FUJI THE OLYMPUS | Shibiru’s First Time at the Cave
where shibiru the persephone, four years old, stumbles into miharu the selene’s cave, high in the sendai mountain.
Miharu drove her carriage to the opening of her home; a cave with a hole in the ceiling so that moonlight can cascade down in her resting place. Steering her flock of flying sheep, Miharu parked her carriage at the corner of the cave and freed the sheep from the harnesses. Yoru followed up after Miharu’s arrival. He seemed to be smiling from ear to ear and it made his relative wonder why.
“Brother, why are you smiling?” Miharu asked.
Yoru, who has his hands hidden around his back, grinned only at her and prompted, “Can you guess?”
Miharu answered, “Another cloud baby?”
Yoru laughed but shook his head. He answered, “No. It isn’t a cloud baby this time. Though, I saw a nice form of it earlier. But, no. Guess again.”
Miharu said, “Star dust?”
Yoru, once again, chortled and told her, “Gods, no. Taiyu is a bit allergic to the dust.”
“Then what?”
Yoru brought his hands to the front... Revealing a very fascinated, starry-eyed Fujian child, Shibiru.
“Yoru...”
“She followed us, sister. More likely, she followed you.”
Miharu took Shibiru from Yoru’s arms and looked at her in disbelief. Shibiru, for a four-year-old, found her expression more amusing than worrying. She took advantage of her face and started to pull different expressions with her hands. Miharu sputtered and tried to pry her hands away from her face.
“Shibiru, stop-! Hey, hey! My face is not to be toyed with!”
Yoru could only chuckle and comment, “She’s very taken with you. I wonder why, though.”
Shibiru settled down after a few moments. She stopped playing with Miharu’s face since she found a new thing to play with: Miharu’s long and luscious locks. She draped them across her own hair since her own hair is shorter compared to Miharu’s tresses.
Miharu scoffed and tried to pry her grubby hands once more from her hair. The moon goddess sternly said, “Stop it, Shibiru.”
Be it her obedient nature or she’s just plain attentive, Shibiru also stopped playing with her hair and lets it go, letting it cascade down to Miharu’s back. Having no means to play with, Shibiru behaved. And decided to stare.
Shibiru is awestruck by how round and expressive Miharu’s eyes are.
She seemed to behave as she kept staring deeply into the eyes of the moon goddess. Seldom does Miharu’s eyes held any emotions. She is neither emotional or emotionless (but she has the capacity to feel, nonetheless). Often, her emotions are controlled and her feelings suppressed so she’s not withheld by something so strong while she’s working or while she’s dealing with godly matters.
Head over heart in all things (with a few exceptions).
What is the child searching for?, Miharu thought, staring back at the child.
Shibiru looked so spacey and dazed that she comfortably leaned down on the shoulder of Miharu while her gaze is still focused on her. While her eyes may have no emotion, to Shibiru, she can see the moon moving across her eyes, floating from one place to another. She can see how the stars circle the moon and dance around it, forming a garland of shining flowers around a gleaming pearl.
Miharu appeared shocked herself as she witnessed how Shibiru is gaping at her in wonder. No later than seven minutes, Shibiru started to drift her eyes closing as sleep began to lull her in. Before they knew it, the child is already peacefully slumbering in the arms of the moon goddess.
Yoru retrieved his hood from the branch where it is hanging. He wore it over his shoulders and said, “You should express your feelings more. It might make the moon illuminate brighter. Not for the whole world, but maybe for Shibiru who is a world herself.”
Miharu said nothing and let the child sleep with the flock. She escorted Yoru out of her cave and watched him go to the ground and leave for the Underworld, where he would be resting. Miharu stayed outside the cave all night, staring longingly at the moon and wondered, How much worth would it be to show humane sentiments every once in a while?