Moonwatch.

by Clive May (clive@cj4386.demon.co.uk)


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The copy right of all things pertaining to the concept and characters
of Sailor Moon is the property of Naoko Takeuchi and various
corporations.  This story is a work of fan fiction; it has been written
simply for the pleasure it gave me in writing it; and no money has or
will change hands with respect to the story.

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The young mother lay in a daze, exhausted from the labour, drowsy from
the medication.  She was slipping in and out of a dream.  It was a
beautiful dream, which had haunted her from childhood.  A crescent
Earth hung low in a starlit sky over a formal garden, while achingly
sweet music lilted on the flower scented air.

The bedroom was indistinct in a cosy gloom, lit by street lamps and
moonlight streaming through the window.  At the mother's frantic
insistence, the drapes had been left undrawn.  The soft, silver
moonlight fell across the crib and the peacefully sleeping baby.

In the street, The Darkness drew closer.

A tiny crescent moon symbol glowed suddenly upon the baby's forehead.
The child whimpered and stirred uneasily in its sleep.

The mother cried out in her sleep as the dream suddenly spiralled down
into a nightmare of fighting, fire, destruction and death.  In stark
terror, she retreated into wakefulness.

Through half open eyes, the new mother saw, or thought she saw, a
shadowy figure silhouetted in the fading moonlight.  A tall woman with
a mane of dark hair appeared to be standing guard over the crib.  The
figure, who held some kind of strange staff, glanced at the open
window, where the moonlight contended with the gathering darkness.
Returning her gaze to the babe, she leaned over the crib, and reached
out a hand to gently touch a finger to the glowing symbol.  The tiny
crescent moon vanished.

In the street, The Darkness passed on.

In the bedroom, Tsukino Ikuko slipped back into the beautiful dream.


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The end