The Rooftop of the Eternal Night (Short Story) by Hanner Goenaga

​Juan was a boy who, every night, would climb onto the roof of his house to observe the Moon and the radiance it emitted. Within its light, he recharged himself with hope and the desire to forge ahead.

​Before long, Juan would fall asleep on the rooftop and wake up the next day with the sun's caress upon his cheek, full of strength to face the day.

​One night, Juan climbed to the roof as usual. The Moon illuminated the sky and, as always, he sat down to admire it. However, on that occasion, a long time passed—hours and hours—and he noticed that sleep would not come.

​Furthermore, he realized that, although the Moon usually moved across the sky as the dawn progressed, as if dancing in the firmament, that night it seemed strange to him that the lunar satellite remained motionless, anchored at the very same point.

​Time kept passing, yet dawn did not arrive. Juan’s body began to grow weary as he was unable to find sleep; it felt as though entire days had gone by. Suddenly, he looked up at the sky and noticed gray clouds drifting in from the sides, beginning to shroud the Moon. The atmosphere darkened, and the glowing circle turned opaque.

​Inexplicably, behind the clouds, the brilliant sphere began to melt like hot wax, turning into a sort of twisted vertical stroke. It constantly shifted into forms that were difficult to describe; they were disfigured lines that flickered between position and shape.

​As the light’s reach diminished, a torrent of negative feelings took hold of Juan. He let his body fall upon the cement sheets and curled into himself. An unknown cold chilled him to the bone; he felt the world becoming a small and hostile place. The rooftop, once his refuge, now felt like an abyss.

​In seconds, his physique began to lose muscle mass, thinning drastically. Meanwhile, in the sky, the Moon was disappearing behind the thick, gray smoke.

​In that instant, Juan closed his eyes. The clouds began to scatter and, without the light of the Moon, the atmosphere on the rooftop was swallowed by darkness.

​After an incalculable amount of time, a clarity began to flood Juan’s cheek; it was a warm, yellow light, like that of the sun. At that moment, Juan opened his eyes and stood up to welcome the dawn.