To have your challenge entry recorded, please write your piece as a reply to this thread . As a central theme of Consistency is the existence of time — ensuring that you are writing on a timely and daily basis — the theme of this month’s prompts will also be about time.
Today's prompt: [Nighttime]
Definition: the time between evening and morning; the time of darkness.
╰┈➤ Write a piece set at this time of day.
Word Count: Minimum 150 words, no maximum
The charcoal plumes of smoke hover over the city these days, blocking the rays of the sun and the luminescence of the moon, turning the fresh rain an ugly shade of grey whenever they have the privilege of a shower. It's a rare event for the bombing shells to cease dropping even for the span of a few hours. But there are those few fortunate moments—mostly at night. Moments between the silent dusk and the arrival of a shadowy dawn, when the enemy finally lays in a slumber of exhaustion for a few hours after days of continuous warfare upon our quaint little seaside city in France. And those moments, she gazes out the broken shutters of the windows at the night sky spanning over her neighbourhood like a blanket of complete darkness. No lights turned on in any houses, the celestial bodies of the night now invisible to the naked eye as the black clouds increase in the atmosphere day by day. But she's okay. She's okay because she imagines. She imagines that the swiveling brightness of the searchlight is the moon peeking through, trying to find a safe spot in these dangerous times. That the fireflies are actually frightened stars moving around due to the loud sounds of warfare. That the scent of seawater coming from the north is the lady in the apartment under theirs cooking a hearty meal of seafood for her family. She imagines and she hopes for the bombings to not start again. But right now: she's okay.
Nighttime
Here Comes the Night, once again,
With promises of deep sleep-
Full moon and starry skies,
With time to count the sheep.
But only the night can overpower the day,
And only the dark can wake my mind.
Now creep the nightmares from under my bed,
To hunt whilst I am blind.
I’m dancing in the dark,
I play the dangerous game.
Yet the night has seen it all;
The stillness calls my name.
Stolen all that matters,
The thief we call the night.
Why do you haunt me and show-
All I cannot see in the light? Speckled silver with eyes so dark,
The day replays, it reflects my soul.
Nighty, night I hope you sleep well,
i'm wishing i won't lose control.
Yet I’ll be waiting for dreams of happier things,
When I surrender to the night.
And I’ll be hoping for a warmer embrace
Then what I thought was right.
Refuge
Word Count: 946
Summary:
There was something different about that night.
Takuto and Zenkichi have been living together for almost a month, and tonight, their presence brought each other a new kind of comfort.
They thought at first it would be difficult to live in the same living space.
While Zenkichi was more than happy to share his room and bed with his significant other, he didn’t expect it to be so challenging, especially when it came to sleeping.
As the months passed by after his late wife’s passing, he became used to sleeping alone in his large bed. So the first few nights sleeping with Takuto were spent taking most of the room in bed. It left Takuto with little space to sleep, though the other man had insisted on many occasions that he didn’t mind.
On the other hand, as much as he wanted to fall into a sweet slumber, Takuto couldn’t have a night where he could get a decent rest. He would wake up during the late hours, and slip off of the bed. The reasons he found varied from having so much in mind that he wanted to scream, and to a sickening silence suffocating him. Most times it left him sleeping on the couch with a cup of water next to him. Other times he would be unable to fall back asleep and be found staring out the window, watching the sun rise.
Though despite their habits clashing, there were the rare times during those early nights where they snuggled together. The temperature was the right mix of cold and warm, and there weren't too many things that could keep them apart. Those moments were fleeting, however, as they hadn’t gotten used to each other’s presence still. They would talk about a topic or two, then fall asleep in each other’s arms. By morning, one of them would be gone before the other could open their eyes.
Even rarer were their tedious nights, thankfully happening once or twice. When their work had left them exhausted and worn, they were prone to nightmares.
Zenkichi dreamed of the dreaded night in the interrogation room, when the hours long drawn out led him to believe he was there for months. The pain inflicted on his being was present only as faded prints and phantom touches. He found himself grinding his teeth when he slept, curling tightly into a ball to make himself smaller. To hide from the shadows surrounding him, each and every one feeling as if it was those corrupted cops that did nothing but torture him.
And Takuto didn't know how to respond to it. He had been alone for all of his own terrors, and seeing another human being as vulnerable as he was, shook him to his core. He couldn't bring himself to wake Zenkichi up to give him comfort or reassurance. Instead he waited until the other man would simply notice him, as he jolted up in the middle of the night.
Perhaps, fate had a hand that evening. It granted Zenkichi yet another nightmare, and tailored Takuto's thoughts to keep him from sleeping. It witnessed the two meet each other's gazes from the window, then departed as a gentle crow.
"Morning," Takuto greeted, his voice hoarse and quiet. His knees were pressed to his chest, with a blanket covering up his legs. While his back was pressed up against the headboard, with the only cushion being his pillow. His eyes trailed down to the body beside him, observing how it shifted and turned.
The jolt awake was brief, yet no different from if a taser was pressed against some part of his body. Zenkichi slowly opened his eyes. He was first met by the half-visible pillow partially burying his eyes. Lifting his head to better see the room, he noticed the edges of the bed were illuminated. The streaks of soft moonlight emerged from between the curtains, causing those faint silver lines.
His gaze trailed down, and blinked. He met Takuto's gaze, and wondered if he was treading between sleeping and staying awake.
It took another moment for him to register that Takuto greeted him.
"...M'ning to you too." His own greeting was filled with uncertainty, unaware what hour had accompanied them. He reached for the other man’s hand, and gently closed his fingers around his.
Takuto’s muscles eased at the touch. He squeezed back Zenkichi’s hand, and held it. Calloused fingers stroked the back of his hand, carefully to not touch the knuckles. He felt the mattress dip and move, and soft hair tickled his arm. A smile crept up his features.
“Do you want to get some coffee?” Takuto asked. Imagining his words being written into the air as puffs of gray. “It’s around one in the morning, last I checked my phone.”
Zenkichi groaned, letting go of Takuto’s hand and tossing over to the other side. “That’s unhealthy, Maru.” But that didn’t stop the delighted smile from forming on his features. It was nice, hearing his significant other after his nightmare.
Takuto chuckled, amused at the disbelief at his question. “I know. Just wanted to hear your voice, that's all.”
“...Can’t go back to sleep.” Zenkichi sighed, “How ‘bout you?”
“I haven’t slept yet,” Takuto shrugged, or at least, moved his arms to somewhat indicate it.
Seconds passed without another word, but it was enough for Zenkichi to toss again, this time to face Takuto again. He stared up, and Takuto met his gaze. There was a breath of fresh air they shared, and their hands and fingers intertwined once more.
“...Love you,” Zenkichi murmured, soft and almost inaudible.
Takuto replied, mimicking the hush voice of his lover. Afraid that if he had been any louder, the darkness would have consumed his voice. “I love you too, Zen.”
Together, they sought refuge in the silence of the night.
wc - 300
“The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?”
“Please. That’s such a cliche.”
The two of them moved closer to the warmth of each other, the moonrise lightly illuminating their smiles as they admired the view. It was lovely.
“How have you been?”
“It’s only been a day, darling.”
“I know... But a day is too long. And the night is too short.”
Difficult and dangerous, this love of theirs cannot become known. She read this before, in countless books. She never thought she’d be living in the scenes. Yet here she was.
“I’ve been well.”
His hands caressed her cheek.
She sat up and held him. “What’s troubling you now?”
His worries must have been written on his face.
To come to this place alone at night would surely attract suspicion, and he worried that they would be caught soon. Wretched rule, he thought. Must his family despise hers? It had been ages since it happened, enough for both clans to forget and repair what was once a pleasant friendship.
The leaves joined the playful breeze and swirled and flowed down to the glimmering lake. Steep mountains join at their bases, blocking all entrances to this haven. Only those with keen eyes and desperate determination will be able to notice a large enough crevice between the mountains.
Though both are willing to make sacrifices for their love, even going off to a secluded place just to be free of watchful eyes, it is not enough to overpower their fear of their elders.
So before the moon sets and the sun takes its place in the sky, the forbidden lovers bade farewell to one another.
As it always has been, all good things must come to an end. Even only for a day. A terrible cliche.
“Until the next moonrise, my darling.”