How Terra Stole the Sun
A short story first published on Wattpad in 2018
In the Old Days of Long Ago, the twin sisters Terra and Luna were nearly identical in every way. The main difference between them was that dragons lived on Terra while Luna was home to wooly beasts such as tigers, bears, and men. The dragons of Terra were always complaining in those days because the planet was too cold for their liking. They begged Terra to make it warmer, but the only warmth she knew came from the sun, which was very far away.
And so Terra set out to steal the warming glow of the sun and bring it back for her, Luna, and their many inhabitants to enjoy. It was a treacherous journey, for wicked Venus was always on guard against trespassers, and Mercury, her lovesick suitor, was a swift and fierce warrior. In order to soften Venus’s heart, Terra scattered fragrant rose blossoms in her path. Before long, Terra found a chance to slip past the lovers while their attentions were fixed on each other.
Terra met with no obstacles after this and reached the sun in practically no time. However, up close she found it to be less a warming glow than a scorching inferno. Terra stretched out her hands to grasp at its blinding incandescence, and they instantly caught fire. In a panic, she raced back to Luna wailing for help. Her green skin erupted with countless volcanoes, and molten lava covered the surface of the planet. Many dragons died in that firestorm, and most of them lie buried to this day.
Seeing her sister in this dire condition, Luna threw all of her water onto Terra without a second thought. It sizzled and hissed as it rose into a cloud of steam covering the face of the planet. Much of the lava turned to stone, but it still burned furiously beneath the surface. In desperation, Luna threw load after load of her own topsoil at her sister, trying with all her might to stifle the flames she still heard crackling beneath the Terran clouds.
When it was all over, there was nothing left of Luna but a bare white skull. Her wooly inhabitants found no water to drink nor air to breathe, so they quickly migrated to Terra, who by now had lost consciousness from the pain of the fire. When Terra awoke, she found herself covered in the flesh and blood of her beloved sister. She called out for Luna but heard no reply and saw nothing through the thick haze of steam that still covered her face.
Fearing the worst, Terra began to weep in mourning for her sister. Her tears fell as a heavy rain, covering the earth with great salty oceans. When the clouds finally dispersed, there was nothing but darkness where Luna had been. And then… a pale sliver of light revealed the edge of Luna’s face. Slowly, gradually, it spread until her entire countenance shone in the night—forever changed, but alive and well.