Sea of Rain

     Sea of Rain

     Mare Imbrium is a lovely place. It always rains.
     People don't realize that the moon is a very habitable place. But then again, people are foolish and don't realize many things. It took even me a very long time before I realized that our natural satellite was, and has always been, within the reach of common man.
     My sister disappeared when I was little. I remember her stories, of paper pirate pandas, broad sword battles, cows with guns, and in one very entertaining evening, a reanimated piece of beef steak. I cherish those stories; they're embedded in my heart.
     We had so much fun. Despite her disappearance, she was ever present during my growing up. Each word she had entrusted me then shaped a little of who I became. I love my sister, and it hurt being incapable of letting her know of my appreciation for the crafts of her mind. She was remarkable, indeed.
     That's why I set out to find her. And I did. In a place where it always rains.
Space travel was a common theme of her tales. She used to pretend we were riding rocket ships, landing all over the solar system. The moon was a favorite. A playground of our very own! Our happy place. In fact, I seem to remember this happy place becoming our little secret. When I upset our parents and got punished in the form of a sermon, all she had to do was yell "GO TO YOUR HAPPY PLACE!!!" from the other side of the house, confusing our folks and immediately stamping a permanent smile on my face. That's why I'm so glad I finally found her.
     Not anywhere on our planet, no, that's just too boring of a place. But in our happy place: the moon. More specifically, Mare Imbrium, a crater where it always rains. How come it rains on the moon? I can't tell. What I do know is that Mare Imbrium is a gigantic puddle thanks to the rain; a sea of a puddle, and as any child will tell you, there's no place better for playing than the waves at the beach, or the puddles at the sidewalk. No wonder sis loves it here. Another feature of Mare that adds to its loveliness is the tulips. Submerged, violet tulips.
     A stunning view.
     And they go really well with her purple hair. We see who can dive the deepest to fetch the biggest, most perfect tulip, and then place it on her head. It's the most fun I've had in my life. I'll call her.
     "Sister, I love you."
     She giggles, "I love you too. I've been here for so long, I missed you."
     "Don't you ever feel like going back? To Vancouver, to our house?"
     "I'm afraid not. Neither our parents nor anyone would ever let me be myself there. I can do that here."
     "I would. I like you just the way you are."
     "That's because you understand me."
     "So what now?"
     "I'm the leader, I'll decide where we go."
     And I will happily follow her.
     "You should go back."
     "What, why? It took so long to find you."
     "You still have a chance."
     "But I want to stay here."
     "Máni dosen't want you here."
     "Well, the moon, Norse mythology or not, is wrong."
     "You don't understand. Hati Hróðvitnisson is coming. It's time you leave."
     "I feel so calm here…"
     "You will learn to live calm in Earth."
     Sitting at the edge of the crater, exactly where the rain stops and the horizon extends itself in front of your eyes, you can see the pearl white surface of the moon on one side, and a crystal clear lake sitting atop a violet tulip mantle on the other. These flowers are strong and stand proud even with the weight of the water. The droplets of the rain multiply themselves upon contact with the surface, and the gravity contributes to make them float in the air. And I, too, can float, can fly, can swim trough this sea of rain.
     I can feel the gentle bounce of the water against my skin, even their taste - chamomile tea. I can feel the eyes of my sister on my back. And then her voice in my ears. They simply pierce me.
     "Why are we talking via cellphone, anyway, if we're right next to each other?"
     "I don't know, maybe we've been afraid."
     "It's been too long to hold any fears. A look in the eyes is the least we could do." She catches up to me, and for the first time in years, I look someone in the eye.
     Sister, you were once very beautiful. But now I see. Maybe I should thank you. I see. How your soft cheeks wither, how the dye of you purple hair is slowly washed away to reveal the black strands, how the spots under your eyes blacken and your lips get thinner by the moment. Your face paler, your teeth yellowier. The smile is lost, all your glee and joy. Yours is the face of someone life wrecked. I no longer smell tulips, I no longer taste chamomile, no longer feel moist. Now all is clear again, and I just remember.
     You never disappeared. Sister, you were a mental patient. And so am I.
     I suppose the medicine kicked in right about now…
     In each of these episodes, as the doctors call them, I've been looking for you. I don't know for how long I've been doing this. I do recall the last time I saw you, two years ago, when I tracked down the institution to which mother and father had sent you. You were very special; they told me as a kid. That's why you were being sent to a special place. I was jealous. I was special too.
     I entered, I asked the attendant for you, and was given the indication of a woman now devoid of any will to live. I was bewildered with what they had done to you, so I went away without ever rising word in your direction. But the image of you haunted me. So a few weeks after, I had my first fantasy. Just like you crafted tales in our childhood, I crafted somewhere where we could meet unsupervised. And, repeatedly, I exercised my imagination, never to find you. I got increasingly frustrated, I think I harmed someone, I don't know. People judged me no longer sane, so they took me to the mental hospital as well, but you were no longer there. I don't know why, no one bothered to explain. You had disappeared again.
     But, the very first time I fantasized in the hospital, I found you. You were there, with me, in the hospital, in my head, in my heart, finally my world was you.
     I keep distracting the doctors, spewing nonsense, so as to distract them and keep me here. Because only here can we live together at last.
     "Put a ripe banana in your ear" I say.
     "Pickles are good for the soul" I've said.
     "Be afraid, be very afraid of my Vampire Ninja skills" I'll say.
     As long as it takes for me to meet you again, I will deceive. They, myself. Don't care who, as long as I can meet you.
     Where will imagination take me next? Maybe the isolated town of Yreka, maybe the Bumbershoot festival. Wherever it is, you will be there. And I will be happy.