The Key to the Sun - pt. 1

"Where is the key? The key to the sun, it's almost morning..."
The sky was blue with embarrassment. "I dropped it." The sky is always dropping things.
"Well go and get it! The doors are locked...I can't open them without the key."
"The clouds hid the key."
"The key to the sun?!"
"Yes."
The wind sighed. "I can't believe you lost the key."
"The clouds are to blame."
"You know they're not to be trusted, all mischief, insubstantial dust, and sog."
"I'll go and see if anyone finds it, maybe they will return it to us."
"Easier said than done."

The wind sighed.


The warmth of the sun seeped from behind the doors of the sky but it was still quite cold. The light of the sun was nowhere to be seen. It was dark but the light from the stars made the masses of clouds seem almost luminous, in a quiet gray sort of way. The clouds were cold too, but also amused, and their laughter tinkled out in six-sided mirth.

Oco, crunched timidly through the soft snow. The dark pines loomed around him as his boots rose and fell in a halting slow march.

The reason for his trepidation was the glowing ball of light in the snow, but even with all his apprehension he moved forward, his long winter hat pressed down over his ears and brows, his dark face peering intently into the snow at the shimmering sphere of undulating, liquid light. It was small like a plum, but oh so bright.

His hat's end trailed behind him in the snow, it was a long hat striped like a candy cane; bright red around his ears, trying to muscle down his dark hair, which peeked out with obstinate curiosity all the same.

Oco stopped. He pulled his red mitted hands from his coat pockets and squinted curiously at the orb of light, hands clutching nervously at the brass buttons of his coat.

He leaned down and reached slowly towards the small glowing ball. It floated unnaturally still above the snow. The large pine trees seemed to lean in closer as if to see for themselves, shifting softly in irritation as the wind laughed at their snow laden tresses.

Oco, grabbed the ball of light and it seemed to simply dissapear, vanishing into the cold air. But as he opened his hands to look into them, there was the light, the ball of shimmering liquid light. Floating gently above his open palm.

It began to snow a little harder.

As the sky pushed the silly chuckling clouds aside to see. "I think a little boy has found it. The key, the key to the sun."

The wind sighed.