"where's the moon?"

asked a little girl one winter morning

she did not know

that it only came out during nighttime

and she thought that her lovely lune

had died.

"don't fret, little one."

said the mother who's knee she had been sitting on

"she's just hiding beyond the great hill in the east. she'll be back tonight to say hello."

this made the child happy and

happy with her answer, she ran off into their yard to be a child

"where's the moon?"

asked the girl, a year later

for she didn't know that trees would hide it

because she thought it would glow

above everything.

"don't worry, my child."

said the mother

who's hand she had been holding on their walk

"she's playing hide and seek. run ahead and wave, you'll find her."

and, ecstatic, the girl ran along to do just that

"where's the moon?"

asked the older child

as she looked wildly into the uninterrupted sky

and she saw stars

but not a sliver of moonshine

for she did not know

that new moons were a thing yet.

"don't panic, darling."

said the mother who had just finished putting away dinner

"she's resting. it's tiring to constantly be there for people. she'll be back tomorrow, she just needs her own time."

she said this weakly, with a faint, tired smile of her own

but, content, the girl ran back inside to go to sleep

excited to talk to her lovely friend tomorrow night

"where's the moon?"

asked the teenager one evening

as she looked hurriedly around the house

for her dog

but after hours of searching

the house, the neighborhood, the town

she could not find Luna anywhere.

"don't worry, sweet child."

said the tiresome mother

"she'll show up. the things we love always come back to us in the end."

and she held her daughter in her arms

as she shook and sobbed

terrified of losing her best friend.

"where's the moon?"

said the mother as she stared

at the person who she once saw as her daughter

but this was not who she had expected to find

when her child came back from college

for this person had a deeper voice

a flatter chest

shorter hair

"don't you see, mom?"

said the son

"it's still me. i'm just finally able to fully glow now."

and, cheeks becoming tear-stained, she walked

to hug the moon that had now become her sun

happiness for him blooming from every word

"where's the moon?"

cried the mother and the spouse

as they searched the house

finally coming across a locked door

that had never meant to be opened.

"don't worry, love."

she whispered to the son she knew could not hear her

"you'll shine even brighter in your next cycle. but i wish you never had to eclipse."

and, despaired, she collapsed to him

one thing repeating itself and echoing throughout her mind

"where's the moon?"