldn’t let go.

He smiled, understanding. There was nothing else to do. They had tried, and it had never worked. Another life, perhaps—but there was no more time in this one.

He told her to let him go. The story had been told. This ending was as good as any.

It could never have been otherwise. She was the moon, and he was only a man.

He spoke the first rune aloud, and the heart in his hand glowed brighter.
With the second, it grew warmer and stronger.
By the third, he felt only his own heart beating inside his chest.
By the fourth, the heart was entirely in his hand.
And with the fifth, it flew back into her chest.

Still refusing to let go, he smiled and recited the runes in reverse—from the fifth to the first.

Slowly, his heart moved from her chest to her hand. From her hand, it returned to his own.

As the final rune was spoken, the air thinned back to normal. The moon stood once more above the water, and he fell into the lake below.

The bond was undone. They were both free.

He swam back to shore as the water washed the runes from his skin.