By: L. G. Jones
Okay, okay, okay, here’s one for ya. Did you know the moon was almost stolen? It’s true I was there. Crazy I know but would I lie to you. Don’t answer that. I mean people have jumped over the moon, landed on the moon, taken the moon to dinner, pulled in the moon, and even eaten pieces of the moon. Yet no one had really sat down and said ‘You know what let me steal the moon.’
So me and a senior co-worker Mani was doing our shift one night. By the way the shift is every night. We were driving up to the Never-Ending Mountain when Mani noticed a car nearby hidden in behind some trees. At the time I never noticed it but Mani was smiling at the checkpoint.
Once through we made our way to the top of the mountain. Which is a little ironic because it’s the Never-Ending Mountain, it shouldn’t have an end but it does. But you know what that cool thing is, if you don’t work for the company it just goes on and on never ending. So in a way it does and doesn’t have a ending. Anyway we get to the site and we both jumped out. The moon was just peeking up from the horizon. It always surprises me when I see the moon up close. It’s like staring into a warm lightbulb and getting lost in the noise. “Get the ladder ready,” Mani ordered and I being fresh and new to the job rush to the back of the van. Once open I looked around at the beach ball size moons of all shapes and colours till I find the ladder hooked it up on the side. You see the Full Moon Service is a company that changes the moon every night. So we got full moons, harvest moons, blood moons, half moons, etc. It’s a pretty cool business, really cryptic. Here’s the kicker, I can talk to you about the company all I want because most people just don’t believe me and that keeps us anonymous. There have been a couple of people trying to find the company or the mountain, but most people never do. Most people.
I placed the ladder at a high point on the mountain and began to climb. “You got to grab it right when it starts to rise, if you don’t we are going to be in big trouble,” Mani warned.
“Has people missed it before,” I asked, because you know curiosity.
“Yeah a couple of times, my sister usually gets on our case. It’s not the most pleasant thing to happen.”
“She’s a nagger,” I asked looking down at him as he secured the ladder.
“You don’t even know the half of it…Oi grab it!”
I looked back up to the sky to see the moon passing by me. I quickly climbed a couple of extra steps and barely grabbed the moon before it had made its ascent to its peak. I pulled it out of the sky and handed it to Mani. Before Mani could grab it, this stranger dashed through and swiped the moon just before Mani got it. Frantically I jumped down the ladder and started to chase the stranger. He dipped, dodged and dived out of my grasp, I was starting to get frustrated with this prick. I took a glance back to see if Mani was helping, which by the way he wasn’t. “Mani what heck man,” I yelled at him. Mani just smiled and melted into darkness and the next I know. Mani is in front of the stranger holding him by the ear. I can hear the stranger in pain as Mani drags the stranger back to the ladder. “How did you do that,” I asked. He just smiled and said “Once you work here long enough you develop some tricks.” I just took his word for it. I wasn’t about to argue with a senior worker and lose my job. I mean I worked hard to get here. I was living on the streets of Nifon before this and I really needed the job. Now that the thief was close to us I could see that it was a middle aged man. He looked well dressed and different from any thief I was used to. “Harriman when will you learn,” asked Mani grabbing the moon and handing it to me. I walked over to the van and placed it inside. I check my calendar and then grabbed the appropriate moon and walked back to the ladder. “I thought I got you this time,” Harriman said rubbing his ear after Mani released his grip.
“Who is this guy,” I asked climbing up the ladder.
“New guy,” Harriman asked.
“Yeah, his name is Yomi.”
“Hello, I am still here,” I popped the moon back into place and sent it on it’s way.
“This is Harriman the only man with enough ambition to make it here. Every night he tries to steal the moon,” Mani said smiling.
“Do you ever succeed,” I asked coming down the ladder.
“If I did would I still be here?”
“I don’t know maybe you like the company,” I said unhinging the ladder.
“When he first tried to steal the moon, let me tell you, we were an hour behind of schedule. He kept running around in circles because he lost track of the exit.”
“Didn’t know who to leave,” Harriman told me.
“We ended up chasing him around the whole mountain,” Mani finished.
“Why didn’t you use your special trick?”
“Didn’t have it then.”
“Anyway I better head off,” Harriman said smiling but had this sad look on his face.
“It was good seeing you again Harry,” Mani said giving him a hug then he walked down the mountain and disappeared.
“Do you think he’ll come back,” I asked.
“I don’t know but I like his spunk. He never stops and keeps pushing forward. We need more people to be just like that.”
“Like what?”
“Driven. Most people have a goal but lose that goal somewhere down the line, or family gets in the way or financial problems.”
“Tell me about it,” I said heading back to the van.
“Not Harry though, he just keeps coming back. I like a man like that,” Mani finished and then we noticed it. Somewhere before Harriman stole the moon from Mani, he had already grabbed a full moon from the van and had stashed it somewhere. He knew we were going to catch him, so he made a back up plan just in case. Well I guess that was his real plan all along. Mani closed the van door and looked over to me. “Always close the van door,” Mani said.
“Am I fired,” I asked.
“No, but you will get a nagging from my sister.”
“How long will that take?”
“Don’t know, why you got somewhere you got to be?”
“I got this date with my sister’s friend,” I said as we both hopped into the van.
“What’s her name,” Mani asked starting the van.
“ Uke Mochi.”
“Mochi eh, sounds like a cute girl.”
“I hope so…wait.”
“What,” Mani asked.
“What’s going to happen to Harry?”
“Well judging Harry, it will probably be some type of cash cow. We are going to see a lot of traffic on the moon in the future. The only problem is…”
“Is what,” I interrupted.
“Harry just wanted to go to the moon but he never had the talent for being an astronaut, so he decided to fund his own expedition, it’s just he’ll never get a chance to go.”
“Why is that?”
“Because he is the only person to steal the moon, so no one is going to let him go on such a dangerous trip. He’s an important man.”
“Oh,” I said peering out the window, a little sad for Harry. He worked so hard.
“I don’t think that’s going to keep him down though, he’s a very ambitious man, I think he’ll get to go one day.”
“Yeah one day,” I said as we drove down the Never-Ending Mountain.
