June bug funeral

     As the light from the moon gave the wisps of a cloud slowly passing over a macabre glow, a girl stepped into a forest clearing the land below. The clearing itself took the girl by surprise. She had been walking for ages in that forest. Tree after tree, gradually growing closer the further she walked.  The girl had almost let herself become worried she had lost her way before stumbling into the open.  With every step, her heart had fallen further. 

     Now, in the open air, a smile crept to her face as her eyes turned skyward. She watched the moon, not quite full, reveal himself to her from behind his hiding place.  As the young girl's smile grew, so did the moon. 

     To the casual observing glance, the moon would have appeared no different. To the girl in the field, it grew.  

     That silver light shone brighter than it's golden counterpart in that moment. It encompassed the clearing as the only pair of eyes for miles slowly grew accustomed.   The girl and the moon stood transfixed with one another. 

     Minutes slipped past. The glow still focused on the clearing. Focused on the deep brown oblivion in the girl's eyes. Neither one flinched. Neither one wavered. Neither one stopped grinning. 

     As the minutes grew to hours, the girl suddenly felt tired. She had been so determined to continue her journey until sunrise, but this unexpected encounter struck her somewhere she hadn't been sure she still had.  The next moment, with her satchel underneath her head, she was on the ground. 

     The amount of time that passed between her lying down and succumbing to sleep is a mystery, but once she slept, the moon continued to grow. The larger it's size, the more focused it's ray.  Sometime during her slumber, a spotlight shown on the lost girl. A glimmer of moon light remained even as the sun rose to take it's place. 

     The girl awoke at first light, threw the strap of her satchel over her head, and began her trek. When she reached the edge of the clearing, she turned her face once more to the sky. She smiled at the sun, and the sun back at her. Her eyes traveled the outter rim of the clearing. She closed her eys and etched this place into her mind. The place of her last restful sleep in 382 days. 

     She inhaled the warmth of the sun as she turned, eyes still closed, toward the forest. The girl exhaled slowly, as if she knew she what she was leaving behind.  She stepped into the shadows of the trees and opened her eyes.  Light gray irises shone through the branches, challenging the dark with each step.