Where We Ended

by Ashley Munoz

“Once upon a time the sun was the brightest it had ever been. It looked down through the sky, and on the land below, searching for something of its equal. The ocean had depths and darkness to it that even the sun’s rays could not reach. The desert sands loved to bask in the sun’s glow, greedy and boastful of its heat. The trees would die from too much exposure. Everywhere the sun tried, she was either too much or not enough. She began to cry, sending solar storms to the land below and disrupting all the peace she’d previously found. The ocean roiled, the trees burned, and the deserts turned to glass. Nothing could soothe the sun, not until from under the surface of the vast land rose a great darkness. A vast shadow that was not deterred by the raging or the turmoil, and bravely asked the sun what was wrong. The sun stopped crying, its tears of fire holding off long enough that the land below eventually healed itself, for as curious as the shadow was, it did not anticipate the feeling of utter completion when it finally rose and found the sun. For the darkness had craved the light and warmth, and likewise, the sun had finally found a place that could absorb her shine. So the darkness fell in love with the sun, and for as long as the two held each other, sharing the sky, the land was prosperous.”