This is a story inspired by the song “Mienai Tsuki” (Hidden Moon) by Fujita Maiko. I’ll put the lyrics and translation of the song on a separate post so as not to disturb the flow of the story. Hope you’ll enjoy.
Hidden Full Moon
I am back! After nearly a year, I am back, I am home.
I wanted you to fetch me from the airport but I also wanted it to be a surprise so I did not contact you. I missed you so much and I wanted to see you right away.
I called some of my friends, our friends to pick me up and of course keep my coming home a secret. I wanted to come to you as soon as possible but it was already late in the night and you might be tired already for work. I will just meet you tomorrow, after office hours. You’ll be surprised because I’ll be waiting at your doorstep. I can’t wait for tomorrow to come.
And tomorrow came. I woke up, took a bath, prepared myself to meet the person I missed a lot, the reason I went back. To pass time, I tried to arrange my luggage but the excitement I felt just won’t let me move. I just wanted to see you.
I took a taxi to go to your house. I was really anxious to get there and even asked the taxi driver to speed up a bit. But due to rush hour, traffic was heavy, and it was raining.
After a long wait, I reached your house. I rang the doorbell, and saw your aunt coming out. I asked whether you were already home. She said that you were not and wouldn’t be for a few days; you went somewhere out of the country due to work and left just a few hours ago. I was disappointed. I wouldn’t be able to see you for a few more days. I have to wait, just like you did for me. So I left, again, asking your aunt to keep it a secret from you.
I came back to see you, but you were the one away. I would just have to wait. Wait.
During the days I was waiting for you to come back, some of our friends came over and did a welcome back party for me. Those kind of meet ups and gatherings took up much of the time I was waiting for your return. But every time I would be left alone, I would remember you and pray that you are okay and hoped that you were also thinking of me.
And the day you would come back came. And just like the previous time I decided to go to your home, I was excited to see you. But truth be told, I was nervous, that meeting you might not be what I expected and what-ifs started invading my thoughts. But the feeling of wanting to see you is bigger. So I prepared myself, it was a weekend and I knew that you should already be home.
I took a taxi again, and the skies were clouded. I could not even see the supposedly full moon and the sparkling stars.
I got off the taxi, rang the doorbell and your aunt came out. Just like last time. She told me that you were not home and she did not know when you will be back and she went back inside.
I was not able to move from where I was. I wanted to wait for you. And when I looked up at the sky, I briefly saw the full moon, and then rain fell.
I came back to your house a few more times nearly every day. And the answer was always the same. Always. Every time.
Days and nights passed. I could not remember well what happened during those times. The only thing I could clearly remember was that I was waiting for you. Even though I already knew that you were avoiding me.
*****
I was out once again during a cloudy night. The moon that had again supposedly been a beautiful glowing orb was hidden by the clouds. While waiting for the traffic light to turn green, I saw you on the other side of the road.
I could not move, my heart beat faster, my chest hurts.
I saw you.
Holding someone else’s hand.
The light turned green. Nobody knows me. Not even one bothered to look at me.
But you did. Out of all the people that had passed me, you did.
I gathered up everything I had and continued walking forward without looking back. And when I have reached the other side, I looked back, I could not help it. And once again, I saw you and the full moon.
*****
I wanted to forget. I went out with my friends, my family, and my relatives. I worked hard and played hard. But when everything is over and everyone has gone and I am left alone, I just could not forget you. I just did not how.
*****
How many full moons have passed, I do not know. I have never seen any after the last one I saw. And upon remembering that, I looked up at the skies while waiting for the light to turn green. It was cloudless, and the full moon shone brightly. The light turned green and I walked on, listening to the footsteps of people I do not know as they crossed the road, while looking at the full moon and smiling at myself.
***FIN***
Listening Stories 