Tower and Town, December 2015

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A Sea Without Movement, A Sky Without A Moon

It was after the creation, when the world was new and not yet perfect, when the gods of Olympus ruled over the mere mortals, and humans were helpless against their wrath, when no one would stand up to them, nor disobey them, except for one brave Athenian girl who created the moon to protect humans from the raving gods.

Ariana sat by the shore with her twin sister, Selene. They watched the still sea, with no tides nor movement, as it glistened under the night sky. Ariana was thankful to the mighty gods, so thankful that they had created such beauty and wonder in the world. She did, however, loathe the gods just as much as she was thankful, for mighty heroes cowered under their might. Every day she would see how people would be stranded in the sea and the god of the waters, Poseidon, would keep them captive.

Later that sunny day Ariana went into the great temple to pray, “Oh please mighty Poseidon, please save the boats stranded in the sea, carry them to safety!” She longed for him to listen to her prayer, to hear and act on it, but deep inside she knew he would be angry with her. Little did Ariana know that Poseidon wouldhear her call and woulddecide to act. However, it would not be in the way she hoped because she had dared question him.

The cool breeze ran through Ariana’s hair as she swam in the diamond waters. She swam slowly, savouring every second of it, for she rarely took this pleasure. Suddenly, Ariana jumped. Her movement was not coming from the sharp strokes of her arms; it was coming from deep below. A hand brushed against her foot, then grabbed it.

Ariana opened her eyes and realized that she had been knocked out by an almighty force. Her head throbbed but she could still see. She could see that she was under the sea and still breathing! She tried to kick up, but she knew that without an upward current this was impossible. Ariana screamed as a body of water came rushing towards her. Nothing happened for a split second until the body of water reached her and a gargantuan man emerged from the cover of the water.

“Poseidon!’ thought Ariana. This was the work of the god of the sea.

“Ariana,” he resounded with a thunderous voice, like boulders grinding on stone. “You have dared to question me and now you will learn your lesson!”

Meanwhile, on the mainland Selene searched the shores for her sister. She wept as she did for she knew that Ariana had probably drowned having been gone for the best part of the day. Then, she saw something out of the corner of her eye. Far out, just at the edge of her vision, an astounding body of water raced towards a limp object. ‘Ariana!’ thought Selene in panic. Tears welling up in her eyes, she realised it was Poseidon, and - he had Ariana! Selene, overcome with anger, decided that she needed something massive to move the waters and free her beloved sister. To do that, she needed another god and cried out for help.

Artemis came down from the mountains with a golden stag by her side and she ran to the sea. Her call had been heard. Artemis moved with such grace and power, power that Selene needed. “Great Artemis,” Selene bowed. To be in the presence of a goddess was beyond her imagination, and yet, here it was happening. “As protector of young girls, will you help retrieve my sister? She... she is trapped in the sea with Poseidon.” Artemis agreed to help, and Selene told her the plan.

Ariana was crying, Poseidon taunting her as he had been for hours. She had lost track of time and all hope that anything could help her. Suddenly Ariana looked up to see a shining ball of white light, the moon, and as soon as she saw it, the water started to shift. Currents formed and tides grew, the stranded boats were saved and so was Ariana. The currents pulled her in and she felt hard land under her feet and everything was right. Selene was waiting for her, “I did it Ariana, wedid it,” Selene smiled. She told Ariana that with the help of Artemis the moon had been created and that it would forever be a symbol of bravery. The moon had saved the lives of many, and the girls knew that it would continue this way for all eternity.

And that is exactly what it did. Today we still live under the light of the moon and it still saves us, still creates the tides which carry us home. The moon will always remind us of Selene and Ariana’s bravery, as it is theirfaces imprinted on the moon.

Ruby