He wanted to be awake at one in the morning, but he knew that alone, he wouldn’t make it. So he made coffee at ten-thirty at night. And when it was ready, he poured it into his favorite mug, which had a pineapple printed on it, then went to the outdoor area of his house to wait for the eclipse to happen.
He was anxious, and the caffeine would only make it worse—he knew that—but he preferred the anxiety over sleeping through the moment when the moon would darken. For him, it was an easy price to pay.
The night was starry, and every now and then, he could see a meteor passing by. It made him remember when he was young and used to drive his father’s blue truck. He loved speeding down the dirt road that split the forest in two. He had gone on many adventures like that with his friends and girlfriends. He had lived an intense life—one that any old man would be proud to have lived. He had made enough money to live comfortably on his farm, and although he had never had children, he had loved many women. But none of them were like her. Not a single one of the two hundred and forty-four women recorded in his adventure notebook compared to the one he wasn’t even sure had truly existed—or if she had been just a dream.
It had happened on a night just like this, during an eclipse. He was 24 years old. He had been at the lake with his friends. They had built a bonfire and were singing love songs. He was the one playing the guitar while the voices—almost always off-key—sang along to songs by Led Zeppelin, Johnny Cash, and Bob Dylan. After the music and eating some meat roasted over the fire, they decided to go for a swim. The night was truly beautiful, and the moon and fire illuminated the lake and the forest around it in a way that made the darkness feel not frightening but rather inviting. "Life is a wonder," he had thought as he watched everyone around him, happy, swimming, dancing, and toasting to the mysterious beauty of nature.
He decided to dive, and underwater, he saw a light in the depths and chose to follow it. His brain tried to warn him: "Isn’t it dangerous to go so deep in the dark?" But he was too happy to listen. When people are happy, they feel confident, and that was exactly how he felt. And as he got closer to the light, he realized it was taking on a humanoid shape. "A mermaid?" he thought, feeling the urge to laugh underwater. But his air was running out.
He surfaced, breathing heavily, still in disbelief over what he had seen. Looking up at the sky, he saw that the Earth's shadow had already covered a small part of the moon. Everyone had gotten out of the lake and seemed worried. His friend called out to him:
"Heliot! Heliot! What happened?! Where were you?!"
Heliot wanted to respond, but something pulled him down with force. Everything went dark. When he opened his eyes again, he was in a field of lilac and pink flowers. He could also see houses in the distance, their architecture unlike anything he had ever seen. "What is happening?" he wondered. At that moment, he felt a presence behind him.
"Hi…" she said.
The moment he saw her, he felt his heart stop. He had never seen a woman so beautiful in his entire life—even though she was blue. He felt for her a love he hadn’t known was possible. He felt as if he had known her since birth, even though he was sure he had never seen her before.
"Hello… Who are you?" he replied.
"My name is Anya. And yours?"
"Heliot. Where are we? I was at the lake, and now I’m here… Am I dead?"
"You’re on my planet. The eclipses on your Earth open portals… You crossed through one."
"You were that forming light, weren’t you? You pulled me in?"
"No… The light was the portal itself. But somehow, you managed to see me through it. And no, I didn’t pull you in, but you were drawn into it."
"Will I be able to go back?"
"Yes, but time moves differently here. When you return, days will have passed."
"I see… You’re beautiful."
Anya didn’t say anything; she just looked at him with a sweet expression. And for a few minutes, they stood there, staring at each other. Until Heliot felt that he needed to go back.
"Will I ever see you again?"
"Maybe yes, maybe no… You would have to find a portal during the next eclipse."
"I’ll try…"
"Until then, Heliot."
And then he felt himself being pulled again. When he opened his eyes, he was lying on the sand by the lake. It was morning, and there was no one around. He went home, thinking about everything that had happened, knowing that if he tried to tell anyone, they would think he was crazy. So he kept that secret to himself.
A total of thirteen eclipses had happened since that fateful night. But Heliot never saw Anya again. And although he continued living his life as he always had, he never forgot that magnificent experience. He never forgot her.
For the first five eclipses, he had tried to find the light in the lake again, but it was in vain. And on the fifth attempt, he had nearly drowned. At the time, he was 35 years old and was saved by a fisherman. After that, he started searching for portals across the country and even around the world. He visited six different countries, always choosing the most mystical places to witness an eclipse—yet, without success.
Now, at 64 years old, he was in his home, with his coffee-filled mug, and no longer held any hope. And he was right not to. Because he would truly never see Anya again, never again see her planet. But just like Heliot, she would always be waiting for him.
Images generated by Leonard IA
Portuguese
Queria estar acordado as uma da madrugada, mas sabia que sozinho, não conseguiria. Então fez um café às dez e meia da noite. E quando ficou pronto, colocou em sua caneca favorita que tinha estampado um abacaxi, depois foi para a área externa de sua casa, esperar o eclipse acontecer. Estava ansioso, e a cafeína só pioraria seu estado, sabia disso, mas preferia a ansiedade do que dormir e não conseguir ver a lua escurecer. Para ele, era um preço fácil a ser pago.
A noite estava estrelada, e vez ou outra era possível ver algum meteorito passando. Isso o fez se lembrar de quando era jovem e dirigia a camionete azul de seu pai. Gostava de dirigir em alta velocidade na estrada de barro que separava os dois lados da floresta. Tinha se aventurado assim muitas vezes com seus amigos e namoradas. Viveu uma vida intensa, que qualquer idoso se orgalharia de ter vivido; ganhou dinheiro o suficiente para viver confortavelmente em sua fazenda, e embora não tivesse tido filhos, teve muitos amores. Mas nenhum era como ela, nenhuma das duzentas e quarenta e quatro mulheres registrada em seu caderno de aventuras se equiparava a aquela que não sabia se existia de fato, ou se tinha sido um sonho.
Aquilo tinha acontecido numa noite de eclipse como aquela, ele tinha 24 anos. Estava no lago com seus amigos, haviam feito uma fogueira e cantavam músicas de amor. Ele era quem tocava violão, enquanto as vozes, quase sempre desafinadas, acompanhavam cantando músicas de Led Zeppelin, Johnny Cash e Bob Dylan. Depois da cantoria, e de comer algumas carnes que foram assadas na fogueira, decidiram tomar um banho. A noite estava realmente linda, e a lua e a fogueira iluminavam o lago e a floresta ao redor de uma maneira que a escuridão não causava medo, e sim tornava um objeto atrativo. ‘’A vida é uma maravilha’’, tinha pensado ao ver todos a sua volta felizes, tomando banho, dançando, e brindando a natureza tão misteriosa.
Ele decidiu mergulhar, e no mergulho pode ver ao fundo uma luz que decidiu seguir. Seu cérebro tentou lhe avisar: ‘’Não é perigoso ir tão fundo no escuro?’’ Mas ele estava feliz demais para ouvir. Quando as pessoas estão felizes, elas se sentem confiantes e era assim que ele se sentia. E cada vez que se aproximava mais da luz, perceberia que seu formato ia se transformando num formato humanoide. ‘’Uma sereia?’’ tinha pensado, teve vontade de rir embaixo d'água. Mas, o ar estava acabando.
Submergiu, respirando incrédulo com o que tinha visto. Ao olhar pro céu viu que a sombra da terra já tinha coberto uma pequena parte da lua. Todos já tinham saído do lago e estavam preocupados. Seu amigo o chamou:
‘’Heliot! Heliot! O que aconteceu?! Onde você tava?!’’
Heliot quis responder, mas algo o puxou com força para baixo. Tudo ficou escuro. Ao abrir os olhos outra vez, ele estava num campo de flores da cor lilás e rosa. Também via casas ao longe, com arquitetura diferente de qualquer coisa que já tinha visto. ‘’O que tá acontecendo?’’ pensou. Ao mesmo tempo, sentiu uma presença atrás de si.
‘’Oi…’’ Ela disse.
Ao vê-la, ele sentiu seu coração parar. Nunca tinha visto uma mulher tão linda em toda sua vida, embora ela fosse azul. Sentiu por ela um amor que não sabia existir. Sentiu como se a conhecesse desde que nasceu, embora tivesse certeza que nunca tinha a visto.
‘’Olá… Quem é você?’’ Respondeu.
‘’Meu nome é Anya, e o seu?’’
‘’Heliot. Onde estamos? Eu estava no lago e agora estou aqui… Eu morri?’’
‘’Você está no meu planeta, os eclipses em sua terra, abrem portais… Você atravessou um portal.’’
‘’Você era aquela luz se formando, certo? Você me puxou?’’
‘’Não… A luz era o próprio portal, mas você conseguiu me ver de alguma forma através dela, e não… eu não te puxei, mas você foi sugado.’’
‘’Eu vou conseguir voltar?’’
‘’Vai, mas o tempo aqui passa de uma maneira diferente. Quando você voltar, já vai ter passado dias.’’
‘’Entendi… Você é linda.’’
Anya não disse nada, só o encarava um semblante doce. E por alguns minutos ambos ficaram ali olhando um para o outro. Até que Heliot sentiu que precisava voltar.
‘’Vou poder te ver de novo?’’
‘’Pode ser que sim, pode ser que não… Você teria que encontrar um portal no próximo eclipse.’’
‘’Eu vou tentar…’’
‘’Até lá Heliot.’’
E então ele se sentiu sugado novamente. Quando abriu os olhos, estava deitado na areia do lago. Era de manhã e não havia ninguém por perto. Voltou pra sua casa pensando em tudo o que tinha acontecido, e sabia que se tentasse contar para qualquer pessoa, pareceria um louco e ninguém acreditaria. Então guardou aquele segredo para si.
Um total de treze eclipses aconteceram depois daquele fatídico dia. Mas, nunca mais Heliot conseguiu ver Anya. E embora, ele continuasse vivendo sua vida como sempre soube, nunca esquecia aquela experiência magnífica que tinha tido. Nunca esquecia ela.
Nos primeiros 5 eclipses, tentou encontrar a luz no lago novamente. Mas, totalmente em vão, e na quinta vez ele de fato quase morreu afogado. Na época, tinha 35 anos e foi salvo por um pescador. Depois disso, passou a procurar outros portais pelo país e pelo mundo. Foram um total de 6 países visitados, Heliot buscando sempre os lugares mais místicos para ver o eclipse, porém, sem sucesso. Agora, aos 64 anos, estava em sua casa, com sua caneca cheia de café, e já não tinha mais nenhuma esperança. E ele fazia bem em não ter, porque realmente nunca mais veria Anya, nunca mais veria o planeta dela, mas assim como Heliot, ela sempre esperaria por ele.
