Among the Darkness Stirs

She looked about and thought perhaps he was seeking something not there. “I’m not sure—”

“Look.” He pointed to the river. “The moonlight over the water. It’s magical.”

And then she saw it. The green lawn spread out before them, and the moon was low in the sky, but its reflection could be seen in the water, looking like glass. It was a lovely sight.

“It is lovely,” she admitted.

“I know the perfect way to see the moon.” He took her hand in his again and walked a little bit closer to the river, where the grass was lush. Then, without warning, he sat down upon the ground, releasing her hand. “This is it.” He laid down and looked up at the stars.

“You’ll muss your clothes,” she told him, standing above him.

He shrugged. “That’s why we launder them.”

“I can’t—” she said before he grabbed her hand and pulled her into the grass beside him.

“Look at the moon,” he whispered.

Audrey sighed. She co

uld give him this little bit of time. He’d had too much to drink, and he was obviously fostering a broken heart. She looked up at the moon in the sky. It was a lovely sight to behold. Here she was, lying in the grass with a madman, looking up at the sky in the middle of nowhere. She would never have thought her day would end like this.

“Have you ever heard of the Inuit people?” he asked her suddenly.

“No.”

“They are the native people of a place called Greenland,” he said.

It sounded familiar. “I think I’ve seen it on a map.”

“They have a story about the moon,” he said quietly. “Anningan is the moon god. He has a sister named Malina, who is the sun goddess. The Inuit people believe that Anningan raped Malina, and that every night, he chases her to possess her again.”

Audrey turned to look at Henry and saw that he was still staring at the moon almost, as if he had forgotten her existence.

“During the chase, Anningan forgets to eat so he gets thinner and thinner every night,” he explained.

Audrey understood the story then. “The moon getting smaller.”

“Yes. To satisfy his hunger, Anningan disappears for three days each month, which signifies the new moon, and then returns to chase his sister again.”

Audrey hummed. “Very clever.”

“That is why the sun and moon rise and set at different times. At least according to the Inuit.”

She thought about that. “I hope he never catches her.”

Henry turned his head to look at her. “It’s natural for men to chase things of beauty.”

“Is it?” she asked.

“It is. Very natural.”

As the air thickened around them, she swallowed. “We should get back.”

“A few more minutes.”

Her head was spinning, and she felt a little drowsy. She had only had the one ale, but she rarely drank. Her father enjoyed drink and her mother her port, but she had never taken a liking to them. She closed her eyes and dreamed of a field of golden wheat. As she walked through it, she touched them with the palms of her hands.

The sun was upon her back, and the sound of water came from nearby. It was a perfect day. Her mother was under a grand oak tree, knitting while her sister and father played croquet. As usual, her father was letting Frances win. She was back in Kingsdown, and nothing had changed. Her family was together again.