On the Moon

There was only one person who lived in the house on the top of the hill. Her name was Cassie, and in this case, it stood for Cassiopeia; not Cassandra, but Cassiopeia, like the constellation in the sky. She preferred to be called Cassie for short. That is, if anyone ever talked to her.

Cassie had no one. She liked it that way. It was easier to be independent and to not have anyone rely on her for anything. She spent her days combing her long, sleek black hair and reading. Once a week, she would take a trip down to the town. She never spoke. Those who tried to greet her on the sidewalk were met with silence. In the grocery store, she would only hand her money to the cashier, and leave without a word.

People spoke, of course. What sort of town would it be if there were no gossip floating around? There was the usual, “she’s a vampire”, or “she’s a murderer”. Once a month, there would even be a rumor that she had died and her corpse was rotting in the basement. However, the candlelight that Cassie set on her windowsill brushed that rumor aside. Truth was, Cassie never had a father, or siblings. It used to be just her mother and her in the house. Then her mother passed away a few years ago when she was twelve. Guest visits lessened until it was no one. Cassie had no money (since she was a twelve year old and they were poor already) to pay the maids or the gardeners, so she had to let them go. The once clean and pruned garden became overgrown and wild. The moss and vines traveled up the sides of the house with no one to tend to it. Nature was trying to claim back its territory.

The silence was unbearable for a few months, but Cassie slowly became accustomed to it. Now she was seventeen and she found that there was solitude in silence. For once, she felt as though she was able to think and relax. There was no pressure from society to keep up with them. She loved her life.

Then one day, there was a knock on the big wooden door. Cassie had to wait a few seconds to hear it again to confirm that she had actually heard it. It had been what seemed like forever since she last heard someone at the door. Normally, there would be a butler to open it and see who it was, but in this ease, she couldn’t call anyone to do that.

Cassie leaned forward at the windowsill, staring down. It was a man. He was quite short, according to societal standards, and he was balding on the top of his head. He wore a waistcoat that was all bright and colorful. He must have been an official from the King. He lifted his skinny, bony hand and rapped on the door again.

Maybe if I stay silent, he will go away. Cassie did not wish to speak to anyone. She stayed silent, watching to see what he would do.

“Ms. Dimitru, I know you’re in there!” He called out. “I have a message from your Lordship. It is rather important.” He looked up and spotted Cassie before she could move out of the way. She heard him call out her name again.

I suppose I should get it now. Cassie let out a deep, exaggerated sigh, and made her way down the stairs. She set a hand on the doorknob, then creaked it open. She couldn’t discern what the man could have been thinking, but it must have been a strange sight, seeing a worryingly pale girl with downturned, hollow brown eyes peeking around the corner at him. He bowed ever so slightly at her, then began to speak. His voice was too high pitched for Cassie’s liking. It grated in her ears like a screeching cicada.

“As you have been told before, since your mother’s passing, we have been on the lookout for any relatives of yours. As it turns out, you have an uncle living two kingdoms away. We informed him of your situation here and our judges thought it was best, since you are still a minor, that he will be coming to stay here for a little while until you are of age to help yourself.”

“I am of age.” Cassie said. Two weeks ago, she had made a challenge to herself to see how long she could go without talking. She loved talking to the vines on the house, to the wild animals that showed up on her doorstep, and to the moon at night that shone on her face while she tried to sleep. The moon always listened to her. In Cassie’s mind, she lived on the moon. She had a home there, with her own garden. She had two cats named Mille (after the French dessert, Mille Feuille) and Madeleine (another French dessert that she quite liked, especially with tea). And on the moon, she had a mother that would hold her and read her stories and talk to her. All that to say, Cassie was quite disappointed that this was how she had to break her challenge. To a strange man telling her she had an uncle she never heard of before.

The man smiled down at her like he thought she was stupid. “Your uncle, Emilian Dimitru, is thirty-six. He has money to support you and him both. Besides, your mother’s inheritance will become available to you once you turn eighteen. Once you receive that, you can look after yourself. As of right now, it’s not suitable for a young lady like you to be living on her own.”

Cassie stared up at him. She wasn’t sure what to feel, or how to feel about this. Her mother never mentioned an Emilian Dimitru to her before, much less any uncles. And what was this about inheritance?

“I don’t want him here.” Cassie said.

“He’ll be arriving tomorrow afternoon. I wish all the best to you,” the man said. He tipped his head to her, then walked down the steps and to his horse.

Cassie watched him go, then closed the door. She had two options on how to react to this. One was to scream. Let the seething feeling in her chest consume her. The other one was acceptance. In the end, Cassie chose the latter. Maybe he’s nice.

Emilian was nice. Unlike Cassie’s mother, he had wavy, dirty-blond hair that reached his shoulders. His eyes were brown, though. If it weren’t for the long, red scar across his eyebrow trailing down to his nose then to his lips, Cassie might have considered trusting him.

“Good morning, Cassiopeia.” He set his two bags down and tilted his head to her, extending his hand. “I’m your uncle Emilian. You might have heard of me.”

“I didn’t.” Cassie said and did not take his hand.

Emilian faltered in her words for a second, but he shrugged and took his hand back. “Then I suppose we have a lot to catch up on.”

Cassie didn’t budge from the door. Emilian picked up his bags again. “May I pass?” He asked. “I know, it must be strange having someone you’ve never heard of suddenly show up, but I can assure you, I only have good intentions. I just want to help you in the best way I can, then be on my way.”

Cassie moved. Emilian entered the home and looked around.

“What an old house,” he said, grimacing. “You don’t clean around here?”

There was dust clinging to everything. The wooden floor wasn’t waxed. There were broken boards strewn across the ground. Cassie just didn’t find a need for everything to be spick and span when she was the only one living there. On the moon, the house cleans itself.

“I’ll fix this house up in no time,” Emilian said. “Where shall I stay?”

Cassie shrugged. As if expecting that answer, Emilian said, “I’ll find somewhere.”

And with that, Uncle Emilian Dimitru settled down. Now there were two people living in the house on top of the hill.