Hi, I am going to be without internet for the next 2 weeks, so the date of the judging won't work. If that date comes along and there are 4 or more entries, MoonKitten can judge, or Jaybells. If not, they can just wait until there are 4 or more, and if I have internet before than, i'll be the judge. I'll post a comment when I get my internet back. Sorry that that happened!

I'm not quite sure how I feel about this, and I know it's more about the stars than the moon, but here's my entry!:

“Why do some stars shine brighter than others, Da?” The little girl asked.

“Because, love, some of the people who have died were kinder than others in life. They were shining stars in life, so they’re shining stars in the night sky.” The father answered sweetly.

“So, the better the person, the brighter the star?” The girl continued to question.

“Right!”

“But why don’t we see the stars in the day?”

“Because the stars want to see the other half of the world. They can’t just stay with us forever.”

“What about the Moon?”

“The Moon isn’t a star, so it wasn’t a person. I think the Moon is a shepherd, a teacher, almost, who watches over the stars. They make sure that the stars can see their people down on Earth. That’s why we don’t see the stars in the day, because the Moon is making sure all the stars can see their people.”

“But what about the sun? Isn’t the sun a star, Da?”

“Yes, it is. The sun is the brightest, most amazing star. So the person must have been the brightest, bubbliest, most kind person.”

“Is that why we can see the moon in the day and the night? Because they're watching over the Sun, as well?”

“You got it, love.”

“So who do you think is the Sun, Da?”

“I think you already know the answer to that question. I also think it’s time for you to go to bed, dear.”

The little girl sighed, “alright, Da.”

~

The next morning, and every morning after that, even when the girl was old and grey, she would look out her window and see her mom, shining just as bright as she had on Earth. And when her dad had passed, the girl saw a star almost as bright as the Sun appear in the night sky, one right next to the Moon, one that she could see in the day and the night. So every morning she would whisper to herself, “Good morning Ma and Da.” And every night She’d whisper to the night sky with love, “Goodnight.”  

My captcha says wayib. Way? Way up to the top?

My captcha says wayib. Way? Way up to the top?

Hey, not sure exactly when the due date is, but I'll try to get my submission in tomorrow.

Okay, I'm back. I'll check everyday. Please try to get your stories in, as they are coming really slowly.

Katie sat in a cage made of ice and twisted branches and watched her enemies who were standing and watching her back, cupped in frost and gold. Katie waited for her rescuer and looked up at the moon and looked at her enemies and waited.

Katie used to have a sword. She used to have two nicely curved knives. And matches. But her enemies were very flammable and also, strangely, were hurt when hit with swords and knives. So when her enemies got her they took away her matches and swords and knives.

Katie was quite an impatient little girl, but when it was very very important she could bear waiting. She could bear watching her enemies watch her, she could bear watching the moon for any signs.

Katie didn't just have swords and knives and matches.  That was where her enemies had made a mistake. A big mistake that would mean Katie escaping their hold and probably also stopping them forever in a way Caspian wouldn't like at all. Stupid Caspian didn't like Katie killing people, said human life was sacred. Katie said that if she didn't kill the bad guys than they would come back even stronger than they had been before.

Caspian wouldn't stop her this time; he was on the other side of the world.

Katie felt herself growing stronger as the moon came higher in the skies until finally she was ready.

She kept her poker face and watched her enemies. Barely twitching her fingers she sent a bolt of electricity from her to them. She smiled as they screamed and screamed.  She lifted her hands and pushed at the cage until it exploded.

Enemies dead, Katie ran from that place to Caspian.

And the moon smiled down on his pawn. 

oh crud i forgot the artemis part D:

When's the due date? I won't be able to get my submission in for a few days, but if you'd rather judge without mine, that's fine.

Sorry about the long post, Admins!

Dear Yui,

    You can’t trust anything on a blood moon. Not even the legends. Not even yourself.
    I mean, it does sound made up – people disappearing? Only when the moon turns red? Magic is spells, not that. They think.
    I’ve done research. When you’re near a meteorite during a blood moon, the rift opens. The problem is, nobody knows where the rift leads. Nobody thinks it exists.
    You were taken there on the second blood moon of the year. On the third, the rift is supposed to collapse. And you’d be in it, Yui! I can’t let that happen!
    I miss cuddling with you at bedtime and us playing games with my stuffies even though you’re sixteen. I miss your quill scritching on drawing paper and the pictures of your ‘favorite sibling”. Me! And I can only make myself rice and eggs, and I only have two eggs left.
    So I bought an illegal meteorite. I think rocks from the ground will work to get us out, so I grabbed some of those. I put everything in a magic-proof drawstring pouch.
    I’m going next blood moon.

-Kazue

Dear Yui,
    Everything went dark and I was flying up. It was weird – tendrils of dark swirling around me and engulfing me, and then a flash of orange. I hope I used all those words right.
    It’s dark here, except for this orangish glow. Only I can’t see the glow. Not all the way. Is it there? I’m… not sure?
    There isn’t a sky or anything. Just candles and ever-moving shadows and walls the texture of dry rice.
    I’m going to explore.

    Later now. The shadows on the floor are portals that take you to different rooms. It feels like the meteorite. Just a shorter trip.
    This whole thing’s weird.

-Kazue

Dear Yui,

    I’ve got a plan! I hate it here but I’m going to get out and save you!
    Each “up” is a little different. The walls or candles are different, or there’s something like a crown or a moon statue on the floor. But there’s always the orangish glow. Always. ALWAYS
    <scribbles>
    Anyway, four different portals are always moving across the floor. Sometimes I go through them to a room I remember. I’ve figured out that the 2nd portal from the floor – 2ff – makes something the opposite of what it was. So I’m going to find more patterns.

    And 1 from front – 1ff – makes it some sort of variation. I think. I’ll do more research.

-Kazue

Yui who I want NOW,

    I saw you huddled in a corner, staying away from portals, and I stepped on one, and you didn’t see me, and I started running and
    <scribbles>

    I saw your room. Candles as purple as a violet, smooth white walls, a shattered chandelier. I’ll find you. Or… as long as you haven’t moved.

-Kazue

Yui,

    I’m trapped.
    This room doesn’t have any portals. None. Just really tall red candles and smooth walls.
    And I’m trapped. I’ll never save Yui. I’m hungry. I didn’t bring any food. I
    <tear marks>

-Kazue

Yui,

    So the portals are on the ceiling.
    I can’t climb the walls cause they’re smooth. I threw my meteorite up, but it went through the portal without me and thudded. Hearing the thud without seeing what made it was weird.
    I jumped a lot, but I’m too short to reach. Standing on my bag didn’t make it easier.
    I tried making stairs with the candles. They just rolled around. And since I had to blow lots of them out, it was dark.
    I’m trapped.
    But hold on, candles have wicks! Maybe I can use those to make a rope! And there's a lot of them. Let’s go.

    That took a long time. And once I had the rope, I tied it to my bag and threw it up. It stayed and I climbed up. I’m out!
    Now to keep looking for you. 

-Kazue

Yui,

    A few hours later, the rift was dying. Everything was crumbling, glow weakening, portals shrinking . I didn’t have much time.
    1ff. Purple candles. 1ff again. Smooth walls. I saw a chandelier. It was your room!
    And you weren’t there. I dodged a boulder and kept moving.
    1ff. Invisible walls. 2ff. Black walls.
    No sister.
    But I had heard the thud of the rock. Maybe sounds can travel through the portals and I could use it to find you! I started yelling. I didn’t hear anything back.
    So I kept moving around. Nothing. The floor was crumpling to pieces, the glow shining through. I had to watch my step. I didn’t know how much longer I had, just that I couldn’t go home without you.
  Then I thought about the glow.
    The glow touches all the rooms. The glow was still there. It had to be the answer. I leapt into it.
    I was the glow.
    I could see all the rooms. It was like I was above them, but not quite, because they were all around me.
    I saw you.
    I dove to your room, and you yelped the instant I appeared. You stepped back. The floor fell away.
    I ran to you and grabbed on right as you fell. We were falling, in the glow, watching it start flickering.
    I pulled out the rocks and pulled open the drawstrings. Everything went dark. Then light. Sunlight.
    We were home.

-Kazue

Dear Diary,

    Yui made salmon onigiri. She taught me how to make pancakes, just in case she got sucked up again.
    We’re going to carry rocks now. Always.
    The rooms did have patterns, in case we got lost. But patterns don’t really mean you can trust something. Not all the way. Not enough. And definitely not on a blood moon.

-Kazue