“Can’t you keep up?”
She ran up the marbled path, bounding past me in great leaps that evoked memories of our childhood pet bunny, who had tragically died years earlier. We would watch her hop around for hours, endlessly entertained by her twitching nose. Rest in peace, Snowball.
My shining second cousin, who is not quite my immediate family, but a sister nonetheless. The truth was I had never been able to keep up with her, and I probably never would. I would always try though, there was no doubt of that.
Our grandmothers always told us we were like the sun and the moon, I, the moon and she, the sun, of course. Her light was bright but not blinding, warming the people around her while enriching their souls with some vitamin Lulu. My light was dim and muted, providing little solace to lost souls in comparison to my exuberant counterpart. It’s not like anyone needed any vitamin Laura in their lives. There was enough of that to go around.
In fact, the world could probably do away with most of it.
“Can’t you slow down? You’ll slip in the rain you know, just like Grandma Joy said you would!”
“Lighten up! We need to hurry up before it gets too dark. Don’t want to miss out!”
What exactly we would be missing remained a mystery to me; however, I quicken my pace. Lulu’s promises were never empty. Sure, occasionally you’d receive a cookie when you expected a slice of pie, but she always delivered her sweetness, even if it wasn’t what you expected.
Sometimes, when we garden with Grandma June, I picture myself in the dirt as a measly potato with roots that could pass as blood-drained veins sourced from a sickly child. Yards above me, hanging precariously from a branch swaying in the wind, is a plump orange, begging to be plucked and juiced for a breakfast-cereal commercial with the promise of an excellent day to follow.
Lulu is this orange.
How we could possibly be related is beyond me, but I digress.
Sloshing through the puddles of rain surrounded by lush green vegetation, we approach the culmination of our journey, which I now realize is a clearing in the green, with a pond placed almost perfectly in the center.
The sun hangs low in the sky, casting a tangerine-tinged glow over the clearing in front of us. As we approach the pond, the raindrops falling in the water cast off a cascade of reflected light, the small body of water glittering with the beauty of an ocean.
Peering into the sparsely clouded sky, admiring the rain falling alongside rays of sunshine, I think to myself—
“The witches are getting married!”
She snatched the words right out of my mouth, like any sister would. The words sounded better coming from her than they would have from me.
She crouches down on the muddy bank, beckoning me to do the same. Without saying a word, she gestures towards the water, barely containing the excitement behind her eyes.
Swimming lazily in concentric circles are two sparkling koi fish, dazzling in the sun-kissed water. One with scales as white as snow, the other colored with copper and gold in a sporadic pattern. They orbit each other endlessly, as if they are stuck on an endless carousel that goes in both directions.
“It’s us! The sun and moon!”
I smile, alternating between admiring the golden koi and my second cousin, my sister, who reflects light with as much if not more intensity as the radiant fish.
“Ok, I’ll admit, I don’t want to miss out, they’re beautiful. I mean, look at that orange one! Lulu, how do you always find these things?”
“I don’t know, I guess they were calling my name. Grandma June says I have an affinity for these things.”
I nod, looking back into the water, allowing myself to become hypnotized by the kois’ ritualistic dance. I can’t take my eyes off of the orange koi, thinking how funny it is that even in fish form, Lulu outshines me.
“When I first came here all I saw was the white koi, so I’m just as surprised as you, I guess! I thought it must be Snowball reincarnated, back to say hello once more since we never really got to say goodbye. This is the first time I’ve seen the orange one, I didn’t know Snowball had a buddy! The white koi is just like you Laura. So lovely!”
Silly as it is, I tear up at the comparison, hiding it under the guise of the kois’ brilliance—hurting my eyes.
Just as the moon endlessly chases the sun, longing to share the light it emits, so too does the sun chase the moon, longing to bask in its cool comfort. ▲
