What Grows By Moonlight

Oh that Love was always symmetrical, always reciprocated, always came in pairs. Alas it is not always these things, and when it is not it can spawn a most agonizing and enduring pain, that of unrequited Love. Yet like the pain that strengthens the fibers of the athlete’s muscle, like the blow of the hammer that hardens the blade, the agony of unrequited Love can succor a lasting resilience, an enduring strength, and in doing so even heal itself.

The short story “What Grows By Moonlight” follows a young man as he learns carpentry in his uncle’s work shed, and in the process also learns about his uncle’s inner strength in overcoming the heartache of an unrequited love. There’s a bit of woodworking during the telling, and the full moon helps out at times.