Chapter Text
November 10th 2022. 6:35 pm. The air was bitter, the seasons changing. Clay is 3 when he first says the words. "Moon! Wake up!" His mother laughs as she records him, seeing the innocence in her son as he's asking something so innocent. A request to Selene above. As she stops the recording, she leads dream inside and tucks him into bed. "The moon will wake up soon, so it's time for you to go to sleep my dear. Goodnight." As she turns off the lights and shuts the door, he drifts off to sleep.
"Where am I?" Clay awakens in a field, the dew from the early morning blanketing the grass around him as the autumn air bites his skin. He feels a hand on his shoulder. He turns to see a tall man, with green eyes and curly dirty blonde hair and a build both intimidating and comforting. Something seems familiar about the man, but he couldn't figure it out.
"Hello," the tall man spoke, his voice a mixture of honey and generosity. "You wanted the moon to wake up? Would you like to see?" Clay can do nothing but nod, desperate to see the moon. Feel it. He was curious of what, or who, the moon was. His imagination running wild with curiosity on what the man was about to show him.
The taller man takes Clay's hand and starts walking with him. Suddenly, they're in an unfamiliar place. A big house surrounded by trees. The first thing he notices is how warm everything is, the bitterness of the morning just moments ago leaving his skin as the sun beams down. The leaves seem more alive, with green and specs of orange and yellow coating the trees like stars in the sky.
"I got him! He'll be out soon!" Clay turns his head to see where the voice is coming from. He sees a man coming from the house's gate. He isn't as tall as the man next to him, but he's a comfortable height. His hair brunette, being hidden mostly by a baseball cap. His accent was southern, not too much to say immediately he's from the south, but you could hear hints in his enthusiasm.
"There's so many doors! Which one could be come out of?!" He turns his head to the English accent and stares in awe. He looks like a Disney prince straight out of the movies he watches with his sister. His hair is a deep brunette, his burnt umber eyes glowing with wonder and life as if the sun came down and kissed his skin with perfection.
Clay looks up at the man, curious of why he was here. "Where's moon?" He says, staring confused at the man. The man just brought his finger to his own lips, his ring sparkling in the sunlight as he silences the young boy.
He hears the gate clank as everyone turns their head. It was the taller man, but younger. He was walking towards the English-man, arms spread as he heard laughing. "You're like a god with the sun," he exclaims, wrapping his arms around the young taller man. "George! We did it!" The younger man finally says, they're both laughing and jumping.
George. The English man's name was George. Clay was lost, his young mind not being able to process the scene in front of him. Why did the man bring him here? He asked to see the moon and suddenly all he's seeing are 3 men he doesn't know. "Who are they?" Clay mutters, looking up at the tall man. "Clay. George is your moon. He's who provides your light when things get dark," the taller man spoke. Dream was still in a haze, his mind running with a million questions, none being answered.
Suddenly he was awake in his bed, his breathing fast as he tried to process the night before. He looks around his room, tears building up in his eyes as he's still trying to comprehend the dream he just had. He goes into his mom's room, shaking her, desperate to talk to her. She stirs in her sleep, looking down at her young son half awake and confused. "Yes sweetie?" Her tone scratchy from just waking up. Clay doesn't know what to say, or even how to put what he just experienced into words. All he can feel himself muster out is one word. "Moon?.."