PROPHESIED LUNA

Chapter 2

When Chloe got home that afternoon, she decided to make her father’s favourite meal to appease him for her behavior that morning.

She was an experienced cook so she was able to finish cooking in about an hour. The aroma emanating from the house made neighbors wonder. "Now, to the chicken" She washed the meat, seasoned it, boiled and fried.

She admired her handwork and smiled in satisfaction. She then moved on to setting the dining table with the meals she prepared and a chilled carton of orange juice from the fridge. She spared a look at the wall clock and then moved her eyes to the door.

"One, two, three... Welcome home dad".

Mr Anderson who just entered the house at that moment was rendered speechless by the scene before him. "What in God's name did you do? Is anything going on at school?" Mr Anderson was very worried. The last time Chloe cooked for him like this was actually because she had broken a fellow student's head at school.

They had a fight about their grades. He accused her of getting a very high score just because her father knew some of the school teachers. Unfortunately, in anger Chloe pushed the boy, making him fall heavily which resulted in external bleeding at the back of his head.

The poor kid spent 1 week in the hospital, his head wrapped completely in bandage, to get stabilized.

He asked her further "Did you get into trouble with anybody? Don't worry angel, tell me everything and I'll figure out a way to help you"

"Dad..." Chloe bit her lip in regret as she remembered the incident too. She can't blame her father for his reaction now.

"I made this just to apologize for being a bad daughter all these past few years." She finally said."I know I've not been the best daughter...always getting into trouble and making you worry but I promise to change now dad "

Mr Anderson was already emotional as he watched his 17 years old baby apologize.

"Oh dear, come here. I'm not angry with you. How can I possibly be?" Then he smiled "But if you promise to change, I'll be more than happy and thankful"

"Thank you very much dad. You're the best father in the world".

Then the duo sat down to enjoy their meal.

"This meal tastes divine. Thanks dear" Mr Anderson praised his daughter's wonderful cooking as they ate.

“By the way, did we get a pet?” Chloe asked as she remembered the fur she found on her bed that morning.

“No. Why do you ask?” her father looked confused.

“Oh. I just noticed a some fur on my bed when I woke up this morning,” she casually replied. The spoon her father had ben using to eat suddenly fell making her to look uo sharply.

Her father’s face looked like he had seen a monster. Or well, heard something monstrous. Chloe was taken aback.

“What happened, dad?” she asked. “Is anything the matter?” she asked again.

“Since …” he stuttered. “Since when did you start noticing the furs?” he asked in reply.

“Just today.” Chloe replied still wondering why her father looked scared.

“And your birthday is in 4 days?” he muttered, more like he was talking to himself. Without another word. He stood up and went into his room.

“Dad,” Chloe called out as she stood to follow him. “Don’t follow me. Please.” The door was shut in her face.

From where she stood, she could hear him in his room. She heard a gasp followed by soft sobs. She was now more than worried. She had never seen her father cry.

“For me to hear from this place, he must be crying very loud.” She noticed. Then realized she could hear more than sobs. She could hear him opening a book. She could hear some of their neighbors discussing in their houses. “Now, that’s weird. What’s happening today?”

Bothered by the sudden situation of things, she went to her room to change into clothes appropriate for a run. One outside, she could even hear more clearly. The crickets made a louder noise. The Collins opposite her house were having a prayer after eating. She could hear old miss Racheal sneeze in her house.

Scared, she put on her headphones and played music loud enough to drown every other sound. Then she took off. She ran like her life depended on it. Maybe it really did. She was sure her sanity actually depended on it. The ran and ran and ran. When she finally stopped to catch her breath, she noticed she was far away from her usual stop.

She sighed and took in deep breaths. Then she made her way back home. Her father was still in his room.

She once again sighed and went into her room. It was not necessary for her to sleep early since the next day was a weekend anyway. But she found herself falling into a deep sleep. She had a dream.

In her dream, a little girl walked out of a cave in a dark forest, her path illuminated by the bright moonlight and went ahead to stand beside an old man already waiting outside.

They both looked up at the full moon that was shining brightly in the sky and didn't notice the bright eyes of creatures around them...watching them...intently.

Or...at least, the old man pretended he didn't.

The girl's curious eyes wandered around and found a very old book on a table crudely made of tree branches. She went closer and saw the picture of an unfamiliar animal on the front cover of the worn out book.

"What kind of bear is this?" She asked the man.

"Its a wolf" The man replied simply.

Opening the book, the girl was pleasantly surprised "Wow, look, my name is in the book. Ansia."

Just then they heard a loud howl echoing throughout the forest followed by a chorus of smaller howls.

The girl trembled in fear though her eyes shined brightly in anticipation and the book dropped from her hands.

It was opened to a page with the heading "Prophesied Luna” printed in bold, golden italics.

The man looked at the girl, a wry smile playing on his lips. "Its time. Let the story unfold" He murmured.

Chloe woke up with a start. The rubbed her head drowsily as she took in her surroundings. Then she remembered her dream. The people in her dream looked oddly familiar. She was sure she had seen them somewhere. And the dream seemed more like a memory than a dream. It seemed like her own memory.

“My name is Chloe though, not Ansia,” she thought as she stood up on wobbly legs. That’s when she noticed more fur on her bed. The fur was golden and stood out against her bed sheet. She gathered them up and studied.

“They are too short to belong to a dog.” She decided this was the time to get answers from her father.

She went out of the room and found her father sitting at the table. She stood in shock. It seemed he had been waiting for her. However, that was not what Chloe stop. It was what was on the table. A book. No, it was the book. The book she saw in her dream.

She went closer to study it and it was exactly as sthe one she dreamt about. Same writing. Same ‘Prophesied Luna.’