Free A Lament of Moonlight by Travis Simmons

better. Now I am ready for your questions.”
    Questions? The Bordeaux’s could not even think to close their mouths let alone of questions. Melvin did remember to shut th e door noting the shadkin were nowhere in sight . Had they been a figment of his imagination? But then what did that make this woman? He had to be dreaming, that was all there was to it.
    “Ok then,” she said. “Let me begin. My name is Samarra, how are you?”
    “Good,” they all agreed once they had found their voices.
    “No, you obviously don’t get what I am doing here,” she shook her head as if in dismay and her hair cascaded about her form like water, though the smile that seemed perpetually plastered on her face belied her mock sadness.
    “What are you doing here?” Abigail asked.
    “There will be time for that in a moment, but what I was trying to accomplish is what I believe you humans call an introduction,” she said.
    “Us humans?” Melvin asked perplexed.
    “Well yes! My Lord, you are humans aren’t you? I hope so for it was three humans I was sent to find, and I am pretty sure it was the three of you,” she looked downcast for a moment as if she were truly trying to remember something, maybe instructions or descriptions?
    “Yes we are humans, but you are talking as if you are not!” Melvin blurted out.
    “Well do you believe that I am?” She asked.
    “Well yes,” he spluttered, though Ruby looked on the verge of declaring that she was an angel for that was her general respons e to everything she couldn’t explain . However, Melvin thought that summation of their peculiar guest hit closer than any mark he could guess at.
    “Well then you would be wrong, but I think it is incredibly rude that I know nothing about you and you seemingly have drawn all these conclusions abo ut me,” she did indeed sound offended .
    “I am Melvin Bordeaux,” Melvin told her, and her sky blue eyes fell on his sisters in turn.
    “Abigail.”
    “Ruby.”
    “And this would be Luna I take it?” Samarra said holding out her hand for Luna who fluttered down into her palm and settled there. Samarra held her palm up lovingly in her lap, and stroked the body of Luna as if petting a very small dog.
    “You are not supposed to pet a butterfly, the salt and oil on your fingers will harm their wings,” Abigail declared, but immediately looked down into her lap as if she had not meant to say that out loud. “Forgive me,” she said meekly.
    “There is nothing to forgive,” Samarra told her as her gaze settled on the oldest daughter. “You are supposing that Luna is a mere butterfly, and there is where you would be wrong, though I am sure that you already knew that she is much more than a butterfly.”
    “If she is not a butterfly than what is she?” Ruby asked.
    “You would call her a butterfly, but she is so much mor e than that. She is a creature of the moon, a Lunarian like myself, and being such she is not bound by laws like her cousin butterflies.”
    “There are butterflies on the moon?” Ruby asked.
    “Certainly!” Samarra laughed. “There are many, many things on the moon that you could not even guess at. For instance you may assume that the moon is a desolate, cold place but on the moon we have oceans of pure silver, so warm and gentle and beaches of silver sand that glitter in the sun. We have rivers and streams, flowers and grand cities that you couldn’t even imagine the likes of here. There is no need for horses and carriages either, for we have developed the ability to travel at will within our very own bodies. Occasionally we like to see the atmosphere though, so we have a type of flying carriage that we call aircraft.” This all seemed so incredible that they had a hard time believing it, and Melvin would not believe it at all. In fact he was so reluctant to believe her, despite the magic she just flaunted and the unrecognizable words she used that he crossed his arms over his chest and scowled at her.
    “I would