Deep in the starless nights, a woman sat by a pond. The full moon shone in the water, like a silver coin that someone had dropped into the darkness. The woman dipped her hand in the water; her fingers grew cold, but her heart was warm. A small fish emerged from under the rocks, its scales sparkling in the moonlight; as if it itself were a piece of the moon that had fallen into the water and come to life. The woman laughed, her voice ringing in the silence like the sound of glass. The fish circled her finger, once, twice, then stared at her quietly. The woman said softly, “You are like me; a prisoner of the light of someone who will never be ours.” The fish flapped its tail once and was gone. The moon still shone in the water, but now the woman was no longer alone; she could see the sparkle in her own eyes too.
